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August 05 Norms Adirondack PDF
August 05 Norms Adirondack PDF
ADIRONDACK
CHAIR
Editor Steve Shanesy builds
I
’ve become keenly aware an improved Adirondack chair with Working with Abram was fun,
throughout the years that to be sure. But I spent years work-
patience allows time for Norm Abram in The New Yankee ing in commercial shops build-
opportunities to come along ing hundreds of projects while
that might never have been pos- Workshop. Build the chair and working with others. And while
sible. Such is the case with this Abram is a celebrity, his pleasant
Adirondack chair built in The learn how Abram works. personality and easygoing manner
New Yankee Workshop with made me feel right at home, too.
Norm Abram. (To learn more about Abram and
Although projects similar to his shop see our Great Woodshops
this one are rather common fare project for the Popular Woodwork- tion, Abram is just a very like- column on page 34.)
for most woodworking maga- ing readers. Perfect! able, easy-going, hard-working,
zines, Popul ar Woodworking OK, some of you are certainly down-to-earth woodworker in An Improved
hasn’t offered one to readers for wondering, “What is it like work- a reasonably well-equipped, but Adirondack Design
more than 10 years. The project ing with Abram right there in not extravagantly so, woodshop. Now back to the project at hand:
has been discussed, of course, The New Yankee Workshop?” He was very much at home there. After getting acquainted at The
but for one reason or another, it So let’s get that part out of way. And it’s not a TV studio set with New Yankee Workshop, Abram
never happened. Then one day The most surprising thing was just woodworking equipment, but a and I first inspected the original
the phone rings and a representa- how “Norm-al” it was, if you’ll par- real woodshop. How fancy? I’ve Adirondack he built, one based
tive of “The New Yankee Work- don the pun. seen far more extravagant shops largely on a design his father had
shop” asks if we’d like to work with W hen you pa re away all belonging to home woodworkers used years ago. It had weathered
Abram to build the most popular the myths and misinforma- than this one. well and withstood the elements
project ever shown on the show. for more than a decade in continu-
Abram would build a chair and by Steve Shanesy with Norm Abram ous outdoor duty. He explained it
give it away as a promotion for the Comments or questions? Contact Steve at 513-531-2690 ext. 1238 was made from cypress, an excel-
show and I’d build a duplicate as a or steve.shanesy@fwpubs.com. lent choice for outdoor projects,
����������
����������� NORM ABRAM’S ADIRONDACK CHAIR
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL COMMENTS
��������������
T W L
����� 3⁄4
❏ 2 Side members 51⁄2 343⁄4 Cypress
❏ 1 Lower rear 3⁄4 51⁄2 22 Cypress Use waste for
crosspiece rear seat slat
������� 3⁄4
❏ 1 Front 31⁄2 22 Cypress
crosspiece
❏ 2 Front legs 3⁄4 31⁄2 231⁄4 Cypress
❏ 2 Arm brackets 3⁄4 3 65 ⁄8 Cypress
❏ 2 Arms 3⁄4 5 279 ⁄16 Cypress
����������� 3⁄4
❏ 1 Upper rear 45 ⁄16 261⁄4 Cypress
���������������� crosspiece
�������������� 3⁄4
����������������������������� ❏ 1 Center back slat 31⁄2 303⁄4 Cypress
❏ 2 Intermediate 3⁄4 31⁄2 295 ⁄8 Cypress
���
back slats
❏ 2 Outer back slats 3⁄4 31⁄2 251⁄4 Cypress
❏ 5 Seat slats 3⁄4 21⁄2 22 Cypress
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�� ����
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Outer back slat Intermediate back slat Center back slat Arm bracket
�� ���� ���������������������
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Side member
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Upper rear crosspiece ��������
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Arm
��������������������� �������� ��������
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Lower rear crosspiece & rear seat slat
popwood.com 41
Start the assem-
Later, back home, I re-assembled pair of screws for each connection
bly by gluing and
screwing the my chair using Titebond III placing them about 3 ⁄4" from the
lower rear cross- because I couldn’t find the prod- edges of the board.
piece to the chair uct Abram used. In the Midwest, Next the two front legs are
sides. For lasting I guess we just don’t have so much attached using three, 1 ⁄ 4" by 2"-
results, use a need for marine-grade adhesives long carriage bolts. Clamp the legs
marine grade or as they do nearer the coasts. in position before drilling. The
waterproof glue,
All screw holes should be correct position is 113 ⁄4" from the
and stainless
steel screws. pre-drilled for a couple reasons; bottom of the leg to the bottom of
to prevent splitting by drilling the front crosspiece.
a pilot hole and to countersink W hen lo cati ng t he b olt
sufficiently to accept a wood plug holes, arrange them in a triangle
later. The plug not only helps the as shown in the diagram below.
appearance of the chair, but will Following the diagram carefully
also add to the chair’s durability. prevented me from placing a hole
We used a bit that drilled the hole where a screw for the front cross-
and counterbored for the plug in piece might be located.
the same operation. Attach the legs with the car-
Set up the two sides on the riage bolts, heads to the outside.
bench and first attach the lower When tightening the nuts, pre-
rear crosspiece. When that’s in vent the head from turning by
place, turn the work over and first seating the bolt head with
fasten the front crosspiece. Use a a hammer blow, engaging the
square corners underneath the
head in the wood.
