Guild Build Adirondack Chairs

[Pwk5017]

This one felt like it took forever. I started in late april or early may, and just finished last night. It was perpetually delayed by paid commissions, a wedding, complete re-landscaping of my property, and a few other small house projects. However, atleast i completed them prior to the end of summer. I really didnt want to buy new lumber for this project when im sitting on 1000 bdft of stuff already, so i decided to make the chairs out of a mix of 4/4 cherry i bought for $0.50 a bdft last year, and some aromatic cedar that was leftover from an auction flip. I wasnt sure how they would look together, but i would be making something usable for the new deck, alleviating a severe excess lumber issue I have, and building some skills along the way. I actually like the way the cedar and cherry look together. The cedar looks awesome when you first apply finish to it. The color is pretty shocking. 

 

This is my third guild build, and it is kind of night and day comparing marc from the shaker table to this one. Hes good in the shaker table, but production value, communication, detail etc etc is way way up from the first builds. I am excited for how improved the newest builds are. After hearing Matt and Marc are going to team up on future guild projects, I can only hope that Matt evolves as well as Marc did. I own the sofa table, and I was split between starting that project or the adirondack chairs. The chairs seemed easier, and it was spring, so I went with those. I watched the sofa table start to end, and It's unfair to compare the two guys, but the the project reminded me of early Marc in a way. As an example, Marc goes into so much detail in communicating EVERYTHING. It seemed like Matt told me what to do, but Marc told me what to do, how to do it 3 different ways, and why you would want to do it any of those three different ways. I like cremona's project designs, but Marc is the education king. Overall, I love these series. They make things so manageable; especially when you are a screw up like me and the build spreads out over 3 months. I would have been lost wreck without the plans and video series.

 

Patrick

[wdwerker]

There are usually several valid methods to achieve each step. It's great to see the options and follow the path that fits your skills and equipment.

Nice looking chairs ! And in time for plenty of use before winter.

[wtnhighlander]

Cool chairs, Patrick! I like the cherry / cedar combo, too. Wonder how well the cherry will hold up outdoors?

[Pwk5017]

48 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said:

Cool chairs, Patrick! I like the cherry / cedar combo, too. Wonder how well the cherry will hold up outdoors?

I guess im about to find out! One, I expect it to darken with the amount of light it will be exposed to. Two, I used waterlox's marine finish with the original sealer, so i hope its properly protected. Three, i plan on covering them most of the time to prolong the finish's life. Overall, I think a properly sealed hardwood should hold up well to the elements. All four points of contact on the chairs are epoxied too. I also remember reading something written by a sawyer about cherry and walnut logs holding up very well to the elements. In this case, his article was focused around downed trees and their shelf life. I dont know what these will look like 15-20 years down the road, but I would assume they should be good to go for 5-10 years with covering and finish maintenance. I almost feel guilty putting them outside at this point. 

 

Ive had scrap cutoffs sitting unprotected outside, and 2 years of exposure has greyed and checked a few pieces, but hasnt harmed the structural integrity of the wood. On the other hand, pieces sitting on the ground or partially buried are rotten and beginning to disintegrate after 12-24 months. Theres my empirical and non-professional opinion of wood exposure and decomposition.  Lets hope im not reporting back next year with a story of disaster. 

[Guest]

Cherry heartwood does really well outside, probably better than some softwoods marketed for outdoor use.  I did a cherry table top 2 years ago and it has had no problems.  granted, I did finish it with epifanes :).  however, cherry is rated as a decay resistant species.  

 

[Dknapp34]

Nice looking chairs! The color on the cedar is really striking. If you used all cedar it might have been too much, but as it is with the cherry, it looks really nice. I agree about Marc's teaching skills. I basically knew nothing when I started watching his videos and now I can almost get away with pretending that I know some things...

I'm really excited about Cremona doing guild projects too. I didn't get the sofa table as part of my package, so I didn't get to see that one, but I like his YouTube videos, and I think he'll make a great addition. I'm hoping he brings some more modern designs to the guild. No offense to all of you Greene and Greene junkies, but it's just not my style.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Chet]

Very nice out come Patrick.  The chairs look great.  I too have enjoyed Matt's stuff on youtube and I am sure his style will change and improve over time just as Marc and for that matter all of us improve as we practice or skills what ever they may be.

