Table of Contents
Unfolding the chair
Step 9. The chair unfolding
Simply grab the wire at each end of the chair top and lift the unit up so it’s upright and on its legs.
This is one of the most rewarding stages of the project – seeing it fold into a chair.
Step 10. Squeeze the pieces in
Squeeze the top of the back pieces together: i.e. just with your hands, push the pieces together until they touch.
The wire is longer than necessary at this stage and will need trimming.
Step 11. Snip the wire
When the top of chair is pushed together, cut the wire at each side leaving a “2” (50mm) overhang.
(Note alternative fastening option before Step 14 which requires a shorter overhang.)
This can be done with a tool such as a boltA metal rod that has a head on one end and threads on the other and is used to fasten together lumber. The most common bolts used or referred to in projects within this website are coach/carriage bolts and hex bolts. cutter, a wire cutter, heavy pliers, or a hacksaw
Step 12. Fold and staple
Fold the wire over and fasten with two galvanizedCovered with a protective coating of zinc. wire staples, at each fold.
We built 3 Kentucky Stick Chairs for our grandchildren (11, 9, 4), using your paid pattern. There are several big Jake’s Chairs on our dock, so we wanted lower profile chairs that could be used for dock-fishing, but otherwise would be inside for TV/games, etc.
Safety Design Change for Young Child
The Stick Chairs were quick and easy to make but we did have one design issue. Caroline is 4, and while tall and thin her legs do not touch the floor when sitting in this chair. The seat/back right angles and couplers make the Stick Chairs sturdy and comfortable, but they are VERY forward TIPPY when enter/exiting the chair. An adult, or even our older grandchildren, automatically compensate with no problem. We showed her how to enter/exit to the side which worked fine until she forgot :(. Not only did the chair tip forward, it folded up and the entire chair weight slammed into the back of her head. A few minutes of tears and a popsicle brought back her smile, but we knew we had to have a safety modification.
We tried adding 9″ forward-facing feet to the inside of the two front legs, but that was not enough to prevent tipping. Ultimately, we added 17.5″ legs to the outside front seat string, cutting the top flush/angles with the outside seat pieces. The front seat rod was tighten enough that the support legs follow gravity down when unfolded, but are still loose enough to fold up. After many enter/exit test, they have prevented tip-overs without further attachment. When she gets older, the two legs can easily be removed.
Finishing
We wanted bright, fun, colors but stains tend to be more house/deck conservative. We found our solution with Behr’s new water-based, tint-to-paint-colors stain. We loved Behr’s new Seasons, Home Decorators Collection of bright, beach-resort colors. Home Depot personnel had to custom match to the paint sample color due to the differences in stain/paint base, but they were happy to do so for ANY of their paint colors (thank you Margaret)! One 8-oz sample size was enough for two coats on a single chair. One coat gave good coverage, but we want a more painted look that would wear like a stain considering all the moving parts.
Pattern Layout
Am also passing on our cutting layout for using ONE 2x8x10 board, in case you think would be helpful (see the cutting layout above). We will make others, so did not want to forget and have to rethink it when we do more. Cutting smaller lengths first made ripping quick and easy for those of us who hobby-build.
We all LOVE our new chairs and thank you for the pattern & instructions!
Jerry Doty
Great project. Had a good time making these chairs.
James Piper
Built my first chair from your plans. I think it came out pretty awesome. Thank you
Julian Cofer
Thank you all for this wonderful team that gave me my first lessons to build chair. God bless you.
Cestari Carlos – Brazil
From Ahmet Ionel Dascalu
My first ever experience in woodworking was really fun and super easy. A huge picnic table no less! ‘Measure well and take it slow’ is my advice to woodwork newbies!
Whilst working on my first project, I spied an intriguing looking folding chair. I really liked its modern look and Les suggested that I should have a go at making one.
The chair I made was constructed from narrow stick ripped from wider board, and if I followed the original pattern, the results would have been a chair too narrow to sit on comfortably. We ended up modifying the pattern by adding an extra centre piece to the back, front, and seat, to make it wider. Once the pieces were cut to size and holes drilled, assembly was very quick and straightforward.
The second chair was cut and assembled to the original pattern. As this was my second try, it was straightforward and quick to assemble and secure. Cut the pieces to required lengths, mark and drill holes for threading then wire it all up. The fun part is unfolding the chair after assembly. It looks complicated but is a very easy make.
Now I have two (sort of) matching folding chairs. Slim and wide version, both very comfortable. My fellow flat dwellers Iove sitting in them on summer evenings in our shares backyard.
Overall, a very practical and satisfying project that anyone could tackle with the right tools.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtVBW2p_5SY&feature=youtu.be
isnt it possible to use 31 mm for all the holes? or is it neccesary to use 37 mm for the top and seat…?
Done! Our only problem is they seem to be too forward facing. Wondering if anyone has trimmed the back legs to have them lean back a bit more? Or leveled off the back legs to a flatter/grounded leg? And clues?