I second what Sam said. Teak or mahogany. I use Mirante, a cheap member of the mahogany family. My first round I made out of cedar....they just didn't hold up.
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I second what Sam said. Teak or mahogany. I use Mirante, a cheap member of the mahogany family. My first round I made out of cedar....they just didn't hold up.
Adirondeck Chairs_02.jpgAdirondeck Chairs_08.jpg
I've made over a dozen out of ERC and finished them all with Epifanes varnish per their recommendation...7 coats. I have two of them on my front deck that are 5 or 6 years old and still look great although the red has faded to a golden color.
For the record, spar varnish and marine varnish are not the same thing. Spar varnish is a long-oil varnish but does not contain solids like marine varnishes do. Solids are what block the UV rays and a high gloss finish helps reflect them.
I personally I don't like the gray wood look and that is what no finish will become. I scuff sanded and re-applied the Epifanes on my chairs after 3 years of exposure to Texas sun. I'll do it again every three years or so. Once the shine is gone from the Epifanes gloss marine varnish, it's time for maintenance. The varnish eventually breaks down just like suntan lotion. I don't expect any clear finish to last forever but a good marine varnish is as good as it gets for clear finishes.
Cody
Logmaster LM-1 sawmill, 30 hp Kioti tractor w/ FEL, Stihl 290 chainsaw, 300 bf cap. Solar Kiln
I've built a number of Adirondack Chairs out of a variety of wood. I teach a class building them at our local woodshop on a military base as well. We use Eastern Red Cedar because it is plentiful around here and looks great.
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We tell the students they can use a variety of wood species but around here, we have plenty of ERC, Cypress & White Oak. All of which have held up really well outside. I have a couple ERC chairs on my back patio that are roughly 10 years old and I've long since given up refinishing them, letting the grey silver take over and just enjoying them, which is what we recommend to the students rather than stressing over refinishing every year.
Anybody tried using Thompsons water sealer Deck stain on their chairs?
Perry
Any thoughts on eucalyptus? The man who helped me today at Lewis Lumber Products in Picture Rocks, PA recommended it as a good choice (among other possibilities).
I have made many of these out of cypress. One lesson learned, is try to use quartersawn cypress for the arms and seat boards, as cypress can pop a horizontal grain up and actually cut you. I know from experience. I just finished two, and picked through some boards to cut out the qs area to use on these parts.
I used yellow pine decking from Home Depot, the brown stuff, 1"x 6" x 8'.
they've been in the New Mexico sun for 2 years now without any finish. The only thing I had to do was tighten the screws and Carriage bolts as the wood dried. I think I paid $80.00 for the materials and built 2 of them.
Here's a link to a study done on weather resistant wood http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8144.pdf scroll to pages 3 &4 for a chart. Here in Ca. douglas fir is inexpensive as construction lumber and according to the chart has moderate decay resistance. It would need to be dried further before use. I have been thinking of using it for a garden bench after letting it air dry for a time.
Bill
" You are a square peg in a square hole, and we need to twist you to make you fit. " My boss
Red Oak. The ORIGINAL material for Adirondack Chairs, built here in the Adirondacks. I soak it in spar varnish - three or four coats allowed to seek in, and they last and last and last.
Eastern Red Cedar is okay, but the big ones are long since cut, unless you are really lucky.
>>> Je Suis Charlie <<<
Absolutely beautiful chairs Bill! I love the design, just what I had in mind as I've been tempted to make a pair myself thinking I might use black locust wood (hard, heavy & rot resistant) whose price is comparable to white oak, or from Polly-Wood that "wood" last even longer, but more expensive(?). We have some strong winds at my place & a heavier design would help keep the chairs in place.
Edward ,not saying you're wrong. The sources I looked at while back said hemlock was used .
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
What about Black Locust?
It's a bit hard to source, and it's expensive, but it's nice looking, (looks pretty much like white oak, but with a honey-golden glow) hard, and about as weatherproof as lumber gets.
I've never tried it, myself, but have always wanted to.
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Edit: Here's a pic of some nice chairs, made with the stuff:
http://ablacklocustconnection.com/furndeck.htm
Last edited by Allan Speers; 04-09-2015 at 11:56 PM.
Look up what woods are traditionally used in boat building. Use something off that list.
Black locust would be awesome.
Now, disclosure… I have never made any adirondack chairs, but I have cut out the parts for a dozen of them one time for a guy who sold kits. He gave me one piece each of the chairs, and the wood he wanted me to use. I made patterns, and quickly cut out the parts. Now, the wood. It was KDAT yellow pine. It was AWESOME to work with. It machined very well and sanded most excellently. If I had to make some chairs, and I was going to paint then, I would use KDAT pine, for sure. If I were to leave them unfinished, I would use white oak with no sapwood.
Todd