Adirondack Chair Templates

Comments about Adirondack Chair Templates :

Just completed my Adirondack chair, made from the template and directions from Woodcraft. I built it entirely out of cypress. In a few places, I used pocket screws for strength rather than the recommended through and through screwing recommended in the directions. The directions are a bit of a through and through screwing themselves. I give 5 stars for the templates, 2 stars for the directions. If you buy (and I do recommend this very much), feel free to email me if you need help. First of all, the template look and are kind of flimsy. They are made from 1/4" mdF and they are templates only. They are, however, spot on for the right sizes and work very well with routers. There are some exceptions to the 'right size' thing, more on that in a moment. There is no reference in the directions to thickness of the wood. I decided it must not matter all that much. I milled my wood to around 13/16" and that worked fine. If you pick smaller (3/4 or 11/16) that will probably work fine as well. The directions are terrible. They were written by someone that does probably speak English as their primary language (a fact notes and appreciated) but not by someone who writes well. Although the project is pretty easy, the toughest parts of this build are barely addressed. Building the top back frame, the second item on the right in the picture required not only an interior curve (which is easy) but a bevel too (which is not). According to the directions, what's needed is a 27 degree bevel. What's actually needed is 27 degrees removed (which is 63 degrees). That's not that easy to do. I tried a couple of ways to get it right, finally, I took a 63 degree measure, penciled the angle on the side of the piece and measured. It was, as I recall, around 1/8 or 3/16 along the top frame. I marked it around the inside of the curve, and used my belt sander to grind it down. A little advice in the directions would have helped. I called Woodcraft and they told me that I was doing it right. They were very helpful on the phone. The wood in the back of the chair (the risers) have templates but they are not fullsized. They're meant only to model the tops of the backs. Follow the directions here precisely; The measurements need to be exact. The chair itself is terrific...very strong and the cypress wood really popped. I still have to finish the wood and I would recommend that once the wood is cut, milled and shaped, it should probably be seal then. I wish I'd have the foresight to do so (maybe a mention in the directions would have helped) but I will finish this weekend. If I can figure out a way to add a picture, I'll take some this weekend. I very much recommend this. The chair I built used a lot of different skills and techniques and gave a number of ways to customize and make the project your own. Good luck!

Comments about Adirondack Chair Templates :

I built the Adirondack Chair from Woodcraft today. It was a fun project and the templates worked very well. The directions were not very well written, but I made my way through them. The most difficult part was the back upper support, which the directions point to a 27 degree bevel on an inside curve. That's rough. I figured out that what was needed was a 27 degree offset (63 degrees in other words). I accomplished this by measuring the angle on the side, measuring the amount of material that needed to be removed and grinding it to shape with my sanding belt. All in all, a fun project! Not happy with how the finish came out, but that's the fault of the finish (It was a Behr finish that was supposed to be natural and came out a mottled brown that got rid of the beautiful grain in the cypress wood, will never use again). Nice job, Woodcraft! Thanks!

Comments about Adirondack Chair Templates :

Just completed my Adirondack chair, made from the template and directions from Woodcraft. I built it entirely out of cypress. Here's some details from my work. Note that I do very much recommend the purchase of the kit, don't lose sight of that when I get into the negatives. In a few places, I used pocket screws for strength rather than the recommended through-and-through screwing recommended in the directions. The directions are themselves a bit of a through and through screwing, very poorly written and maddeningly unclear in parts. I give 5 stars for the templates, 2 stars for the directions. If you buy (and I do recommend this very much), feel free to email me if you need help. First of all, the templates look (and are) kind of flimsy, made from 1/4" mdh. They are, however, spot on for the right sizes and work very well with routers. There are some exceptions to the 'right size' thing, more on that in a moment. In the directions, there is no reference in the directions to thickness of the wood. I decided it must not matter all that much. I milled my wood to around 13/16" and that worked fine. If you pick smaller (3/4 or 11/16) that will probably work fine as well. The directions are terriblethe toughest parts of this build are barely addressed. For example, in building the top back frame, (the second item on the right in the picture) required not only an interior curve (which is easy and part of the template) but a bevel too (which is not). According to the directions, what's needed is a 27 degree bevel. What's actually needed is 27 degrees removed from the milled and 90 corner(which is 63 degrees). That's not easy to do. I tried a couple of ways to get it right, finally, I took a 63 degree measure, penciled the angle on the side of the piece and measuring. It was, as I recall, around 1/8 or 3/16. I marked it around the inside of the curve, and used my belt sander to grind it down. A little advice in the directions would have helped. Another item is that the back templates are designed to only model the tops of the backs. You have to measure the lengths of the items independently, which is fine, but be sure to follow the directions here precisely, the measurements need to be exact. The chair itself is terrific...very strong and the cypress wood really popped. I still have to finish the chair (going to use an oil based sealer) and I would recommend that once the wood is cut, milled and shaped, idellay, that would have been the best time to be sealed then. I wish I'd have the foresight to do so (maybe a mention in the directions would have helped) but I will finish this weekend. If I can figure out a way to add a picture, I'll take some this weekend. I very much recommend this. The chair I built used a lot of different skills and techniques and gave a number of ways to customize and make the project your own. Good luck!

Comments about Adirondack Chair Templates :

This item has well written instructions would recommend to other people

Comments about Adirondack Chair Templates :

I would recommend this product to anyone looking to make an adirondack chair to sell or for your own personal use. I have never used or done anything like this and with the few tools that I did have around the garage I made a chair that came out incredibly well.

Comments about Adirondack Chair Templates :

the templates do not seem to last long but they are a good start and instructions are weak

Comments about Adirondack Chair Templates :

Template is great but the instruction are a little lacking... especially for a beginner. Pictures speak a thousand words!

Comments about Adirondack Chair Templates :

Templates were very easy to use and very precise. Instructions could have been better and had better photos, but not a major issue. Finished with Australian Timber Oil and look beautiful.