��������������������
������������������� Arm and Arm Supports
����������� The next parts to prepare and
attach are the arms and arm
��� �����
brackets. Each requires use of
������� a pattern and should be cut on
�����
��
����
Arm installation
�� �����
over leg & bracket
��
�����
�� ������
��������
�����
������ ������
�����
������
Drill 1⁄4" holes through the side members and front leg to accept stainless �����
steel carriage bolts. Use a clamp to hold the parts in position; the leg should �����
be flush to the side’s front edge and 113 ⁄4" up from the leg bottom to the bot-
Arm installation over rear
tom edge of the front crosspiece. crosspiece Centers for leg bolt holes
Spacer
Position and clamp the arm bracket then drill and countersink for two screws. Use three screws to attach the arm to the leg and arm bracket. Carefully posi-
The top edge of the support should be flush with the top of the leg and cen- tion the arm for a 3 ⁄4" overhang of the leg. Use a spacer to help position it.
tered in the width dimension of the leg. The arm overhangs the front edge of the leg 11⁄8".
popwood.com 43
Cut the upper rear crosspiece’s inside curved edge at
a 30° angle. Then return the band saw table to 0°, or Hold the upper back crosspiece in place with clamps so that the arms are 201⁄2" apart, then drill
square, and cut the round ends. each side for two carriage bolts.
place while drilling the 1 ⁄4" holes the crosspiece, but at an angle to Before a final sanding, I a good sanding (#150 grit). The
for the bolts. When done, install the back slat. grabbed some fall-off cypress relatively soft cypress sands easily.
the four bolts. Next, install the outer back and cut about 60 plugs for filling While sanding, I made sure any
At this point, your Adirondack slats. Position the bottom of the the holes left from countersink- sharp edges were eased.
chair should begin to take shape. slat 1" from the inside of the side ing the screws. I used a narrow I decided to leave the cypress
Aside from plugging the screw piece. Secure it, then position the chisel to pop the plugs loose from unfinished and allow the elements
holes, only installation of the upper portion so that it touches the board. I glued the plugs in the to eventually turn the light brown
back and seat slats remain before the inside edge of the arm. Fasten holes, leaving them proud. A flex- natural color to a silver gray. I
the job is done. it. Once both outside pieces are in ible, fine-tooth saw easily removed figure by the time that happens,
place, the remaining two interme- the excess plug material. the color will complement what
Back Slats and Seat Slats diate slats are merely positioned When all the plugs were glued I expect my hair color to be in
The back slats are the first slats with equal spaces between their in and trimmed, I gave my chair another 10 years. PW
to make. Prepare the back slats adjoining slats.
by using the patterns for the top Now it’s time to install the seat
Start installing
edges as shown in the diagram on slats. Start at the front with the
the back slats
page 41, then band saw the shapes. front edge overhanging the front with the center
Both back and seat slats should crosspiece by about 1 ⁄ 4". Put one slat first, then the
have their top edges rounded screw in each end and use two outer slats. The
over using a 1 ⁄4" roundover bit in screws equally spaced attaching last two inter-
a router mounted in a router table. it to the front crosspiece. mediate slats
Fan out the back pieces in their Continue to add seat slats are then easily
positioned with
proper order to make sure you rout allowing 1 ⁄ 4" spacing between
equal spacing
the correct edges. them and fasten each slat with between their
Now install the back slats. To one screw at each end. The final neighbors.
get the right look, proper spacing seat slat is the one with the curve,
of the slats is important. Start with which nests into the curve of the
the center slat, placing it dead cen- back. Leave space between this
ter in the back. I used four screws slat and the back so water can eas-
for each back slat, inserting one ily run off.
in the bottom, then made sure the
top was positioned properly, then Finishing Touches
I secured it with three more. Be Before finishing up the chair, give
careful drilling the screw holes in to the temptation to try it out!
and countersink for the upper It’s a surprisingly comfortable
crosspiece as these must be done chair, definitely not the seat to
on an angle, drilling straight into offer a difficult mother-in-law.