Garden Chair plans

How to make a Simple Garden Chair page: 1 2
Page one: Plans - Materials and Cutting List
Page two: Instructions
User photos/comments

Introduction
This garden chair is an extremely simple design and is probably one of the easier chairs to construct.

Building this garden chair merely requires that you cut and drill all the pieces of lumber according to the detailed plans provided and then assemble all the pieces.

Once all the lumber pieces have been cut and the holes marked and drilled, simply line up the holes in the various pieces (according to plan), place the bolts in the holes and the chair frame will take shape automatically!

Below is a drawing of every different piece of wood used in this project and a cross-section drawing showing all the pieces in place. Each drawing shows angle cuts, dimensions and the placement of any bolt holes.

To help you even further, the drawings are followed by further explanation, information about lumber sizes and notes regarding measurements.

All the individual pieces


[a] Front leg. 90x45 (1 1/2"x 3 1/2") stock. Cut 2 pieces as per plan above.
b] Rear leg. 90x45 (1 1/2"x 3 1/2") stock. Cut 2 pieces as per plan above.
[c] Back support. 90x45 (1 1/2"x 3 1/2") stock. Cut 2 pieces as per plan above.
[d] Seat support. 90x45 (1 1/2"x 3 1/2") stock. Cut 2 pieces as per plan above.
[e] Armrest support. 90x45 (1 1/2"x 3 1/2") stock. Cut 2 pieces as per plan above.
[f] Common slats. 90x20 (3/4"x 3 1/2") stock. Cut 6 pieces as per plan above.
[h] Front seat slat. 90x20 (3/4"x 3 1/2") stock. Cut 1 piece as per plan above.
[i] Arm rest. 90x20 (3/4"x 3 1/2") stock. Cut 2 pieces as per plan above.

Altogether you will need 6.6 meters (22ft) of 90x45 (1 1/2"x 3 1/2") stock and 6 meters (20ft) of 90x20 (3/4"x 3 1/2") stock.

You will also need 10 galvanized carriage bolts 10mm (3/8") x 100mm (4") with nuts and washers, and 40 wood screws that are 50mm (2") long.

About lumber and sizes
Only two common stock sizes (widths and thicknesses) are required for this project.
They are dressed or surfaced 100x50 (2"x4") and 100x25 (1"x4").

When 100x50 (2"x4") lumber is dressed or surfaced, the size becomes approximately 90x45 (1 1/2"x 3 1/2") which is called the 'actual size'.
When 100x25 (1"x4") lumber is dressed or surfaced, the size becomes approximately 90x20 (3/4"x 3 1/2") which is called the 'actual size'.

All the measurements referred to in this project are the 'actual sizes'.

Use a lumber that is suitable for exterior use.

Dimensions for this project are both metric and imperial. All measurements are given in millimeters first, followed by feet and/or inches in brackets ( ). The metric sizes are not an exact match to the equivalent imperial sizes. A chair built using the metric measurements will be approximately 1.6% smaller than a chair built using the imperial (ft and in) measurements. The imperial measurements are more suited to North America. The metric measurements are more suited to Australasia.

Instructions
This garden chair is constructed solely from 100x50 (2x4) and 100x25 (1x4) lumber.
Both are common stock sizes and can be obtained from most lumber stores.
Note that when lumber is dressed or surfaced, the finished (actual) size (width and thickness) is less than the nominal size. The sizes referred to in this project are the actual sizes.
There is further information on lumber and sizes on the previous page along with detailed drawings of every part showing dimensions, angle cuts and exact placement of required bolt holes.

Step 1.
Cut all the individual pieces to the sizes and shapes according to the plans on the previous page.

Step 2.
Mark and drill 10mm (3/8") bolt holes where required according to the plans on the previous page.

Step 3.
Assemble the two side frames.
Lay members [e] and [d] on even ground or bench and then lay members [a],[b] and [c] on top with the bolt holes in line. Then bolt the members together.
Screw the bottom of member [c] to member [b].
Refer to the side view plan if you need to.
Note that the two side frames will be a mirror image of each other. See fig.1.




Step 4.
Lay the frames on their backs to commence fixing the slats. See fig.2.
Space the side frames 640mm (25 1/2") apart and ensure that they are parallel.
Pre-drill screw holes through the slats (two at each meeting) and then screw the slats in place to members [c]. See the front view plan for placement.

Step 5.
Stand the chair frames upright ensuring members [d] are parallel. Pre-drill screw holes through the seat slats (two at each meeting) and then screw the slats in place. See the top view plan for placement.

Step 6.
Pre-drill screw holes through the two arm rests [i] and then screw them in place to the arm rest supports [e].
All done!