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Lifeguard Chair from Recycled Lumberby crosendahl on June 15, 2011

Table of Contents

Lifeguard Chair from Recycled Lumber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro:   Lifeguard Chair from Recycled Lumber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 1:   Prepping the Lumber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 2:   Assemble the Backrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 3:   Assemble the Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Step 4:   Assemble the Footrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Step 5:   Armrests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Step 6:   Prep Remaining Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Step 7:   Main Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Step 8:   Cross Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Step 9:   Closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

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Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

http://www.instructables.com/id/Lifeguard-Chair-from-Recycled-Lumber/

Author:crosendahl    author's websiteEducator, entrepreneur, photogeek.

Intro:  Lifeguard Chair from Recycled LumberThe inspiration for this chair came from seeing one on a pier at Lake Tahoe. It’s big – seating two pretty comfortably – and tall, affording a nice view along withprotection from cannonballs and wet dogs.

This one is made from lumber recycled from a redwood deck we ripped out. The weathering, stains and screw holes all add to character of the chair even after rigoroussanding on the seat, footrest, arms and back. With ‘free’ lumber, the cost for this chair was two boxes of screws, some glue and sand paper. (And in my case, a beltsander – but that’s an investment, right?)

Though not particularly difficult to build, it did take a few days and some table saw skills. There are a number of angled cuts and a couple of dados to contend with. Iwould not recommend taking this on without a table saw, a belt sander and a good drill.

The plans were created using SketchUp from photos taken of the inspirational chair, with a few modifications for aesthetics and ease of construction. The SketchUp filesare included here, if you don’t have the program you can download it for free at sketchup.google.com . Description of the files is at the bottom of this step.

MATERIALSIt's important to note that a 2x4 is actually 1.5" x 3.5" - the plans assume this, and if you're using recycled lumber you'll need to take that into account .2x4 lumber - 92 linear feet (can be done with12 8' boards if you lay it out carefully)2x6 lumber - about 6 feet for the armrests2.5" deck screws - two boxes (about 150 screws)2" deck screws - 18Glue - outdoor grade wood glue

TOOLSTable saw - with tilting blade for some 15 degree cuts. Also a set of dado blades unless you're using a router for the rabbet cuts.Hand saw - there are a few cuts that are just easier to do by hand.Jig saw or band saw - for rounding the arms. Optionally you can approximate with the hand saw and sand it down.Belt sander - essential, there's a lot of sanding to get the sitting area smooth, especially if you're using recycled lumber. Drill - you need to put in about 150 screwsDrill press - optional, but makes for beautifully aligned pilot holesClamps - at least four hearty clamps for holding the legs during dry assembly, also used in assembling the seat, footrest and back.Pencil - cheap but effective.

SAFETYProtect your eyes and ears when using power tools!Gloves or Epsom Salt - your choice for dealing with splinters. I started with Epsom Salt, which is great for removing that nasty splinter that goes in your finger all the wayto the nail. Then I changed to gloves. I recommend starting with the gloves.Mask - wear it when sanding, or cough a lot.

PROCESSThe chair has three main parts - the backrest, seat and footrest, with the arms, legs and cross members holding it all together. We will build it in that order. I highlyrecommend reading and understanding the whole process first.

SKETCHUP FILESThere are four versions of the model in SketchUp included below. They each contain all the parts, but in different configurations for your (and my) convenience. Thebasic model has everything you really need.lifeguard_chair_basic.skp - The fully assembled chair with height dimensions (as shown in the 'Main Assembly' step).lifeguard_chair_boards.skp - One possible layout to cut the pieces from 12 eight foot 2x4s and one six foot 2x6.lifeguard_chair_explode.skp - Exploded version showing the main parts of the chair (as shown in the last image of this step).chairDetails.skp - Each main assembly with some notes (as shown in steps 3, 4, 5, 6, 8).

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Image Notes1. Son, for scale

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Image Notes1. This is a bench, not a part of the chair.2. The lifeguard chair at Lake Tahoe that was the inspiration for this project.

