I have always wanted Adirondack chairs along the lake. So we took the challenge and built an Adirondack chair for each family member, and now I have free printable Adirondack Chair Plans for you!

It’s not that difficult either, and in a few hours, you’ll have your own Adirondack chair to sit on! It’s a perfect project for those of you who love DIY!

This article contains affiliate links.

adirondack chair plans from skip to my lou
Looking for Adirondack chair plans? Check out these free plans and a simple step-by-step guide on how to build Adirondack chairsโ€”perfect for your outdoor space!

You’ll also want to learn How To Build A Cornhole Game for more backyard fun and discover some great tips on How to get your backyard party ready!

These rustic outdoor chairs not only enhanced our backyard, but building them also provided a fun family activity. Together, we created a great space for us to relax as a family for years to come!

The Adirondack design is a perfect style for sturdy outdoor furniture, and they go together quite easily with a basic material list.  This DIY Adirondack chair is a great way to get the whole family building, with a comfortable seat as their reward!  The instructions for the Adirondack chair plans are simple to follow. Even our young daughter was able to help out and participate in the building of her own chair!

Free Adirondackย Chair Plans

First, download the Adirondack chair plans at the link below.  The template is actual size so you will have to have it printed on 24″ by 36″ paper at a local copy shop. Many copy shops will allow you to email the file to be printed.

Then all you have to do is trace around the pieces, no measuring! Super easy! Follow along with our step-by-step instructions and photos below, and you’ll see how easily these classic chairs come together.

Download the Free Adirondack Template, gather the supplies and you are ready to build.

Adirondack Chair Supplies

Here is your shopping list for these easy to build chairs. The parts list for our free plans include:

  • 60 -1 1/2″ deck screws
  • 10 – 2″ X 1/4″  carriage bolts along with flat nuts and washers
  • 2 – 12 ft 1 X 6 pressure-treated lumber (on one cut the middle back of the chair, upper back support, one seat, and two arms) (on the second cut two legs, the first seat piece/bottom support for back, and two seat pieces)
  • 1 โ€“ 8 ft 1 x 4 treated lumber (cut both supports for arms, the front cross piece of the chair, and two legs)
  • 1 โ€“ 10 ft 1 x 4 treated lumber (cut all four of the remaining back of the chair)
  • power tools (drill, hand sander) and a chop saw and band saw
  • level
  • socket set
  • printable plans
  • printable measurements

Step by Step: How To Build Adirondack Chairs

Download and lay out all the templates out before cutting, They will be your cut list. Carefully place templates to get the most pieces from one board. Trace, cut and sand.

DIY Adirondack Chair
Starting the process.

Bolt legs together with 2-inch carriage bolts.

Adirondack Chairs Plan
Following the plan is super easy.
How to build adirondack chair
Everyone in the family can help out.

Once the legs are assembled, screw the front cross piece between the front legs.

plans for adirondack chair
Getting there!

Next, screw the bottom support to the back legs.

easy adirondack chair plans
It’s a sturdy design, too.

Now screw arm supports to the side of each front leg. For the entire chair, drill pilot holes to keep the wood from splitting.

adirondack chairs diy
You’ll need to do some drilling.

Screw on the arms of the chair onto the front legs.

building adirondack chair
The chair structure is in place.

Again, drill pilot holes and then bolt on the back seat support piece.

adirondack chair build
Following the plans is not that difficult at all.

Screw the middle back piece on the chair. Make sure both arms and the vertical back piece are level before attaching.

diy chair adirondack
Make sure everything is level.

Screw on the next two back pieces.  You want the slats to be spaced evenly, making sure to keep arms level.

adirondack chair back
Adding the backrest.

Evenly screw on the remaining back pieces.

diy adirondack chair back
Backrest in place.

Finally, screw on seat slats.

adirondack chair seat
Adding the seat.

And there you have it โ€“ an amazing and comfortable Adirondack chair!  We considered painting the chairs, but in the end, we decided the natural wood look was too beautiful to change. This rustic lounge chair is truly the perfect piece of furniture for your patio, porch, deck or yard.

how to build adirondack chairs
The final product!

Adirondack Chairs: A Brief Background

The traditional Adirondack chair design first made the scene in the early 1900s.  The designer, Thomas Lee, wanted a comfortable chair for his cottage on Lake Champlain near the Adirondack mountain range in upstate New York. This iconic piece of outdoor furniture may have grown in popularity amongst the east coast cottages, but it is now a must have piece of patio furniture for summer enjoyment coast to coast!

The comfortable design summons you to sit down and rest.  The wide armrests and the slanted back with a gentle recline help the weight of your day disappear.  The design is so comfortable that even cushions are not needed.

You can line these chairs up and face the lake to watch the sunset or create a friendly space for friends and neighbors on the patio.  Circle the chairs up around the fire-pit and enjoy an evening cocktail or a warm s’more, laugh, and tell some stories.  The Adirondack chair style is perfect for any outdoor space that you want to feel comfortable and inviting!

