An Easy to Build Wood Chair Design

By Mark Jordan
Published on July 1, 1986
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By extending the front legs, adding arms, and nailing on a pair of rockers, anyone can turn the standard chair into a comfortable and functional rocking model.
By extending the front legs, adding arms, and nailing on a pair of rockers, anyone can turn the standard chair into a comfortable and functional rocking model.
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The chair itself is made entirely of 1 by 2s: you'll need about 34 linear feet in all, cut to the lengths indicated. (The components are keyed to Figure 2.)
The chair itself is made entirely of 1 by 2s: you'll need about 34 linear feet in all, cut to the lengths indicated. (The components are keyed to Figure 2.)

Reprinted from MOTHER EARTH NEWS NO. 90.

If you thought only seasoned woodworkers build furniture, think again. Try this low-cost, easy to build wood chair design. (See the chair diagrams in the image gallery).

An Easy to Build Wood Chair Design

The chair is a common piece of furniture, yet it’s probably one of the most difficult home furnishings to make. Why? Because these usually delicate-appearing seats must be built to withstand the stress of people leaning back on the rear legs, and often rely upon some complicated joinery techniques.

However, I’m not an accomplished woodworker, and I’ve come up with an alternative design that even a novice should be able to cobble together fairly quickly, an easy to build wood chair design that uses nothing more than a hammer, a saw, some nails, a punch, and a bottle of glue. It incorporates simple joinery–lap joints–and the structural strength of a truss framework to make a truly durable chair. My dining set has withstood five years of abuse from adults and children alike. As for aesthetics . . . well, you decide. I think the design looks great, particularly when you consider the price: zero, in my case (because I used salvaged wood) . . . or anywhere from about $2.50 per chair (for medium-quality spruce) to around $8.00 (for clear-grade hardwood) if you buy the lumber from a mill or retail supplier.

I call my creation the truss-worthy chair . . . and if you’ve got a few moments, I’ll tell you how to build one.

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