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A single garden chair made of solid wood costs from 3,5 to 8 thousand rubles. Considering that a minimum of five products will be required for a summer residence, the blow to the budget is obvious. In order to avoid costs, we advise you to make a chair from a bar with your own hands.
Types of wooden chairs
With proper care, it will last 12-15 years. You can offer a double model – the best option for summer arbors and terraces attached to the house. Based on personal preferences and operating features, you can also do:
- Kentucky or bar chair. In work, it is better to use walnut or oak. These materials withstand mechanical stress well, and their original texture allows you to save on wood finishing products.
- Lightweight folding models are suitable for travel lovers. It is acceptable to use them in open-type gazebos entwined with flowers. Such furniture does not require much space, which is especially important for owners of small outbuildings.
- Soft chairs on wheels are a great option for people prone to depression. Providing a pleasant tactile sensation, such products have a calming effect.
- Sliding options for everyday relaxation and outdoor sleeping.
- Adirondack in the form of a throne with a slightly convex seat. In such an armchair it is convenient to read, do needlework and meditate.
Before you make wooden chairs with your own hands, you need to consider the shape of the back, legs and armrests. At the same time, the seat height should not be lower than 96 cm. This is important for the formation of correct posture. When it comes to furniture for the dining area, solid wood folding products are the best thing to offer amateur carpenters.
Dust is almost invisible on such chairs, and they are also easy to clean and are well suited for people with different weights. It is acceptable to use pallet chairs of various shapes not only on terraces, but also when decorating the main rooms. The maximum budget of such a project often does not exceed 1,5 thousand rubles.
Video “Do-it-yourself wooden garden chair”
In this video you will learn how to make a quality wooden garden chair with your own hands.
Getting Started
When choosing a particular model, it is important to take into account the maximum load on the supporting elements of the products. For example, with a weight of 95 kg, the owner can try to combine wood and forging in his work. This will increase the strength of outdoor furniture suitable for passive recreation, eating and sleeping. In the absence of a foundation, it is better to use pendulum products that swing equally well on the ground, sand and grass.
Wicker chairs have a sophisticated look, but they do not tolerate heat and moisture. Therefore, they are often made for closed-type extensions. Maximum comfort is provided by hanging furniture in the form of a basket or a hemisphere. Here, in addition to wood, a novice master will need a pipe hoop, rings, carbines, thick fabric and several zippers.
In order to avoid technical errors, it does not hurt to familiarize yourself with various drawings of wooden chairs before work. We are talking about detailed graphic images, which can indicate the features of the connection and fastening of most parts.
Material selection
Hardwoods are the best raw material for garden furniture. Oak, for example, is highly durable and hard. It lends itself well to dry processing and almost does not absorb moisture. Beech is more suitable for the implementation of original design ideas. This wood is famous for its uniform texture, and the variety of natural shades creates unlimited possibilities in choosing style solutions. The only drawback of the material is its high hygroscopicity. For this reason, it needs pre-treatment with protective compounds.
In the work, you can also use rowan, ash, elm and plane tree. Soft woods such as pine, cherry, cedar and maple are more suitable for decorating finished products.
Model Selection
Folding chairs are often called transformers. With one movement of the hand, they turn into sleeping places designed for adults and children. This is the best option for the street and small spaces. If the terrace area exceeds 15 squares, and furniture has to be rearranged from time to time, it is better to look at functional models on wheels.
The easiest way is to knock down a chair from pallets. For the single version, you will need 2 pallets of standard sizes. In this case, the distance between the upper boards should not be less than 45 mm. The main thing is to properly fasten the seat and back, sand the wood and make a tilt. Of the tools you will need hammers, bolts, primer and nails. As for the main raw materials, you can order it on the Internet at a price of 120 to 190 rubles per pallet or scroll through the ads under the heading “I’ll give it away for free.”
Tools
An inexperienced carpenter will definitely need a circular saw. With its help, wood can be cut at a convenient angle in the longitudinal or transverse direction. Units in protective covers and with a built-in engine braking function are especially popular. Other tools you will need are clamps, drills, a drill and a hand saw.
In choosing a joiner’s miter box, it is more logical to give preference to a fixture with a small amount of backlash. So you will be able to ensure convenient trimming of the main and decorative elements with millimeter accuracy.