Adirondack chair plan tips

I encourage you to give this outdoor seating project a try.  Gather up the supplies and round up the family.  You could order the chairs online and pay the hefty shipping fees, but you would miss out on a great opportunity for the family to not only create memories but also create a fun place where you relax and enjoy each other’s company!

Building these from scratch is the perfect DIY woodworking project for beginners, and they are very affordable to make at home. After putting a few of these together for your own lawn, porch or garden, you may find yourself building more for friends and relatives โ€“ or even selling some on the side! Everybody loves settling into the deep scoop of these chairs, sitting around a fire and letting the evening go by.

Looking for more tips on how to build Adirondack chairs? Consider the following ideas:

  • Paint or stain these chairs for a unique touch. Varying colors of painted Adirondack chairs look so nice together!
  • If you already have some outdoor furniture like rocking chairs, patio furniture, or swings, Adirondack chairs are easily coordinated with some weather resistant throw pillows. The eclectic, mix-and-match look is all the rage!
  • You may want to coat them with a weather resistant sealant if they will be exposed to the elements on your deck or in the backyard.
  • Use cedar instead of pine for even more beautiful results.
  • Do you have pallets laying around? If you have sturdy pallet planks in good condition, try recycling the wood!

Adirondack Chair Templates to Print and Trace

The easiest thing to do is print the actual-size template at your local copy shop for the Adirondack Chair Plans and trace around it.

Adirondack Chair Dimensions

If you want dimensions instead, we have done our best to recreate them for you. Click the link below.

More DIY Projects to Try

I would love to keep you fully stocked with creative ideas, yummy recipes, fun crafts, and loads of free printables. Subscribe to Skip to my Lou to get new ideas delivered to your inbox. Follow me on FacebookPinterestTwitter, and Instagram for all my latest updates.

Signup for Free!
Let me send you my very best ideas, free printables, inspiration and exclusive content every week!

About Cindy Hopper

Learn More

you may also like

Comments

  1. Boa tarde. Peรงo o favor de me informar como รฉ possรญvel imprimir o modelo de forma mais econรดmica, mesmo que tenha de imprimir em diversas folhas A4 e depois montar os desenhos.
    Grato. Manoel.

  2. click “Download theย Free Adirondack Template, gather the supplies and you are ready to build.” Should work now.

  3. Muchas gracias por los planos, la verdad fuรฉ un trabajo muy fรกcil y bello de hacer.

  4. This is a very vague instructional guide, lots of guess work involved. Granite, I did end up with a nice looking chair, but there’s much to figure out on your own.

  5. Mike,

    Thanks for your input, sorry that instructions aren’t clear for aligning the front to back. Here is how I did it. The arm overhang is 1 1/2″ to the leg. I made a line 1 1/2″ front to back and then lined this mark up to the top inside of the leg. It placed the back of the arm correctly so the back of the arm and the outside of the upper back support fit flush together and squared up. Again sorry for the frustration, I think this will help.

  6. Jane,

    I am sorry you are having problems, lets see if this helps.
    1. line up the outer edge of the arm and the outer edge of the upper back support, they should be flush together. Clamp those two pieces together to hold them in place and you can drill the holes for the upper back support from the arm holes that have been marked.
    2. the arm overhangs 1 3/4″ from the front, 1 /34″ from the outside, and 1 1/2″ from the inside. Make a mark on the inside bottom of the arm 1 1/2″ in front to back and line it up with the inside of the leg to place the arm correctly.
    3. use a protractor to mark a 30 degree angle on the front edge of the upper back support. Then measure the distance between the top front back to the 30 degree mark. You can use this measurement to make a cutting line across the top of the upper back support. Then use a saber saw to hand cut with the top of the blade at the line and the bottom of the blade at the bottom front edge of the upper back support.

    Please let us know if this answered your questions, we don’t want to leave you in the dark.

    Thanks

    George

  7. New users would not know how to align the back top board attached to the back of the arms with the bottom back board. Instructions says to attach the arms on the front first but you cant do that because you have to put one screw in the front, one in the back then align it according to the bottom to keep the up and down boards from leaning to the left or right. Very bad instructions.

  8. The problem with your instructions is that it does not tell you how far apart the back of the arms have to be, left and right to match the bottom of the next board below where you attach the pieces. You should of said put one screw on each arm in the front and attached one bolt on each side of the back then look down and move the top back board left or right to match the bottom back board. you know what you are talking about but your instructions leave it to the professional to figure this out. If it is not adjusted accurately, then the back will lean left or right.

  9. Hey Roger, these are our my original plans that my family has been building for years and have had as a free plan here for over 8 years.

  10. Humm, did you tell Norm Abrams? Looks suspiciously just like his Adirondack chair plans that I have built a few of.

  11. Hi, I’ve started to build this chair, but I have come across some problems. 1. No bolt holes on Upper Back Support to line up the arms. 2. Screw arms onto legs? How far should overhang, nothing to line with, also lining up with back support? 3. 30 degree angle, how?
    It’s like your leaving the rest for us to finish on our own?
    Regards Jane

  12. I am trying to print the template so that I can also try to make one. The template is not loading for me to print all of the way. I was wondering if anyone else was having a problem and what I could do to fix it? Thanks.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *