Portable Deck Chair
Deck Chair Plans that Knock Down Flat
This deck chair design is nothing new and some version of it can be in project books or magazines for as long as I can remember. Because of that it was always a project I had wanted to build...I just needed a reason. My annual pilgrimage to Maine was as good excuse as any. My in-laws house up there has a deck with a lovely view...soooo, here we go!
Really this chair is all about the curved legs. I looked around for patterns and didn't come up with much other than broken links and plans for sale on designs I didn't much like. So I grabbed an image from an old Popular Woodworking magazine (king of the broken links), imported it into SketchUp and made my own pattern. This actually worked well because it allowed me to tweak the shape a bit by thinning it out in some areas and lengthening it in others. I like a taller backed chair and stretching it out a bit made it really comfortable. I have included both the SketchUp model and a PDF of the leg patterns for you use.
Woodworking wise, this is all about cutting curves. Certainly if you are so inclined a bandsaw makes quick work of these legs. But I seriously enjoyed using my turning saw and just the lapping of the waves outside my shop window (and The Grateful Dead) as my soundtrack. It is refining the curves that gets really fun as I was able to pull out my compass plane and put it to work. A spokeshave or (gasp) sandpaper would work as well to finesse the curves. Just make sure you get them identical from one side of the chair to the other or the slats won't sit even and level making for a lumpy and uncomfortable seat.
What You need
Deck Chair
