Plans

Free Woodworking Plans to Build a CB2 Inspired Sawyer Adirondack Chair

05.31.11 By //

This chair is such a fabulous take on the Beloved Adirondack Chair, Extremely Inexpensive to Build, and a Piece of Cake To Construct! The most difficult portion of this plan is the cutting, and even that should actually be a bit of a fun challenge, nothing to difficult that you can’t tackle it easily!

As with all of our plans, you are building at your own risk and you should have a firm understanding of building in general before you attempt many of our plans (some are easy as pie and perfect for beginners). With that, go forth, have fun, take lots of pictures and share them in a showcase on the site or on social media with the hashtag #builtTDCtuff and we will share our faves! Be sure to tag @thedesignconfidential on Instagram / FB and @thedesconf on Twitter / Pinterest. If you are a blogger and you post about your build, don’t forget to include a link to your post on your showcase here. Don’t forget… for all of our newer plans, clicking on the images will let them expand to enormous sizes with much greater clarity. The older plans may need updating so please let us know if you need one fixed!

$25-$50

  • 1/2 Sheet 3/4″ Plywood
  • 1 – 1×2 at 6’
  • 1 – 1×4 at 8’ ** you can also purchase fence boards like this for savings, you will need to purchase 2 if you do this since they come in 6’ lengths and your will need to cut off the dog eared portion.
  • 3 – 1×6 at 8’ **you can also purchase fence boards like this for big savings, you will need to purchase 5 if you do this since they come in 6’ lengths and you will need to cut off the dog eared portion.
  • ** Cut your Front Leg Pieces out first and then rip the remaining portion ofthat board and the remaining boards into 4 1/2” widths for the Seat and Back.
  • 2 – 3/4″ Ply at 30″ x 28″ Outer Legs (relatively L shaped)
  • 2 – 3/4″ Ply at 26″ x 9″ Inner Legs
  • 2 – 1×6 at 21” Front Legs
  • 8 – 1×6 (ripped down into 4 1/2” width strips) at 25” Seat and Back OR 6 – 1×6 at 25” if preferred.
  • 1 – 1×2 at 25” Support Trim
  • 1 – 1×2 at 1 1/2” Triangular Pieces (2) for Arm Support
  • 1 – 1×4 at 26 1/2” Back (Rail) of the Arm Unit
  • 2 – 1×4 at 31 3/4” Arms

Before beginning to build, always check in on my site to make sure you have the most up to date set of plans, I occasionally update and change the plans to make the building process easier or to allow for less expensive purchasing of materials! Read through the entire set of instructions and all comments before beginning this project. If you print out or save plans, be sure to check in on my site to be sure you have the most up to date set of plans, as I occasionally update things for ease of building or buying. If you are new to building, read through the GETTING STARTED section and other articles found under the BUILD tab in the menu on my site, it has valuable information about how to get started, tools and techniques. If you are unfamiliar with the finishing process, visit my Finishing school for some tips and tricks for painting like a pro and for special finishing practices. Use glue to secure your joints and Consider Painting or Staining individual sections prior to assembling. This makes the paint application virtually flawless. Coat with a spray on Poly or Wipe on Poly to protect your finish and your piece and it will last for ages. Adhere to all safety standards and guidelines, and be sure you follow safety protocol throughout your build. If you are unsure about whether you are building safely, run a quick online search for the tool or technique you are using, or contact me via email or post to the forum before you move ahead. My contact info can be found in the menu of my site.

Cut Out your Outer Legs: You will need 2 of these exactly the same. If you have a preferred ‘side’ of your plywood, you will want to flip this template around to mirror so you have the appropriate side on the showing side. This diagram shows you how to connect the mark out the shape you need for this portion and corresponds to the angles shown in the diagram. Use your circular saw to cut this out. If you simply connect the dots between the dimensions outlined below and use a circular saw to make these cuts, you won’t have to worry about the actual angle for each corner. If you prefer to build this using Wood rather than plywood, I recommend creating a template using the image below, out of plywood or cardboard and then transferring that shape to your boards of choice.

You Can Build This! Easy DIY Plans from The Design Confidential with Complete Instructions on How to Build a Sawyer Adirondack Chair via @thedesconf Cut Out your Inner Legs: You will need 2 of these, exactly the same. This diagram shows you how to connect the mark out the shape you need for this portion and corresponds to the angles shown in the diagram. Use your circular saw to cut this out. If you simply connect the dots between the dimensions outlined below and use a circular saw to make these cuts, you won’t have to worry about the actual angle for each corner. If you prefer to build this using Wood rather than plywood, I recommend creating a template using the image below, out of plywood or cardboard and then transferring that shape to your boards of choice.