Image Notes1. Rendering from SketchUp plans

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Image Notes1. Table saw2. Clamps (I used four, only two shown)3. Gloves4. Miter gauge on table saw5. Adjustable protractor for setting 15 degree angles6. Tape measure7. #2 Ticonderoga pencil - my lead of choice8. Hand saw9. Drill for driving screws10. Drill bits11. Jig saw12. Belt sander13. Disc sander14. Drill press with home built table and fence15. Angle for squaring things up16. Regular rip blade and dado blades (not shown)

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Image Notes1. "...and these, your safety glasses." - Norm Abram2. Save those ears. Available at any hardward store or sporting goods store.3. Sanding dust, fumes... be gone!

File Downloads

lifeguard chair basic.skp (70 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'lifeguard chair basic.skp']

lifeguard chair boards.skp (57 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'lifeguard chair boards.skp']

lifeguard chair explode.skp (75 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'lifeguard chair explode.skp']

chairDetails.skp (4 MB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'chairDetails.skp']

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Step 1: Prepping the LumberOur old deck was made from 2x6 redwood boards, which had been torn out and stacked in our side yard. After selecting the best boards and air drying them thoroughly,they were cut down to 2x4s (which are actually 1.5" x 3.5"). 

1. Quickly sand to remove loose dirt and debris. A more rigorous sanding will happen later, but it's necessary to get the sides and edges clean for running through thetable saw. A hand sanding pass with 80 grit paper is adequate.

2. Trim one edge straight. For trimming down 2x6 lumber (which is 1.5" x 5.5") set the fence to 5 1/4" and rip the length of the board. This will trim off about 1/4" and giveyou a clean straight edge.

3. Set the fence to 3 1/2", flip the board over and rip down the other edge. You'll now have a 2x4 with two clean edges.

4. Now's a good time to do a real sanding pass with the belt sander - the long boards make easier setup that a lot of short boards. Sand according to how polished youwant your chair to look. The seats, back, arms and footrest will be sanded once assembled, so you're determining the look of the rest of the chair now. If you're going topaint it or using new wood, spend time getting a nice finish now. If you're going for a more recycled look like this chair, a pass with 80 grit and then 120 grit should do thetrick. The goal is to clean it up but not remove the character that came with the prior use of the wood.

5. Cut 2x4s to approximate lengths (see plan). NOTE: cut the cross members and back slat a few inches too long - you'll custom fit them later and will need thelatitude in length.

Image Notes1. Raw redwood recycled from our deck. Standing up against a fence to dry outafter a season of rain. You only need about this much. A deck yields three or fourprojects.

Image Notes1. Before: lots of dirt and debris.

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Image Notes1. Hand sanding with 80 grit paper.

Image Notes1. After: clean enough to run through the table saw. A finer sanding job willfollow.

Image Notes1. Fence set to 5 1/4"2. 1/8" of sawdust (the 'kerf') and 1/8" of lumber edging.

Image Notes1. Fence set to 3 1/2"2. About a 1 1/2" strip of scrap. I might make a desk out of these.3. 2x4!4. Clean edge from prior cut.

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Image Notes1. 6 long 2x4s. About half of what it will take to build the chair.2. Scrap wood shredder.3. Plans taped on the cabinets.

Step 2: Assemble the BackrestLUMBER9 back pieces - 21 1/2" long (don't cut the angled end until after backrest is assembled)Top piece - 31 1/2" long, 1 1/2" squareBack slat (arm support) - 38 1/2" long (but rough cut a few inches longer)

PREP Drill pilot holes in the top piece for the screws that will hold the back pieces. You will use two screws for each of the nine boards. A good technique for marking where thepilot holes go is to lay a piece of masking tape on your wood, then measure and mark on that. The holes start at 7/8" from each end and are spaced 1 3/4" apart,centered along the width.

Tilt the blade on your table saw to 15 degrees for the next few cuts. Cut that angle off the top of the back slat - this will be level with the backs of the arms when the chairis assembled and the back is tilted. 

