Fan Back Classic Materials

48 linear feet of 5/4 x 6" Western Red Cedar

6 ft of 4x4 cedar post (fewest knots)

80 - #8 – 1 5/8" long (or 1 ¾") flat-head stainless steel screws (may substitute with galvanized)

1 - tube of polyurethane type glue

Lumber Store Cuts: For hauling, segments may be cut into 5 or 8 foot lengths.

Cedar: Western Red Cedar is recommended. 5/4" thick stock is net 1" after factory planing (commonly available as decking material). Substituting with 1" stock leaves only ¾" net thickness after factory planing which may leave too little strength given the wood’s structure. To minimize splitting, store the wood in an environment with good air circulation and stable humidity for a few days before starting.

Cedar Grades: "Clear" grade has almost no knots in the grain, but can be expensive. #2 grade has small knots and costs less. #3 grades and lower are usually undesirable. Reinforce knots with polyurethane glue.

Cedar Alternatives: Other outdoor woods include treated lumber, teak, cypress, redwood, and mahogany. Thickness may be reduced to 1" (net ¾" after factory planing) if using teak, cypress, or mahogany.

Stainless Steel Screws: Using stainless steel screws will result in less staining and chemical reaction with the wood over time, and may be substituted with outdoor treated screws or galvanized. Buy more than 80 to allow for defects in the soft stainless steel.

Polyurethane Glue: Use polyurethane-type glue only. Brands may include Polyurethane Glue, Gorilla Glue, or others. Don’t get polyurethane glue on your fingers, but if you do, first scrub with vegetable oil for a several minutes, then use soapy water.

Deck Sealer: You may apply deck sealer to the finished chair, but this is not generally needed in the first year. Western Red Cedar is naturally resistant to the effects of the outdoors.

Paint: If you plan to paint the chair, first apply a coat of wood primer before the coat of paint.

Tools

*Please abide by all safety instructions*

Required: Screw driver, drill, countersink bit, two 1 foot-long quick release clamps, and a coping saw.

Hand (electric) jigsaw  In absence of a tablesaw, bandsaw, scrollsaw etc., and for little cost, this is the best choice. Good features include a line-of-cut blower and a tilting foot. Buy extra blades since they break often. Bimetal blades tend to break less often.

Table saw w/ miter and fence  Tune and calibrate for accuracy and safety.

Bandsaw or scroll saw with tilting table These are useful, tilting feature is useful for cutting the back support.

Hand coping saw  Even if you own a bandsaw or scroll saw, you’ll need this briefly.

Sanding hand block  Always start with course, follow with medium, and finish with fine.

Router / router table  Optional, a ¼" roundover treatment results in a neat appearance.

Countersink drill bit  Countersink and pre-drill screwholes in this project to avoid splitting.

Drill press   Handy for pre-drilling some countersinks.

Square, Level   Not required but these are helpful.

Phillips driver   Hand or cordless: if you’re using a cordless Dewalt, start with torque 7 and adjust from there.

Biscuit joiner  Can be used for the optional method of assembling the arm-back support piece.

Clamps  For arm-back support piece construction, an inexpensive set of four 36 inch clamps is recommended. You could also substitute these (36" clamps) with something heavy and numerous…perhaps several bricks. A pair of foot-long padded clamps with quick release for attaching the front legs is very helpful.