[Llama]

Very nice looking chairs!

 

[Coop]

Very well done. Construction and choices of woods. I would bring them in every night, seriously. They're too darn cool to leave outside exposed to bird poop. They would look nice in a rustic den area!

[Ronn W]

Very nice work.  I like it.

[TerryMcK]

Excellent work Patrick.

[Eric.]

Very well executed.  I'd personally prefer them all cherry but that's a matter of taste.  The finish looks good, what was it?

[Pwk5017]

2 hours ago, Eric. said:

Very well executed.  I'd personally prefer them all cherry but that's a matter of taste.  The finish looks good, what was it?

It is waterlox original sealer as a base 2 coats and then their marine topcoat. I had a small amount of the original left in the gallon can I wanted to use up. The stuff is friggin expensive, so I hate to let it cure in the can. After a certain point you can't crush the can enough to force the air out.  

[wdwerker]

Give the can a squirt of " Bloxygen " it's about 12$ a can

[Elroy Skimms]

On ‎8‎/‎8‎/‎2016 at 7:34 PM, Dknapp34 said:

No offense to all of you Greene and Greene junkies, but it's just not my style.

Blasphemy! Heresy! Where's the forum moderators with their ban hammer???

Love the chairs though. Neighbors up the street wanted me to build them some Adirondack chairs. I offered them a screaming good deal, $300/pair made from 4/4 cedar and they opted against it. I told them I would do them for $200/pair if he comes over to my garage and does all the sanding after I cut the parts. They didn't go for that either. Most people have no idea how much time goes into this kind of work.

-E

[Guest]

On 8/8/2016 at 6:34 PM, Dknapp34 said:

I'm hoping he brings some more modern designs to the guild. No offense to all of you Greene and Greene junkies, but it's just not my style.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I think Marc has laid off the G&G a little bit after the chairs and blanket chest.  He explored the style and has moved on, which I appreciate.  

Personally I'd love to see more modern and asian design in the guild.  Not soul patch asian (you know, what white guys think asian is supposed to look like), but more authentic.  I'd love a tansu cabinet or shoji screen.  

 

[Dknapp34]

Blasphemy! Heresy! Where's the forum moderators with their ban hammer???

I know, sometimes I feel like an outcast, since everyone else seems to love it.  I just don't get it.  I can appreciate the work that goes into it, but aesthetically, it doesn't do much for me.  

1 minute ago, Mike. said:

I think Marc has laid off the G&G a little bit after the chairs and blanket chest.  He explored the style and has moved on, which I appreciate.  

Personally I'd love to see more modern and asian design in the guild.  Not soul patch asian (you know, what white guys think asian is supposed to look like), but more authentic.  I'd love a tansu cabinet or shoji screen.  

 

Yeah, Marc seems to have branched out quite a bit, which I also appreciate.  "Soul patch asian" lol! 

[Eric.]

My first reaction to G&G was a 50/50 mix of repulsion and fascination.  Over the years both emotions have mellowed and now I have a great respect for the style in general but also find that it's generally too busy for my taste.  Some pieces are better than others, but usually I just get the feeling that way too much is going on in any given space.

The houses on the other hand...I could live in one of those.  Amazing.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Eric. said:

My first reaction to G&G was a 50/50 mix of repulsion and fascination.  Over the years both emotions have mellowed and now I have a great respect for the style in general but also find that it's generally too busy for my taste.  Some pieces are better than others, but usually I just get the feeling that way too much is going on in any given space.

The houses on the other hand...I could live in one of those.  Amazing.

I think this is especially true of the G&G stuff modern woodworkers build.  The fact is a lot of woodworkers have more skill than taste .  The original stuff is more more understated.  The shadow lines and cloud lifts are more felt than seen.  Then Mr Modern Woodworker guy gets a router, makea a 1/16" rabbet, and calls it a shadow line.  

[wdwerker]

I would love to build a "staircase " type tansu along the original function and appearance. Steps up to a loft, storage and the ability to be unstacked for moving.

The origins story I heard was peasants had all their  possessions stored inside.  It served as a staircase to the sleeping loft. They lived in basic housing provided by the landowner. In case of a fire they could grab  each case as the family vacated the premises. Later versions got carried away with all sorts of specialty hardware. My impression was the originals were more simple.