While your table saw is set up for the 15 degree angle cut, you should cut the back support for the seat and the top of the back piece of the footrest. (See Steps 3 and 4for proper dimensions.)

Leave the blade tilted for now, you'll do one more angled cut after the back is assembled.

ASSEMBLY Lay the nine back pieces side by side and even up the top edges. Clamp them together to hold them securely while you glue and screw the top piece to them.

The back slat spans across the back and holds the back of the arms. It is best to fit this accurately during final assembly rather than trusting the measurements on theplan (things always shift a bit). Rather than attaching the back slat now, put a few screws into a piece of scrap wood to hold the assembly together (see picture). 

Cut the 15 degree angle at the bottom of the back, where it will attach to the seat, cutting across all nine boards at once.

SANDING Sand the back to make it smooth and splinter-free. I started with 80 grit sandpaper on the belt sander and finished with 120 grit. If you're going to paint it you'll want to goeven finer, but 120 grit gave a smooth enough finish for the raw wood. This takes awhile, even with a belt sander.

Make sure there aren't any potential places that can become splinters later - I had to hand sand a few old screw holes left from the deck.

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Hand sand all the corners and edges. This gives the chair a softer weathered look, feels much nicer, and prevents nasty splinters.

Image Notes1. 15 degree angle cut.2. Top piece, glued and screwed.3. Temporary back slat from scrap wood.4. The back of the back. I didn't sand this side because I like the raw, used lookof the wood.

Image Notes1. Masking tape with marks every 1.75". The drill press fence aligns all theholes in a straight row.

Image Notes1. Before sanding. The temporary back slat is perfect to clamping into theportable work bench while sanding.

Image Notes1. The "Dragster."

Image Notes1. After sanding with 80 and 120 grit paper. The edges of all the boards areeven.

Image Notes1. Hand sanded all the corners and edges for looks, comfort and safety.2. Old screw hole and dent from prior life as a deck.

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Step 3: Assemble the SeatLUMBER6 seat slats - 30" longFront and Back - 31 1/2" long2 sides - 21" longBackrest support - 31 1/2" long with 15 degree angle cut.

PREPCut the rabbets in the two 21" sides. A rabbet works like a shelf to hold the slats in place. The simplest way to cut them is to use a dado set on your table saw. The dadosshould be set to be 3/4" high. Since the full rabbet will be 1 1/2" wide (the width of a slat) you'll need to make multiple passes to get the full width. You want a flush fit, soonce you're close to the right width keep testing with a slat and work your way to perfection. Routers also work great for doing rabbet cuts. You could alternately do acouple of passes with your regular saw blade set to 3/4" high and then 1 1/2" high. 

You should have cut the 15 degree angle on the backrest support during the prior step, but if not, do it now.

Drill pilot holes for the screws that will hold the slats along the sides. You will use two screws for each end of the six slats. The holes start at 7/8" from each end and arespaced 1 3/4" apart. They should be centered in the middle of the rabbet (3/4" from the top edge of the side). 

Drill pilot holes in the backrest  support. The backrest has nine 2x4s, so you will need 18 holes along the side with the angled cut, and 9 holes along the top to screw itinto the seat.

Drill pilot holes in the front and back pieces for attaching the sides. 

ASSEMBLYDry fit everything together to test. You may need to trim one of the seat slats a little narrower (3" instead of 3.5") to allow a bit of room between each of the slats forexpansion. 

Glue and screw the front, back and sides together. Screw the slats into place. It isn't necessary to glue the slats - they are plenty secure with the screws and rabbet cuts,and without glue they'll be able to move a bit as they expand and contract with the weather.

SANDINGBefore you attach the backrest support piece, sand the seat to make it smooth and splinter-free. The belt sander makes this a breeze, but you may have to hand sand afew areas if you're working with weathered wood.

Hand sand all the corners and edges.

FINISHNow glue and screw the backrest support on. It's easiest to glue and clamp it first making sure everything is aligned, then screw it down. Any glue runout can be cleanedup with a damp towel.

