A PVC PORCH GLIDER

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I found it easiest to make the two side assemblies first (starting with their back posts and working forward), and then to work on the leg sections, beginning at the corners. After finishing the back rail, it wasn't too difficult to connect the sides to the leg sections one at a time and to wrap up by slipping that rear bar into place. Again, I can't overstress the importance of prefitting the parts to their mates before you even touch the glue pot . . . not just to check the soundness of the joints, but to familiarize yourself with the most effective order of assembly.

Once the frame was together and the cement had dried, I bored two 5/16" holes through the upper tube of each side section (the front ones just behind the elbows and those at the rear set 3" before the T's) to accommodate the four frame eyebolts. To prevent any eye (or arm!) sores, I covered the exposed ends of each inverted fastener with a cap nut.

The seat, like the frame, can be broken down into sections: the back, the front, the cushion support bars, and the arms. With the exception of the support bars, which are made of lengths of 3/4" CPVC, the seat is constructed entirely of 1-1/2" PVC pipe and fittings. The only trick in getting these together is to mind the fact that the support bars just slip—without glue—into 7/8" holes drilled through one side of each of the horizontal pipes that form the seat's back and front rails.

You'll notice that the tube at the crook of the seat has to accommodate the back and bottom support bars, so it's important to stagger the upper holes in relation to the forward-facing ones. In each case, the bores are spaced 3-3/4" apart (measured from their centers) . . . but the bottom is composed of eleven bars, while the back has only ten. Consequently, if both sets of holes are centered on the pipe, the openings will automatically fall in an alternating pattern.

Feel free to experiment, but you'll probably discover, as I did, that the seat will go together painlessly if you start with the back, working on the verticals from the bottom up . . . add the ten back support bars . . . and cap the array with the upper rail. Then you can go on to assemble the front rail (making sure the eleven holes and the fitting sockets face in the same direction) and join it to the completed back section with the seat supports and arm tubes between. The four remaining eyebolts can then be attached through the end caps at the corners and the entire seat hung from the frame with 8" lengths (more or less) of chain.

The glider's cushion is held in place by a sleeve that slips over the top of the seat back. You can refer to the cutting pattern to size your material correctly. After you've trimmed out the two main (front and back) pieces and a 13-1/2" X 48" sleeve piece, you can pin and then stitch the sections together.

This is most easily accomplished by first laying one cushion half (which will be the bottom) right side up on a flat surface, covering that with the face-up sleeve (you'll have to form a 1"-wide, double-turned hem along one long edge of it, and face that toward the center of the fabric), then placing the remaining cushion half on top, face down. The seam opposite the sleeve piece should be left unsewn to provide access for the quilt batting, which can be cut to shape and then stacked inside the completed cushion once it's turned right side out.

When the padding is smoothed in place, that final seam can be whipstitched shut and the length of 1" ribbon cut in two to form two 1-1/2-yard pieces . . . which should each be folded in half and attached, at the fold, to the edge of the cushion sleeve. The four strands thus created can be tied to the pipe at the base of the seat once the pad's installed.

If you want pillow cushions, you'll need to cut two 14" X 18" pieces of fabric for each one. Simply pin the halves right side together and stitch a 1"-wide seam along all the edges except for one short one. Then turn the pillowcase right side out, stuff it with fiberfill, and whipstitch the remaining seam edges together.

The final product, though not dirt cheap by any means (it'll cost about $150 to reproduce), is a functional and cleanly attractive piece of furniture that—depending on your taste—might serve double duty between your porch and an indoor family room as the seasons make their circuit.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If the idea of PVC furniture strikes your fancy, you'll be pleased to know that The Family Workshop (P.O. Box 159, Bixby, OK 74008) is offering a ten-item PVC project package for $12. It includes detailed assembly plans, not only for the glider described in Stevie Baldwin's article but for nine other pieces . . . a chaise longue, a lawn chair, a footstool, an end table, a yard swing, a picnic table, bunk beds, a child's desk, and an étagère. The entire plans package (specify Project No. 3266-2) is available from the address above . . . as is The Family Workshop's $2.95 color catalog that features hundreds of additional woodworking and needlecraft projects.

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