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L L Bean Knockoff Adirondack Chairs

Rock Your Knockoff Tour

 

It’s time for another knockoff tour!  Back in the spring a group of my blogging friends decided to challenge each other to knockoff a project from a popular design store or catalog.  My project for was a knockoff of Plow and Hearth’s Chevron End Table.  For this fall’s second knockoff tour, I was inspired by LL Bean’s wooden Adirondack chairs.

LL Bean Knockoff Adirondack Chairs by virginiasweetpea.com

 

The price for a LL Bean Adirondack chair is $199.  Our DIY version cost less than $40!

LL Bean Adirondack Chair

 

Our chairs aren’t a carbon copy of the Bean chairs.  I like the wider arms on our chairs and the rounded seat in the front of the chairs.  Our chairs can hold a drink on one arm and a snack on the other.  They are made for relaxing in comfort!

DIY Adirondack Chairs3

 

We used treated pine deck boards to construct these chairs.  They are super sturdy and should last for years.  We will eventually stain them but will have to wait until the treated wood thoroughly dries.  I like that our chairs are as attractive from the back as they are from the front.

DIY Adirondack Chair Backs by virginiasweetpea.com

Adirondack chairs patterns are readily available on the Internet.  Mr. SP made the templates that we used for our chairs out of scrap wood.  Where dimensions were not apparent, we adlibbed.  We started the construction process by tracing the arm and leg pieces onto the deck boards and then we cut them out.

Adirondack Chair Templates - Tracing

The pieces were cut with a jig saw purchased just for this project.  (Mr. SP loves his tools and was glad to have an excuse to buy something new!)

Cutting Out Adirondack Chair Pieces2

 

Straight sections were cut with a circular saw.  Note that two pieces were cut at a time so that they would be identical.

Cutting Out Bottom Adirondack Chair Pieces

 

The arm edges were then rounded with the router so that they would be comfortably smooth.

Adirondack Chair Arms

 

The lower seat cross brace was glued with waterproof carpenter’s glue and screwed to each of the chair bases.  A triangular brace was added for extra strength and stability.

Gluing Adirondack Chair Leg Pieces

 

The arms were put together and connected to the base of the chair using zinc plated carriage bolts.  Clamps and a board hold the arms in the correct place until the back is constructed.

Adirondack Chair Construction

 

The back was constructed and screwed into place using deck screws.  The tops of the boards were cut with a radius defined by using various sized paint cans to trace the curve.  All the seat back boards had the edges rounded.  Each screw hole was predrilled, and countersunk so that all the screw heads would be flush.

Constructing Adirondack Chair Back

 

And finally the seat pieces were cut with the table saw, edges rounded, holes drilled and countersunk, and then screwed into place.

Adirondack Chair Seat

 

These chairs will live on the dock at the lake.  I can’t wait until next summer to enjoy sitting in them.

DIY Adirondack Chairs by virginiasweetpea.com

(Links to tools used to construct the chair are affiliate links.)

 Sharing With:  Serenity Now

Knockoff projects will be shared each day this week.  Scroll down to see them all!






23 Comments

    1. I am the assistant, Christy! Mr. SP was the driving force behind these chairs. I come up with the idea and slowly but surely am learning woodworking as we complete these projects together. I’m still far away from doing a project unsupervised!

      Paula

    1. Thanks, Wendi! I’m hoping that we can make two more chairs before next summer. They don’t take long at all to assemble once the pieces are cut out.

      Paula

  1. Once again, WOW!! I’m so impressed with your carpentry skills. Perhaps I will attempt to make one for next summer. I’ve been doing a few woodworking projects and I tell you, I never knew it could be so much fun. I have a question. What exact kind of nails do you use? I think I bought the wrong ones for some pallets projects I’m working on. Anywhooo, great job!!! By the way, have you started your own business yet?? You guys are amazing and do such a fantastic job 🙂

    1. Mr. SP was the driving force behind these chairs, Shanna. I’m just a good assistant! I am learning and will one day be able to build something without his help.

      Paula

    1. Thank you, Therese! They should last for years and years. I’m not sure what color we’ll use. I’d like something bright since they’ll be on our dock. Perhaps red!

      Paula

  2. Wow! I am impressed by your abilities with not only using power tools, but using the proper equipment (goggles, etc.) which I never do! I featured you on my blog today as well as Facebook yesterday, I am sure your tutorial will inspired others (and maybe even us) to DIY these!

  3. I am BLOWN AWAY by these! They look absolutely incredible!! I can’t believe they only cost $40 each. Can I hire you to make me a set? 🙂 Well done again you two! I think your knock-off projects are the most professional and well done I ever see!

  4. These chairs are fantastic! I’m learning to use (and collect) my own tools. My grandmother had chairs like yours and they were from a friend she had in PALM BEACH, Florida. That being said your craftsmanship is right up there with “the big boys”. Job well done!!!

  5. I am in awe of you! Your adirondack chairs are incredible. I wish I and the signif other were handy like that. I just threw away an adirondack chair made of a strange composite material that collapsed after being outside for 5 summers. I have 2 LL Bean chairs that are going strong but was looking for a more affordable alternative. I think I’ll see about buying unstained but pre made chairs and paint them myself at least to save a few $. Great job!

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