Sizing Decisions

There aren't that many measurements in this build that change based on your preferences. Rather than explaining them in the assembly instructions, I'll run through them here instead. I'm not sure of the best way to figure out what's ideal for these, so I'll give some indication of the range I've used and what results you get over the range. If you can, check out some other Adirondack chairs and if they feel right, note down the values of these measurements.

The rear leg is flush with the outside stave of the back, setting the width.

1. Width of the chair (step 1). The overall width of the chair is set by the width of the back where the bottom support stave crosses (see above). You can make it wider than that if you want (though I like everything to be touching), but you can't really make it narrower. The width you want will depend on your body and how much space for movement you want. The chair I made myself was 22" wide and that feels about right for me as a tall man with broad shoulders. My wife's chair is 18" wide and is perfect for her as a short woman. I wouldn't stray much outside that range (a friend of mine made one that's 24" wide and it feels enormous), but if you want something spacious or are particularly petite, maybe you want to. I think 20" is a good value for general use, it won't feel constricting to someone big and tall, but also won't be too spacious for someone short and small.
   

   

   Note the wine-free wood just above the seat.

2. Height of the chair back (step 1). This is mostly set by the height of your staves, but you can adjust it a little bit based on where you put the bottom-most support stave in step one of the assembly instructions. The only thing to note is that if you put that stave low enough the back won't be uniformly purple down to the seat. I made this mistake on my first chair, and you can tell (see above). This isn't that big of a deal, but something to keep in mind. The recommended 2" in the instructions will give you the all-stained look, decrease it if you really want a taller back.

3. Depth of the seat (step 4). Too short and you feel like you're falling out, too long and your legs can't rest on the ground comfortably. I've been using 17" which has worked for people from 5'2" to 6'4", so I think it's a pretty good value.

4. Angle of the back (step 4). Since these chairs aren't adjustable you're stuck with one angle, so you want something you like. I typically only recline a bit beyond upright, but my wife wanted it farther back. Reporting angles or key measurements is tricky since it's reliant on things (like the lengths of staves) that will definitely change build-to-build, so the best advice I can offer is to check out some chairs and see what feels right. Then try to recreate that when you're messing around with the strap in step 7. Have someone hold the back while you try it out. This isn't the most precise, but it's worked pretty well so far!

5. Height of the front legs (step 2). This is one that you can change, but I wouldn't recommend it. Changing this will give you a taller seat, but will also affect the angle of the chair. If you're really tall I could see wanting to change this dimension, but I'm unsure what else will be different.