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Thread: Adirondack chairs - your material of choice?

  1. #31
    Quote Originally Posted by Sam Murdoch View Post
    If expense is not a consideration I say TEAK - will stand up to years of neglect and weather without the need to finish. The red squirrels, here on the mid-coast however, seem to enjoy chewing on it.

    Other less expensive but still pricey options available from a few Maine hardwood lumber sources would be Mahogany or South American cedar. I don't have any current pricing but they are both to be likely in the $6.50 bd.ft. range +/-.

    Hancock lumber offers some very nice # 2 or clear white pine that is affordably priced and will make a very durable (and light weight) chair though requiring more care than the the 3 options above.

    All but the teak version should be regularly maintained with a good exterior finish. The oil finishes are the easiest to maintain/ recondition every spring.

    In all cases I would use GRK screws - do not accept so called "stainless" screws as an alternative. Many stainless fastenings these days seem to be made with a very inferior grade of stainless. GRKs are excellent and long lasting.

    AND - in any case I would apply a 2 part epoxy wash to the bottom of the chair feet. 2 coats so that the end grain is saturated will add years and years to your outdoor furniture. I have left picnic tables and chairs out all winter without compromise - except for the red squirrel chew thing .
    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

  2. #32
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Tyler, Texas
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    2,041
    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

  3. 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.

    IMG_1935.jpg IMG_1947.jpg

    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.

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Burlington, NC
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    819
    Anybody tried using Thompsons water sealer Deck stain on their chairs?

    Perry

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    State College, PA
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    376
    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).

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Wilmington, NC
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    455
    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.

  7. #37
    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.

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Sacramento, ca.
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    269
    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

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Bronx, NYC, NY
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    182
    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 <<<

  10. #40
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Bedford, NH
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    1,286
    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.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Huber View Post
    In 2008 I made 6 of them, one out of redwood and the other 5 out of cypress they are all still going and have been out in the weather for the last 7 years.
    I did have one arm that cracked on one of the cypress chairs but it was not a bad crack and I just left it, it has not gotten any bigger.

    I also made a test chair out of pine and it is still going but it does have a few cracks in it.

    Attachment 310050 Attachment 310051

  11. #41
    Edward ,not saying you're wrong. The sources I looked at while back said hemlock was used .

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    Quote Originally Posted by Edward Oleen View Post
    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.
    The issue with Red Oak is that it's built like a bundle of soda straws and rots very quickly outdoors. I don't doubt it's been commonly used, but I'd select white oak over it in a millisecond for better weather and "creature" durability for this application.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #43
    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.

    ------------

    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.

  14. #44
    Look up what woods are traditionally used in boat building. Use something off that list.

  15. #45
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Chappell Hill, Texas
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    4,741
    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

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