After you have cut out your Inner Lower Legs, you will attach them to the Outer Leg Units allowing the Bottom of the Inner Leg to be flush with the Bottom of the Outer Leg. The Top of the Inner Leg will sit 3/4” lower than the Top of the Lower portion of Outer Leg to allow for the Seat Slats later, and will sit back 3/4” from the front edge to allow for the Support Trim in a later step. The Back of the Inner Leg will extend back past the Back edge of the Outer Lower Leg and will act as the actual portion that rests on the ground. Refer to the Project Image in this step for reference as to how this lays out.

Cut Out your Front Legs: This is most easily done by marking out 21” on your 1×6 or from your plywood and then a 2” width on one end and a line made between that 2” edge and the existing edge 21” up from it. Then attach to the Leg Units by fastening it from the inside using 1 1/4” Screws and glue.

Attach the Support Trim: Fasten in place using 1 1/4” Screws and glue or Finish Nails, and fasten them into the Inner Lower Legs.

Tack on the Seat Slats: You will need to rip a 1×6 to down into a 1 x 4 1/2”  panel (shave off 1” of width) to most accurately depict the original piece, (or you can cut these out of plywood) however if you aren’t able to do this I would recommend using the 1×6 in it’s original width and you will use 3 rather than 4 and space them 1 1/2” apart rather than 1”. This will look equally as nice, it just isn’t precisely the same as the original piece. Attach the Seat Slats as shown below using 1 1/4” screws and glue or galvanized nails.

Attach the Back Rest Panels: You will cut a 1×6 to size (rip it into a 1 x 4 1/2) just as you did in the previous step and you will attach them to the Outer Upper Leg using your Kreg Jig® set for 3/4” stock and your 1 1/4” pocket hole screws and glue or 1 1/4” Screws or Galvanized Nails. The Back Rest Panels will be fastened in place flush with the inside edge of the Outer Upper Leg and should begin 1/4” from the Top of the Outer upper Leg and then be placed 1” apart after that.

Construct the Arm Unit: Create your pocket holes for your arm unit, using your Kreg Jig® set for 3/4” stock and place them as shown below in the Rail (blue) and the Arms (green) at the place they will fasten to the Outer Upper Legs (this is determined by where the arm units will hit if they are perfectly perpendicular to the Front Legs). Build part of a Face Frame for the Arm Unit by using your 1 1/4” pocket hole screws and glue to fasten the Rail to the Stiles (Blue to Green). Then you will fasten the arm unit to the Outer Upper Leg. Fasten the Arm Unit to the Front Legs using 1 1/4” Screws or Galvanized Nails. Support the Arm Unit using a 1 1/2” triangular piece as shown below. Fasten it in place approximately in the Center of the Side of the Front Leg using 1 1/4” screws or Galvanized Nails.

Fill any Screw, Nail or Pocket Holes, Sand and Finish as Desired. For Finishing Tips and Tricks visit my Finishing School

**Disclaimer: Some rights reserved. Private use only. Feel Free to link to any of my plans so long as you provide an adequate link back to the appropriate post! Plans from this page are not to be used for commercial purposes or republished without the express written consent of Rayan Turner, The Design Confidential I hope to provide accurate plans, however, I cannot guarantee each plan for accuracy. Not every plan that I post has been built and tested, so you are building at your own risk. It is recommended that you have a clear understanding of how the project works before beginning any project. Please contact me if you find an error or inaccuracy so that I might fix it.

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11 comments on “Free Woodworking Plans to Build a CB2 Inspired Sawyer Adirondack Chair”

  1. Hi there, im huge fan of your blog but this plan doesn’t seem to be functional anymore (the links are broken). The weather is nice out and i’d like to build a couple of these and the corresponding foot rests. Im sorry to trouble you but is there anyway you could email me a set of these plans?

    Thank you for all of your amazing work and keep it up!

    1. are you looking for the sawyer adirondack chair plans? or another set of plans? if the links aren’t working – i can fix them quickly if you leave them for me in a comment! if it is the images that aren’t working – hang tight and i will get them re-uploaded!

      1. Hi I’m having a hard time with the links. I’m really interested in creating something based on this design. Thanks!

        Alan

  2. I love the design of the chair and would like to make a set. Are the images to the plans available. thanks Daniel in Texas

    1. They sure are! I just need to upload them again-they got lost in the move! Stay tuned and I will get things working on just a bit!!

  3. Hello,
    Huge fan, Could you please get the images uploaded for this chair? I can’t seem to find them anywhere! If not you could you please email me the images?
    Thanks for everything you do!

  4. Man this design is awesome! Just a heads up! on the cut list there is a small mistake. Where it states
    2 – 3/4″ Ply at 26″ x 9″ Inner Legs, it should be 2 – 3/4″ Ply at 35″ x 9″ inner legs. (actual piece size 34 5/8″ x 8 3/16″)

    Thanks again for all the good work!

  5. What kind of software is it ? I’m looking for some soft for design a little house of wood for my daughter.
    And I’m just thinking about Inventor, of ArchiCAD…
    Thank You for help 🙂

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