Adirondack Chairs made from Iroko, an African hardwood, also known as African Teak
My first commissioned project, done for a neighbor
As a relatively new wood worker, my neighbor had the confidence to commission these chairs. They are made from Iroko and finished with Total Boat’s Spar Varnish, a marine grade varnish. These chairs can stand years of being out in the harsh Northeastern climate. As a “newbie” the agreement was that my neighbor would pay for the materials, and I would build them on my own time and expense. The project presented several opportunities to learn new woodworking skills.
Start to finish …
I had purchased a plans and a template kit for the chairs online. The initial purchase of lumber Iroko came in 8/4 (2 inch) boards. This meant that there was going to be a considerable amount of re-sawing. However, that also meant that the chairs would end up being very similar in their grain patterns. To the right you can see the initial boards were cut down to more manageable pieces, I used chalk outlines so I could account for all pieces for the two chairs I was making. Below are the pieces for each chair cut down and with rounded edges so each element of the chairs has a nice comfortable feel.
Below you can see the assembly of the chair back. A template was created to help make the assembly easier and consistent. When you look at the backs of the chairs together you can see the similarities in the grains shared between the two.
Assembly of the chairs continues. All holes were pre-drilled according to the templates that were used. Because the chairs were intended to be all-season chairs, instead of letting the feet rest on the ground or being separated with just plastic feet attached to the bottom, I choose to cover the surface of each foot with a quarter inch of epoxy. The epoxy would provide a permanent bond and keep the chairs off the wet ground so that moisture could not wick up into the wood.
Below you can see the finished chairs. Frist in my garage right after they were completed. To the right after they have been on my neighbor’s porch for just over a year. They’ve weathered beautifully and the finish is still just as good as when it was first applied. His family will enjoy these chairs for years to come.
Protecting the chairs from the elements was a primary concern. So, prior to assembly, each piece was sealed using Total Boat’s wood sealer and then covered with several layers of Total Boat’s marine grade Spar Satin varnish. This took considerable time to finish but I believe it helps to prolong the life of the chairs because even those areas where the wood is in contact with other pieces of the chair are protected from the elements.
If you’d like to see the build video for these chairs, you can check out the link to the YouTube video of build
Go to Red Stripe Garage @ YouTube to see more.