Image Notes1. 59 screws in the seat.2. Backrest support. The edge facing the seat is angled back at 15 degrees tosupport the back.3. Rabbet cut.

Image Notes1. Another view of the masking tape on the back rest support. It also has marksfor where the nine screws will go along the top (between every other pair ofscrews along the side).

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Image Notes1. Glue runout cleans up easily with a damp rag.2. Half empty just from assembling the seat.

Step 4: Assemble the FootrestLUMBER4 slats - 30" longFront - 31 1/2" longBack - 31 1/2" long with 15 degree angle cut along the top.2 sides - 39 5/8" long

PREP The back piece needs the top cut off at 15 degrees, which hopefully was done in the prior step when the table saw's tilt blade was set up.

The back edges of the side pieces need to be cut at an angle of 15 degrees to match the angle of the legs. 

Cut the rabbets in the two sides. These are a little trickier than the seat, as they only extend 14" rather than the full length of the side. I used the dado blades, as before,but when stopped part way they leave an arc rather than a perfect square so the remainder of the rabbet needs to be cut out by hand. A hammer and chisel worksperfectly for this.

 Drill pilot holes for the 16 screws that will hold the slats along the sides. 

Drill pilot holes in the front and back pieces for attaching the sides.

ASSEMBLY Dry fit everything together to test. You may need to trim one of the seat slats a little narrower (3.25" instead of 3.5") to allow a bit of room between each of the slats forexpansion.

Glue and screw the front, back and sides together. Screw the slats into place without glue.

SANDING Sand to the same body-friendly smoothness as you did the seat. People may choose to sit here, and it will certainly have bare feet on it. Hand sand the corners andedges as before, also.

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Image Notes1. Old screw holes from its life as a deck.

Step 5: ArmrestsLUMBER2 2x6 armrests - 28 3/4" long

PREPThe armrests are cut from 2x6 lumber, which is 1.5"x5.5" in actual dimensions. 

Mark a semicircle at one end with a 2 3/4" radius. Using a jigsaw or band saw, cut the end as round as possible. If you don't have one of those tools, you canapproximate it with a number of handsaw cuts. 

SANDINGHead to a good sander and finish the end to a smooth round arc. The best tool is a table mounted disc sander (see picture).

Sand the top of the armrest as smooth as the seat, footrest and back. Round off all the edges manually, as before.

ANOTHER CUTAt the other end of the armrest, measure 3.5" along the back and mark that point. Then measure 8" up the edge and mark again. Draw a line between the two marks.Now figure out how to make this cut.

I tried this cut first with my jig saw and it was a resounding failure - don't bother trying it. The blade on a jig saw is too flexible to make this cut straight vertically. If youhave a band saw this cut is a piece of cake, or you can certainly cut it by hand and do some sanding to clean it up. My solution was to screw a piece of oak the width ofthe table saw's miter gauge channel to the bottom of the armrest. It was screwed on parallel to the desired cut line about 5" out (the distance from the channel to theblade). This guided the armrest straight through the blade at the desired angle with a nice clean cut. Yea!

REPEATI cut and sanded one arm before I made the other. This allowed me to use the first as a guide, and happily to make all my mistakes only once. Remember that the secondarmrest is a mirror image of the first, so pay attention to which side of the lumber you want up.

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Image Notes1. Pencil guideline.

Image Notes1. Even with a jigsaw, it isn't very clean.

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Image Notes1. A table mounted disc sander makes it pretty easy to clean up the cut.

Image Notes1. Before and after.

Image Notes1. Use the first arm to mark the second arm.

Image Notes1. Top: smooth; Bottom: ugly

Image Notes1. Much better. And a good match.

Image Notes1. ** This doesn't work! ** A jigsaw blade flexes way too much on a 1.5" thickboard, giving an very uneven cut. Use a band saw or the table saw trick shownnext.2. Guide board

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Image Notes1. Miter guage rail screwed to bottom of arm. The arm rides along on top.