Life hacks of masters
Consistent processing of raw materials contributes to the long-term use of furniture. At the first stage, the wood is sanded. Then they are impregnated with protective compounds that increase its resistance to ultraviolet radiation, moisture and insects. The next step is priming and painting the chairs. Irregularities on the surface of materials should be filled with a flexible spatula. If there are minor scratches, use a regular putty.
In the conditions of using particle boards, you will need:
- decorative edge, which is usually attached to the ends of wooden chairs and armchairs (its main purpose is to hide the unaesthetic appearance of the product inside);
- a circular saw that guarantees accurate cutting of the material;
- masking tape is glued to the cut line to avoid coloring the chipboard;
- the rasp removes irregularities well; for better processing of film-coated sheets, you will need a planer;
- staining of finished products in three layers to neutralize formalin.
Step by step guide
If you have a drawing of an adirondack chair at hand, you will get an original product with funny curved legs. It is important that they are slightly higher than the seat. To do this, the ends of the materials must be shortened by 1,5–2 cm. Step-by-step instructions for any model of the chair will help to fix from 8 to 10 planks of the seat, back of products, front and rear legs without errors. It would be useful to make drawings of the lower supports and armrests.
Wooden shell chair
To process solid or 16 mm plywood, you will need an electric jigsaw. The main thing is to stick to smooth movements in order to avoid slight irregularities and significant deformation of parts. Bent plywood can only be used if you have already dealt with such manipulations before. At the first stage, it is important:
- Make a drawing of the future product indicating the dimensions and location of all elements.
- Cut out blanks.
- Treat the details with several layers of varnish: the first time – along the fibers, and the second – across, so that the surface is perfectly even.
- Fix the elements with wood glue, and connect the individual parts with clamps according to the instructions. Decorative screws can also be useful in the work.
Pallet chair
For creativity, several pallets of standard sizes, a Phillips screwdriver, sandpaper, fasteners and paint will come in handy. First, the pallets must be sanded with abrasive materials. If time is short, it is better to use special grinding equipment. Then we form the seat. To do this, we determine the central point of the first pallet with its subsequent sawing along the material. The result is two products of different lengths.
From the larger part with four support bars, you can make a seat. In the same way, we make the back of the chair at an angle, but from the second pallet. The rest of the material will be needed to assemble the base and armrests. If you need to increase the stability of the supporting elements, attach additional bars to them. Before using the chair outdoors, do not forget to impregnate the wood with antiseptics.
Upholstered armchair
20 mm thick plywood can be taken as a basis, and waterproof fabrics (heat-resistant oxford or impermeable membrane) can be used for upholstery. All parts are cut out according to pre-compiled templates, where their optimal dimensions and angle of inclination are clearly indicated. Next, it is important to process the ends of the product and form bends. After the sidewalls have absorbed the stain, you can begin to tighten the frame. To begin with, they upholster the back of the chair, and then the seat. For this purpose, carpenters recommend wallpaper nails with voluminous hats.
To hide the slats, behind the frame part, artificial leather or foam rubber is fixed along the edge. And if you need to increase the shelf life of garden furniture, the attachment points are additionally treated with wood glue.
Armchair for giving
Starting to assemble a double “throne”, you need:
- prepare 2 sidewalls, 40 cross rails and 3-4 drawers;
- chamfer the side rails and cut out the sides with a width of 110 mm;
- form the frame of the future product;
- attach the bars to the seat;
- putty the cracks, eliminate irregularities and varnish the finished chair.
In work, you can use only well-dried materials, pre-treated with antifungal compounds.
High back armchair
If for a regular product you need 5-6 boards with a plate width of 5 to 7 cm, here the back will consist of about 8 more voluminous elements. The optimal distance between them is 1 cm. For a slightly rounded design, the gaps at the bottom of the product will have to be narrowed. Wooden parts are fastened with a groove method, and joints with carpentry glue and self-tapping screws. To securely fix the supporting elements, you will need several vertical boards. For upholstery – pleasant to the touch chenille, and preferably wear-resistant split.
If there is a detailed diagram of the product indicating the location of the cross bars, armrests, legs and backrest, the probability of technical errors does not exceed 3%.