I found a low-quality pine Adirondack chair at a big box store and thought it would be great to use it as a model to create a template for a higher-quality version. I have a couple of questions for you all:
1. Is it okay to make a template based on a mass-produced chair like that?
2. For the template material, I've used acrylic before, which I like for its rigidity, but I'm considering switching to MDF or hardboard to save some money. What materials do you usually recommend and what pros or cons have you seen with them? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!
3 Answers
Absolutely, you can create a template from a mass-produced chair! Just be cautious if it’s a knockoff of a well-known brand, but in this case, it’s a common design. As for materials, I find engineered products work best for templates—MDF, masonite, or hardboard give you a stable base. Acrylic is okay, but it tends to be on the pricier side without much added benefit. Stick with what's cost-effective and durable!
I used 1/4 inch MDF for my templates, and after making four chairs from them, they're still in excellent condition. I initially got flimsy templates online but traced them onto the MDF to create sturdier ones. Here’s a build album I made, and the picture shows the 2ft x 4ft piece of MDF before I cut it out! It worked really well for me.
The Adirondack design has been around for almost a century, so you're good on that front! I personally recommend using hardboard for templates. It’s robust and does a great job for projects like this one.
That looks fantastic! Here’s a photo of some chairs I made using my acrylic template. Definitely worth the effort!