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Outdoor cushions are the expensive half of patio furniture, and they come in standard sizes — so this chair is engineered backwards from the cushion. The seat slats span the cushion's width, the back height matches the back cushion, and the plan tells you at every step which dimension to steal from the cushion in your cart. Buy cushions first; cut second.
The comfort is one cut: the seat stringers are cut at 5° off square, ends parallel, so the seat pan tips gently back. Assembled with the stringer's high side at the front, that slope is the difference between a chair and a bench with delusions.
The build sequence uses a trick worth keeping: build the first arm frame, then build the second DIRECTLY ON TOP of it, stringers matched — mirrored assemblies made by stacking can't drift the way measured ones can. Same idea appears at the seat: the back seat slat's position accounts for the back cushion folding at the seam (the source set it at 21-1/2" for a 20" cushion), so set that slat with your cushion in hand.
Step 6's back supports look decorative and aren't — they tie the sides, backrest, and slats into one triangle-braced unit, attached at three points each. The final 2x2 caps the back at exactly cushion width. Add extra back slats if your cushions are the floppy kind; the frame accepts them without redesign.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x4, 8 ft | 4 each |
| 2x2, 20"Back top cap — cut to your cushion width. | 1 each |
| Exterior screws, 2-1/2" to 3", self-tapping, star drive | 50 each |
| Exterior stain | 1 pint |
| Standard outdoor seat and back cushionsNot in the cost estimate — buy FIRST; every dimension defers to them. | 2 each |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Legs2x4 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 21 1/2" |
| Armrests2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 30 3/8" |
| Seat stringers2x4Both ends 5° off square, long point to short point, ends PARALLEL — the seat slope. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 27 1/2" |
| Seat slats and front2x4Or the width of your cushions. | 5 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 20" |
| Back uprights2x4Modify to your back cushion's height. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 26" |
| Back top cap2x2Matches cushion width. | 1 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 20" |
Buy 6 boards at 8 ft.
5 boards
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Attach an armrest across two legs, then position the seat stringer — 5° slope, HIGH side toward the front leg — and screw it to both legs, two screws per joint.
Build the mirror arm frame directly on top of the completed one, stringers matched up. Stacked parts can't drift; measured parts can. Check that the pair are mirrors, not twins, before moving on.
Stand the two arm frames stringer-high-side down, block them steady, and screw one 20" slat across the front of the stringers — two screws per joint. The floppy pair becomes a chair skeleton on this one board.
Set the BACK slat first, positioned for your actual cushions — the source used 21-1/2" of seat depth for 20" cushions, because the back cushion folds at the seam and eats an inch and a half. Then space the middle slats evenly by eye and screw everything down.
Pocket-hole the back panel's ends (1-1/2" setting, two holes per end) and attach between the arm frames with 2-1/2" screws. Set your back cushion in place and cut the two back uprights to suit it — remembering the 1-1/2" 2x2 cap still to come — then attach each upright at three points: sides, backrest, and back slat. Those three-point connections are the chair's rigidity.
Cap the top with the 2x2, sand everything, and stain. Floppy cushions? Add more back slats — the frame doesn't mind.
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