Veritas Adirondack Chairs

[Tim Bridge]

I made a couple of Adirondack chairs using the Veritas folding chair plans.
I modified them to use 1" instead of 3/4" wood and made them wider than their plans.
I used Spanish cedar and stainless carriage bolts with nylon sleeves over the threads where the wood moves where folding, and I used coated deck screws with torx heads for the screws.

My wife suggested applying a sealer of some kind to the wood. I was going to leave them unfinished.

Should I put a finish on them or let them weather naturally?

I can't seem to add a photo from my iPad.

[Stew Hagerty]

I am about to make some Adirondack chairs myself, although I'm using white oak.
I plan on applying a couple of coats of General Finishes Outdoor Oil. I have used it before on outdoor projects. Film finishes will tend to crack and chip over time and the only way to repair them is to strip the finish and start all over. The GF Outdoor Oil, on the other hand, just soaks in. It has lots of solids so it protects very well and gives the project a very nice look. It also has lots of UV inhibitors. All you have to do for maintenance is give it a refresher coat every couple of years.

And I would really like to know how you incorporated their folding chair parts into your Adirondack chairs. If you can figure out how to load photos, I would love to see them. I'm no help, I don't do Apple.

[Tim Bridge]

Here is a photo of one of the chairs.


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My shop.

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[Stew Hagerty]

Very nice. Nice shop too, you fit a lot into a small space. You can't go wrong with the Outdoor Oil.

[Rich Riddle]

Good idea to use stainless with the cedar. Cedar can cause some metals to interact with a black color.

[Tim Bridge]

Very nice. Nice shop too, you fit a lot into a small space. You can't go wrong with the Outdoor Oil.

Thanks, in the fall I move everything to the back of the garage and the table is hinged to the shelves so I can fold it up. Then I can get my truck inside for the winter.

I can set up in less than an hour if I need to do a winter project.

[Doug Hepler]

Tim,

This is not a settled issue among woodworkers. Many people do not like to finish with varnish, especially many coats. They use oil finishes that claim to protect the wood. Oil finished have to be re-applied every year and even then do not protect the wood. I have no objection to gradual development of a grey patina except that it is often uneven and may be accompanied by splintering, which is totally unacceptable in furniture (ouch!)

The only finish that offers complete protection is paint. I assume you would not be willing to paint Spanish Cedar (I wouldn't). Among clear finishes the choice depends on the environment the chairs will be in. Briefly, the only clear finish that provides long-term protection for wood left out in the sun is many coats of a top-quality alkyd (not polyurethane) spar varnish like Epifanes or Man-o-War. In Massachusetts the sun is not as strong as in Florida and Colorado and I suppose you will take the chairs indoors in the winter. If the chairs will be in partial shade that ameliorates the problem even further.

Here is my personal experience:
(1) Cypress tables left outdoors in full sun in Florida, finished with Minwax Helmsman polyurethane spar varnish -- finish has failed every 2 years and needed sanding and refinishing.
(2) Cypress Adirondack chairs like yours, outdoors year-round in partial shade finished with 8 coats of Epifanes. After about 7 years the finish is just starting to show some failure (greying of the wood under the varnish)
(3) Redwood picnic table in Colorado, finished with six coats of Man-O-War full sun all summer covered in winter -- good as new after one season.

I wrote a monograph about this a while ago which you may enjoy. http://plaza.ufl.edu/chepler/Notes/Outdoor%20Wood.pdf

All the best

Doug

[Cody Colston]

Tim,


Among clear finishes the choice depends on the environment the chairs will be in. Briefly, the only clear finish that provides long-term protection for wood left out in the sun is many coats of a top-quality alkyd (not polyurethane) spar varnish like Epifanes or Man-o-War.
Doug

I agree, except Epifanes and Man-O-War are not simply spar varnishes, they are marine grade varnishes. The difference is the solids content. On one of the previous replies to this thread, a finish was touted as being high solids with UV protection, too. They are one and the same. There is no UV protection without a high solids content.

[Peter Kelly]

Epifanes and the better marine varnishes are actually combination of phenolic-alkyd resins, not just alkyd.

Maybe try Waterlox Marine? https://www.waterlox.com/solutions/outdoors
I've used it quite a bit on exterior doors and outdoor furniture I'd made. Has held up well over the years and doesn't have that super glossy thick varnish-y look you'd get with most marine coatings. Like any outdoor finish, it needs to be re-applied every few years, no big deal.

Just avoid anything that lists polyurethane as an ingredient.

[Chris Fournier]

I would simply oil these chairs and not use a film finish. Cedar is soft and a varnish will lift wherever hit. DBLO on these chairs, renewed every season or two. Did this on a pair of these that I made with a friend 10 years ago. they still look great!

[Tim Bridge]

I would simply oil these chairs and not use a film finish. Cedar is soft and a varnish will lift wherever hit. DBLO on these chairs, renewed every season or two. Did this on a pair of these that I made with a friend 10 years ago. they still look great!

Sorry, what is DBLO.

[Tim Bridge]

I was going to leave these chairs natural, but my wife wants to put a finish on them to keep them from turning grey.
A friend of mine recommended Penofin finish.
What are your thoughts, and which one if this is a good way to go?

[Stew Hagerty]

I was going to leave these chairs natural, but my wife wants to put a finish on them to keep them from turning grey.
A friend of mine recommended Penofin finish.
What are your thoughts, and which one if this is a good way to go?

Like I said earlier, I like General Finishes Outdoor Oil on anything I put outdoors. If you want to keep it from looking grey, you can add some dye to the oil. The most fade resistant dye that I know of are the W.D.Lockwood Metal Complex Dyes. You just need to dissolve the dye overnight, typically in a combination of mineral spirits & Acetone, then strain the mix into the oil.
If you want to keep it looking "natural" find or mix a color very close to the wood you are using. It won't look much different now, and it will keep looking that way much longer.
Note: You will need to reapply a quick refresher coat of oil every couple of years (give or take) to maintain the protection, UV inhibitors, and finished look that the oil provides. Depending on how your stuff is looking, you can choose whether or not you want to add dye to the oil at each refresher application.