Hi, everyone.  Just back from vacation in northeastern New York State, and the wife convinced me to start looking for some decent Adirondack Chair Plans. She fell in love with the styling and comfort of these chairs, which are so prevalent in the area, and was envisioning replacement of our tired, worn out patio furniture with something special.

This time, I was ‘volunteered’ to do the construction job myself, which I told her was asking for trouble since I’m pretty limited in the DIY skills department.  She said it looked like something fairly simple to build and even found some free plans online to help get the ball rolling.  After her short pep talk I said I’d give it a shot.

The free Adirondack chair plans sounded good at first.  After all, free is a very good price, and any time I can save a few bucks without sacrificing quality I’m all for that.  Unfortunately, the old adage, “you get what you pay for,” came into play fairly quickly.  As a novice woodworker I needed something more than these free plans offered to build Adirondack chairs.  A blueprint accompanied by some written instructions just wasn’t enough for this beginner.  I needed something step-by-step, in detail, showing the process in easy to understand pictures and diagrams.

Better yet, I could use the tutelage of an experienced woodworker to stand over my shoulder to show me exactly what went where and how to put it there.  It’s not that I’m a necessarily slow learner, just limited in experience when it comes to working with tools and wood to build my own furniture.  I’m not even sure why the missus thought I was equal to the task since the only thing I’d ever completed, a small bookcase, turned out pretty cheesy.

I voiced my concerns, suggested we just buy the type of chairs she wanted and forgo the homemade option altogether.  I even found several online sites offering everything including traditional Adirondack chairs, folding Adirondack chairs and even a nice Adirondack rocking chair.  She said they were okay, but really had her heart set on something I’d created with my own two hands.  I think this was her way of getting me out from in front of the TV.

After a little more searching she announced she had found the solution.  It’s a website that contains more than ten thousand plans for building various woodworking projects, with 55 plans just for chairs alone, including several Adirondack chair plans.  And the best news is that the plans are very easy to follow, even for a ten-thumbed novice like me.  And detailed photos are included, which is almost as good as having a professional woodworker at your side.  The program isn’t free, like the others, but it’s certainly inexpensive and worth every penny. It’s worth a look.

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