Easy-to-Build Adirondack Furniture: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-216 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) [Paperback]

Mary Twitchell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin | Publication Date: January 10, 2000

Building Adirondack furniture is a time-honored craft. Sturdy and rustic, this furniture can be a beautiful addition to any indoor decor, although it's most often used to set the scene outdoors. There, the furniture is subjected to a lifetime of abuse. Yearly it moves from somewhere hidden away (probably dark and musty winter storage) to front-and-center on the summer stage. Now, hour after hour it is beaten on by intense UV light, drenched in driving rains, then fried again in the summer sun.

Through it all, the furniture patiently endures--ever handsome, ever inviting, ever lasting. To survive summertime abuse and the semiannual ritual of being dragged into and out of storage, outdoor furniture must be sturdy, rugged, and well built--all qualities that epitomize Adirondack pieces.

This bulletin contains instructions for building an Adirondack chair, matching footstool, companion side table, and Westport chair (an ancestor of the modern-day slatted Adirondack chair). Each project will take the moderately skilled carpenter less than a day to fabricate; for the beginner, maybe a weekend.
Learn how to choose the right lumber and hardware, complete with instructions for table, footstool, and the Westport chair.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Since the 1973 publication of Storey's first Country Wisdom Bulletin, our commitment to preserving the arts, crafts, and skills of country life has never wavered. We now have more than 200 titles in this series of 32-page publications, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life.

Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins contain practical, hands-on instructions designed to help you master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. From traditional skills to the newest techniques, Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin Library provides a foundation of earth-friendly information for the way you want to live today.

About the Author

Mary Twitchell is a carpenter and a freelance writer. She lives in northern Vermont.

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (January 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580172644
• ISBN-13: 978-1580172646
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Furniture
  • #48 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Carpentry

More About the Author

Mary Twitchell is a contributor for Storey Books titles including: Easy-To-Build Birdhouses, Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-212, Easy-To-Buld Bird Feeders, Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-209, Build Simple BirdBaths, Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-208 and What to Do When the Power Fails, Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-191.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Adirondack book on the market, May 24, 2004

By 

M. London - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Easy-to-Build Adirondack Furniture: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-216 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) (Paperback)

I've bought several expensive books on the subject ironically this is the only one I use. The instructions are concise and simple to follow. Very nice pieces... Buy this first and save yourself some money and aggravation!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK for simple chair, disappointing for more advanced version, January 28, 2009

By 

Andy in Washington "Andy" (Washougal, WA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Easy-to-Build Adirondack Furniture: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-216 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) (Paperback)

I just finished my first two chairs based on plans from this book, and for the most part am pleased. I am somewhere between a novice and intermediate carpenter, and found the book reasonably easy to use. Two chairs took about 2 weeks to finish, with an hour or so spent most nights.

The good points:
There is a complete materials set.
The instructions are straight-forward and logical (except as noted below).
The end result is a fairly good looking chair.


The bad points:
The directions include an option for a slightly rounded chair, rather than just a flat back which I find uncomfortable. Instead of just making this a completely new set of directions, there was a whole set of modifications to the existing instructions. They were a little confusing, and required a lot of page flipping to integrate. How much more could it have cost to just add another page or two to the book?

Also, there were an option for a profiled seat, but no specifics. While it is true that this is somewhat of a personal preference item, the book only offered an instruction to figure out what was comfortable to you. There should have been a general suggestion as to a profile. If you want a rounded seat, you are on your own.


Summary: I found the shortcomings above to be problematic. I bought the book because I just wanted to cut and screw together wood without a whole lot of thinking. If I wanted to design a chair, I would have done that. I ended up doing a bit of work creating a seat profile.
Other than that, it was ok. It was better than some of the other books I have seen for clarity and description, and it was obvious that the author had actually built a chair from the plans.
I have seen plans that were more detailed and complete for the options listed above, but this is certainly a good jumping off point. And if you are comfortable in a flat-backed non-profiled seat chair, the instructions are perfect.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for the Task, November 25, 2009

By 

M. McNeil (NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Easy-to-Build Adirondack Furniture: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-216 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) (Paperback)

This is a great book for the task it takes on: building Adirondack chairs, and a few related items, including a small table and a Westport chair.

Having built booth the Westport and Adirondack chairs, I found the book to do exactly what it says: a good step-by-step guide which offers all the information you need to build the furniture.

I started with the Westport - which was the easier design, then made eight 'Dack chairs for around our place. I made a few minor changes to the plans to suit my own preferences, particularly the angle of the back and the width of the arms, but otherwise just followed the steps and ended up with strong, good-looking chairs which have now held up well for several years of heavy use.