I have access to some western red ceder and would like to make some adarondaic chairs. I'm concerned that the ceder is too soft for the chairs. I build some out of mahagony 14 years ago and they are holding up great. What are your thoughts on the ceder chairs. thanks
I just finished a set made from salvaged redwood. Redwood is also soft, but I figured what the heck, they are going to be outside (although covered) anyway, a few bumps and bruises is expected and will give them "character". Structurally, cedar should work fine, unless you are a very large guy. If so, make the structural parts 1/4" or so thicker.
Adirondacs are a stout style of chair. Cedar should be fine. I built a set out of Ipe a couple years ago, and they are pretty clearly overbuilt. My whole family could sit in one without a creak.
I'll be building a few more in the next year, and they'll all be cedar. Much easier to move around too.
I did replace the seating surfaces on a cheap swingset with shop-milled cedar fence pickets. They ended up about 3/8" thick, and adults can sit on them. They flex a lot, but they hold up. They've been in place for 4 years now, outdoors, unshaded, in Austin. They're holding up fine.
Again, I think cedar is fine for adirondacks, especially if you use nominal 1x material (3/4").
-Mike
bobsdad wrote:
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