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This chair is built around a genuinely useful design choice: every joint is written for both a pocket-hole jig and plain self-tapping screws, so the same plan works whether or not you own the jig. It's also a chair with a dial built in — cut the legs at 20-1/2" for a standard low patio chair, or at 24" for a seat that matches a standard-height dining table, and nothing else in the cut list changes.
The seat cleat gets one detail worth respecting exactly as written: mount its pocket-hole screws on the bottom or sides of the joint, never the top. A pocket hole facing up on an outdoor chair is a small cup that collects rainwater and holds it against the screw and the surrounding wood — exactly the kind of slow rot an otherwise well-built outdoor piece dies from years later.
The chair back is built as its own flat sub-assembly (slats screwed to a base frame) and then set into the chair with a small deliberate gap above the seat's 2x2 support cleat — again for drainage, so water sheds through the seat instead of pooling where the back meets it. Seat slats get the same 1/2" spacing treatment. Cut the longest boards in the cut list first, which is what lets every other length actually come out of the shopping list's board count instead of running short partway through.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x4, 10 ft | 2 each |
| 1x4, 10 ft | 2 each |
| 2x2, 8 ft (not in original shopping list — needed for the seat supports) | 1 each |
| Exterior pocket hole screws, 2-1/2" | 36 each |
| Exterior self-tapping star bit screws, 1-1/2" or longer | 40 each |
| Exterior stain or paint | 1 qt |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Legs2x4Cut at 24" instead for a dining-table-height seat. | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 20 1/2" |
| Arm rests2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 27 3/4" |
| Side supports2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 24 3/4" |
| Front/back aprons2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 20 1/2" |
| Seat supports2x2 | 3 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 20 1/2" |
| Back slats1x4 | 5 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 25 1/2" |
| Seat slats1x4 | 5 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 20" |
Buy 7 boards at 8 ft.
3 boards
1 board
3 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 →
Build the two arm assemblies with the longer screws, or a pocket-hole jig on the 1-1/2" setting with 2-1/2" exterior pocket hole screws. Build both leg assemblies identically.
Drill two 1-1/2" pocket holes on each end of the side supports and front/back aprons, and attach them to the leg assemblies with 2-1/2" exterior pocket hole screws.
Attach the 2x2 seat supports inside the chair frame with pocket hole screws, placing every screw on the bottom or the sides of the joint — never the top, which would cup and hold rainwater against the wood and screw.
Lay out the chair back slats and attach them to the chair-back base frame with the shorter screws.
Set the assembled back inside the chair, leaving a small gap above the 2x2 seat support for water drainage, and attach to the arms with the longer screws.
Lay the seat slats inside the chair and attach with the shorter screws, two per joint, with 1/2" spacing between slats.
Sand and finish the whole chair before it goes outside.
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