Image Notes1. Flipped over after the cut. A strip of oak the width of the miter gauge channel istemporarily screwed to the bottom of the arm.2. Distance from miter gauge channel to saw blade.

Step 6: Prep Remaining PartsLUMBER4 legs - 49" long2 cross members - over 35" long (will be cut down during assembly)

PREPThe ends of the legs need to be cut at 15 degree angles. Start by cutting one end, then measure up 48" on each edge - this should be where your other angle is. Thefinished leg should be a parallelogram - meaning that the two opposite sides should be parallel. Use the first leg as the pattern for the other three legs - the exact size of aleg is less important than all the legs being equal. 

Nothing to do on the cross members now, as they will be custom fit after the rest of the chair is assembled.

SANDINGSand as is appropriate for your project. I cleaned my chair legs up but not to the degree of the seat. 

Sand the edges smooth to match the rest of the project.

Image Notes1. Legs.2. Uncut cross members.3. Back slat to be added later, plus an extra piece.4. Labels - after awhile all the 2x4s begin to look the same.

Image Notes1. Parallelogram.

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Step 7: Main AssemblyBring all the parts together on a level surface. You'll need your drill, screws, clamps, glue, measuring tape or angle, pencil and a level.

LEGS, SEAT AND FOOTRESTUsing the dimension drawing (image 3 of this step), measure and mark the legs with the pencil where the footrest and seat will be. Clamp the footrest and seat into place.Use the measuring tape, the level, your eyes and your excellent judgement to make sure everything is even and level. Check to make sure the tops of the legs are leveland even by balancing the armrests on them. Once you're satisfied, drive a couple of screws part way in on each joint to hold it together temporarily.

Remove one leg at a time, apply glue generously to the joints, and reattach the leg with four screws at each joint. (I clamped a spare board to the chair to act as a fourthleg before I removed each leg.) Check to make sure nothing has shifted and do another leg. Repeat two more times. 

BACKRESTI made a jig to hold the backrest in place while I measured for where the back slat would go, and for when I attached the back. The jig is made from two 2x4's screwedtogether at a 15 degree angle. 

Using the jig, clamp the backrest in place. Position the armrests in place and mark where the bottoms of the armrests cross the back - this is where the top of the backslat will be. (If the temporary back slat is in the way, remove it carefully.)

Remove the backrest and attach the permanent back slat. I used two 2" screws for each of the nine back pieces - I was concerned that a 2.5" screw could go all the waythrough the back if I drove it in too far. NOTE: The back slat should have a 15 degree angle cut off the top of it, make sure this is properly aligned when you attach it.Also, the back slat should be too long, make sure to have extra length on each end - they will be trimmed after attaching the back.

With the permanent back slat in place and the temporary one removed, use the jig to clamp the backrest back onto the chair. Screw it to the chair with another 18 screwshorizontally through the backrest support on the seat.

ARMSWith the backrest in place, it's a snap to attach the arms. Line up the back of the arm with the back of the back slat, then glue the joints and put a couple of screws downinto the back slat and each of the legs (six screws, total, for each arm).

Grab your hand saw and cut off the excess back slat, making it even with the angle of the arm (see pictures).

Hand sand any sharp edges.

Image Notes1. Footrest2. Backrest3. Back slat (cut a few inches too long)4. Seat. Upside down it makes a great tray to carry tools in.5. Legs6. Armrests7. Level surface.8. Cross members are still in the garage.

Image Notes1. Levels, clamps, drill, screws, glue, tape measure. All in a handy carrying tray.

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Image Notes1. Back of leg should be flush with angled back of footrest.2. Use this junction as a guide for where to put the front legs. I didn't, but shouldhave.3. Leg should be a bit forward of the last footrest slat.4. 15 degree angle.5. 15 degree angle.6. Mark here on the backrest when figuring out where to attach the permanentback slat.

Image Notes1. Ready to add the back and arms.2. My front legs are mounted farther back than the plan I made. This was notintentional, but happened because the footrest should be 1.5" farther forward(see the other note).3. The back of the footrest should be even with the back legs. I aligned my backlegs with the joint instead - oops (but far from a disaster).

