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This is a miniature Adirondack chair scaled for an 18" doll, built from about $4 of 1x2 and 1x3 furring strips. It captures the whole silhouette of the real thing — the raked stringers, the sloped seat, the fanned back slats, the wide arms — in a project small and cheap enough to be a genuinely low-stakes way to learn how an Adirondack goes together before committing lumber to a full-size one.
The stringers are the one part that needs care, exactly as on the grown-up version: they're the curved/angled side pieces that define the seat slope and back angle, and getting their cut right is what makes the chair sit like an Adirondack rather than a deck chair. Measure carefully and follow the angles; everything after that is just screwing slats to a frame.
Because it's a doll chair carrying no real load, the joinery is relaxed — 1-1/4" screws, or even nails and glue, are plenty. Build the seat (front apron and seat slats on the stringers), then the fanned back, then add the front legs, arm supports, and finally the arms. It's a satisfying afternoon build, an ideal gift alongside a doll, and — as the source says — a fabulous confidence-builder if a full Adirondack chair feels intimidating.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x3, 8 ftWhitewood or furring strip. | 1 each |
| 1x2, 8 ftWhitewood or furring strips. | 2 each |
| Wood screws or nails, 1-1/4 in | 1 box |
| Wood glue | 1 bottle |
| FinishOptional. | 1 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Stringers1x3One end cut to the seat/back angle — the defining cut. | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 13 1/2" |
| Front apron1x3 | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 10" |
| Seat slats1x2 | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 10" |
| Back slats1x2 | 5 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 14" |
| Back supports1x2 | 3 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 8 1/2" |
| Front legs1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 9" |
| Arm supports1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 9 1/2" |
| Arms1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 9 1/2" |
Buy 3 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
2 boards
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 →
This is the most difficult part — cutting the stringers, the angled side pieces that set the seat slope and back angle. Measure carefully and follow the angles exactly. Get these right and the rest of the chair is simple assembly.
Screw the front apron across the front of the two stringers. An easy step that squares up the seat frame.
Screw the four seat slats down across the stringers. It's a doll chair, so nails and glue work fine here too. Leave small even gaps between slats for the Adirondack look.
Build the fanned back by attaching the five back slats to the three back supports. Lay it out symmetric before fastening so the fan is even.
Mark the front legs and attach them to the chair front as shown, so they support the front of the seat and carry the arms.
Attach the arm supports to the front legs, then to the seat back. These tie the front and back of the chair together and hold the arms level.
Attach the arms to the arm supports to complete the chair. Sand the edges soft, and finish if you like. If a full-size Adirondack has ever felt intimidating, this little one is the perfect confidence-builder for it.
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