Fire Pit Chair

Lay out the base rectangle — front, back, and the two 10°-angled sides — with both angled sides oriented the same way, long point down. Screw together with the 2-1/2" screws, two per joint.

That 10° is the recline of the finished chair. If one side goes in flipped, the base twists and nothing after this step fits.

Flip the base upside down — it's much easier to register the legs that way — and attach each front leg with three 2-1/2" screws and glue, matching the leg's 5° bevel orientation to the base so the foot will sit flat on the ground.

Glue matters on these joints: legs on outdoor chairs work loose from racking long before the wood fails.

The back legs carry the fussiest cuts in the build: 5° bevel at the floor, 25° bevel at the top, long point to short point. Batch them — cut every leg at 5° both ends first (23-1/2", ends parallel), then change the saw once to 25° and recut the tops of the whole stack.

Attach with two screws per joint. The 25° tops are what the backrest rail lands on.

The 2x2 rail attaches across the back leg tops at the recline angle, which makes it an awkward screw. Pre-drill everything — a 2x2 driven at an angle without a pilot hole splits, full stop. Pocket screws driven from the inside faces are a clean alternative; the seat slats cover them later.

Attach the front and back seat slats first with the 1-1/4" screws, then center the middle slat with even gaps.

Gaps aren't cosmetic on outdoor seating — rain has to drain through or the slats cup and rot. Cut all three slats from the same picket so the seat reads as one surface.

Set the two outer back slats first, screwed into the backrest rail and the rear seat slat, then space the middle slats evenly and attach.

Sand every edge — pickets throw splinters until you do — and finish with the penetrating stain. Then build the next seven; the second chair goes twice as fast, and by the fourth you'll have the angles memorized.