Build a 2x4 Chair

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ReadyMade

Posted by ReadyMade  
by Sander Viegers; Photos by Greg Scheidemann

An industrial designer by trade, Sander Viegers wanted to design contemporary outdoor furniture that didn’t gouge his wallet and could withstand whatever his kids dished out. After re-creating Dutch furniture designer Gerrit Rietveld’s crate chair for practice, he embarked on his own design. Dozens of Google SketchUp drafts later, Viegers came up with a chair that could be built out of boards (new or recycled) with only a saw and some screws.

Skill Level

Moderate

Active Time

Half a day

Cost

$

    Materials

  • Three 8-foot-long 2×4s
  • Two 8-foot-long 1×4s
  • Fifty-two 2½ -inch wood screws
  • Twenty-four 1½-inch wood screws
  • Solid color stain
  • Cut list:
  • Two 2×4×1-foot 4 inches (front legs)
  • Two 2×4×1-foot 93⁄16 inches (back legs)
  • Two 2×4×1-foot 10⅜ inches (seat support)
  • Two 2×4×1-foot 2½ inches (seat end)
  • Four 2×4×1-foot 5½ inches (seat middle)
  • Five 1×4×1-foot 6 inches (seat back)
  • One 1×4×1-foot 5½ inches (seat back top)
  • One 1×4×1-foot 2½ inches (seat back bottom)

    Tools

  • Skill saw
  • Drill with ⅛ -inch bit
  • Screwdriver
  • Paintbrush
 
1

Note: The most important thing is that that the legs have the exact same angles. The easiest way to do this is to make one single cut for both pieces.

2

Right side: Mark the front leg at the height of the seat support, 1½ inches below the top. Keep the seat support parallel to the top of the front leg. Drill the holes while holding the pieces in place. Use 2½-inch screws to put this side together.

3

Left side: Turn the right side around and put the pieces from the left side on top of the right side (to make sure both sides are exactly the same). Use a spare piece of the 24 to support the bottom of the legs. Drill holes and use the 2½-inch screws to secure.

4

Seat ends: Take the seat ends and place them between the sides. Drill the holes and screw in the 2½-inch screws. Before you tighten the seat end into the back, test whether the other 4 seat bars will fit in between.

5

Middle part of the seat: Drill and screw in each bar with four screws.

6

Backside: Take the five boards for the back and secure the seatback top board to the top. Drill the holes and use the 1½-inch screws to put the back together; allow 1½ inches on each side of the seatback bottom. The bottom board should be about 1 inch from the bottom edge.

7

Place the back on the chair. Drill the holes and add the 1½-inch screws in the front. Use 2½-inch screws to put in the side for extra stability.

8

Cover with a coat or two of a solid color paint or stain. (You may want to countersink your screws and fill the holes with putty before painting.)

9

Variations:

Build more 2x4 furniture. Click to download fully illustrated instructions for the chair, plus diagrams of a bench, table, and kids’ bench.

Use weather-resistant cedar 2×4s and skip the painting.

Seal with clear lacquer to protect the chair but keep the wood look.