These armless deck chair plans are another design favorite of mine. They are big, chunky, heavy, and almost guaranteed to last a long time with just a little maintenance. These armless deck chairs not only work well on the deck, they can make for a great destination in your yard, or sitting by your firepit. Though, my favorite place for these chairs is on the beach in the sand. When they have that a coat of bright blue paint, or maybe yellow, they just remind me of a carefree day sitting listening to the waves crash in.
These armless deck chairs can be built from standard construction lumber (2x12s, 2x6s, 2x4s, and a 2×2). Or if you want to make more of a statement and have a piece with a natural wood finish, you can use a nice hardwood. I’ve even seen similar pieces built from reclaimed lumber which wind up as beautiful show pieces.
No matter which lumber you choose, we’re going to keep the plans for these chairs simple. We’re going to use simple pocket hole joinery, or hidden screws. The only visible fasteners are going to be eight lag bolts which will hold the seat back and the front stretcher. All of the other fasteners will be hidden, but we’re not going to get into any complicated joinery for this piece.
Tools
- Miter saw or Circular saw
- Table saw (optional)
- Kreg pocket hole jig
- Drill / driver combo
- Square
- Tape measure
- Quick Clamps
- Right angle pocket hole clamp
- Exterior wood glue
- Pocket hole plugs, or 3/8″ dowel
Materials
- 1 – 2×12″ @ 6′
- 2 – 2×6″ @ 8′
- 1 – 2×4 @ 8′
- 1 – 2×2 @ 4′
- Exterior pocket hole screws
- 2 1/2″ deck screws
- 8 – 4″ x 5/16″ lag bolts with matching washers.
Step 1: Cut and build the legs
We’re going to start building this armless deck chair by making the legs. Each leg has two pieces, both of which are cut from a standard 2×12. If you start by cutting your 2×12 in half following one of the angles of the sides, you should be able to get all four pieces from one six foot piece of 2×12.
Once you have your pieces cut, use four pocket hole screws, and wood glue, per leg going up from the foot into the side. I prefer them to going up instead of down because then the slope of the pocket hole doesn’t give a chance to catch water. Even though we’re going to plug the pocket holes, I find this as just another small ounce of prevention.
Once you have the feet attached, use wood glue and pocket hole plugs to fill in the holes to hide the screws. Alternatively, you could insert a 3/8″ dowel into the pocket hole and then use a flush cut saw to trim the dowel pieces. I find the latter to be much more economical in the long run.
Step 2: Connect the legs
Once you have both sides built, we’re going to cut a piece of 2×6 to 19″ long for the front stretcher that will go between the two legs. To create a nice clean seem between this stretcher and the front seat slat, I like to rip what will be the top edge of this board to a 70° angle. You don’t have to do this, as no one will see it, it is just a personal preference of mine.
To connect this stretcher to the legs, we’re going to pre-drill two holes one each side using a 7/32″ drill bit. I included a nice x-ray view of how this front stretcher will be get installed below. Pre-drill both of these holes, and then use your lag bolts and washers to secure the stretcher in place.
Step 3: Add the seat supports & seat
Once the stretcher is secured, it’s time to add the seat. Start by cutting two 16″ pieces of 2×2 to use as the seat supports. These 2x2s will be installed directly behind the stretcher, and run parallel with the top edge of the legs, 2 1/4″ below that top edge. Use wood glue and 2 1/2″ deck screws to secure these in place.
For the seat boards themselves, these are just 3 pieces of 2×6 cut to 19″ in length. Though for the first board, I again like to rip the leading edge to a 75° angle so it matches that of the stretcher for a more modern look. Once you have these cut, use wood glue and 2 1/2″ deck screws from underneath to attach them to the seat supports. Leave a 3/4″ gap between the boards so that your overall seat depth is about 17 1/2″.
Step 4: Build and install the backrest
The last piece to construct and install on this armless deck chair is the backrest itself. This consists of two 2x4s cut to 29 1/2″ in length for the sides, and five pieces of 2×6 cut to 12″ for the middle boards. Use wood glue and three pocket hole screws per end of each 2×6 board to attach them to the 2x4s, leaving a 1/2″ gap between them. Keep all of your pocket screws on one side of the unit, and them plug the holes when finished. The side with the pocket holes should wind up being the back of the backrest.
The last part of building this chair is to attach the back. Typically, a nice comfortable angle for a backrest is about 110 from the angle of the seat. So we’re going to use that as our target. To achieve this angle, we need to mark a line that is 70 degree from the top edge. Then mark for two holes we will pre-drill on this line. The first hole should be 2″ down from the top edge, while the second is 4 1/2″ down from the top edge. Pre-drill both of these with a 7/32″ bit to accommodate the lag bolts. When you are driving these bolts into the backrest, try to ensure you are going through the centerline of the 2x4s.
Step 5: Sand and finish your armless deck chair
Now it’s onto the last steps. Sand this whole unit down with at least 120 grit sandpaper, paying particular attention to the corners where someone is going to slide across the chair. You don’t want any of your guests getting splinters while they are relaxing on these beauties!
Once you have the chairs sanded well, add a few coats of paint or stain to ensure they are protected from the elements. Since these are meant for leaving outdoors, you’ll need to re-paint or re-stain every couple of years. If you do, these chairs should last a good long time.
We hope you find these armless deck chair plans useful. As always, if you have questions or thoughts feel free to drop them in the comments below. And don’t forget to check out our other free DIY furniture plans.
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