Image Notes1. Brilliant seat back alignment jig clamped into place.

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Image Notes1. Replacing the temporary back slat with the permanent one in the properposition for the arms. The masking tape was a guide for the pilot holes.

Image Notes1. Another 18 screws to hold the back to the seat.

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Image Notes1. Ready to sink them in.2. The rest of the chair uses 2.5" screws, but in this situation driving them in toofar could cause them to poke out into your back, so I used shorter 2" screws.

Image Notes1. Trim back slat even with arm. Sometimes hand tools make a whole lot ofsense.

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Image Notes1. Beauty.

Step 8: Cross MembersThe cross members are the only tricky part of the build, but they are necessary to add rigidity and strength to the chair. They attach from under the the seat on one side toinside the footrest on the other side.

Ideally, they would match the dimensions in the plan, but even a 1/4" variance in your build would cause them not to fit properly, so we cut them custom to the finalassembly of the chair. Regardless of variance in your chair, the two cross members should be the same dimensions, so make one and use it as the template to cut theother.

The cross members are angled at about 32 degrees, so make the first cut (noted in the first diagram) at that angle (the interior of the angle is noted on the diagram as122 degrees, which is 90 + 32). Then measure up the cut edge 2" and draw a right angle line - make this cut second. This end of the cross member will fit under the seat(see second diagram). 

It would be really nice if you could dry fit this piece somehow and mark where the next two cuts at the other end of the cross member go, but that isn't possible. Aftertrying all sorts of methods, I finally settled on just making the third cut (which butts against the footrest side) a little long, dry fitting, and trimming down until I got theproper fit. The goal is to have the bottom of the cross member even with the bottom of the seat and the top of the cross member even with the top of the footrest.

Once you have them cut to size, glue and screw them into place. The back cross member goes all the way back, and can be screwed from the inside to the back of theseat, and from the outside to the side of the footrest. The front cross member's position isn't critical, but should be as far forward as you can put it, but behind the frontlegs and comfortably out of the way of your feet.

Let the glue dry, grab a cold drink, and have a seat.

Image Notes1. First cut.2. Second cut. It is at a right angle to the first cut.3. Third cut. I approximated this cut a little long, then iterated it down to the rightlength.4. Fourth cut. Make it even with the bottom of the footrest.5. Second cross member should be a duplicate of the first.

Image Notes1. Bottom of cross member even with bottom of seat side.2. Bottom of cross member even with bottom of seat side.3. Top of cross member even with top of footrest side.4. Top of cross member even with top of footrest side.5. Magic transparent wood.6. Trim off cross member even with bottom of footrest side.7. This end of the cross member is cut first.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Lifeguard-Chair-from-Recycled-Lumber/

Image Notes1. Close to flush. Would be nice to be a snugger fit.2. Glued and screwed

Image Notes1. Flush fit2. Trimmed even with bottom of footrest3. Screwed in from the outside4. Glued

Step 9: ClosingIf lifeguarding isn't your thing, this chair is a comfortable place to read, make some phone calls and enjoy the sunshine. It's more of a yard throne, really.

Enjoy! And send me pictures of yours!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Lifeguard-Chair-from-Recycled-Lumber/

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Comments

5 comments Add Comment

 ngajic says:  Jun 28, 2011. 3:28 AM  REPLYwhere can I buy one of those scrap wood shredders

 l8nite says:  Jun 23, 2011. 10:45 PM  REPLY10 points just for the cool by the pool factor ! Great looking chair !

 djsfantasi says:  Jun 23, 2011. 8:12 PM  REPLYExcellent! Well detailed and very intelligent design.

 paganwonder says:  Jun 21, 2011. 7:31 PM  REPLYWould also make an excellent "Lord of the Backyard BBQ" chair. Excellent re-use

 drknotter says:  Jun 21, 2011. 5:01 PM  REPLYExcellent instructable! If I ever own a pool, I'll definitely look into this!