Plank Chair

A simple and satisfying chair made from one plank of wood.

Step 1: Get a large plank of wood

The piece of wood that I used for this chair was 7 feet long, 11 inches wide and 1 3/4 inches thick. I originally used driftwood planks to make these chairs because they look nice and are free. If you choose to use found wood be careful that it has not been pressure treated.

Comments

[Vinstepula]

A semi dumb question, but seeing how I never sat in one of these chairs, is it comfortable? I need a chair for a reading corner in my home.

[jesse.hensel]

I think that they are very comfortable. If you don't like it you can always change the angle.

[malsonc]

When I first joined Instructables I saw this chair. I had to make one for myself. Of course being in Texas I had to do something to make it different. Here is my first attempt at your chair.

[wobbler]

Great design and instructible. Any good angle to use? What's the most comfortable?

[Sgt.Waffles]

I believe the vikings also made this kind of chair. I saw it on a norse wood working site. Because you have a seemingly large workshop, it would be cool if you routed the edges, and carved an intricate desigh into it. you also might think about staining it as well. Nice Instructable!! +

[EmmettO]

I know this is an old comment but I thought I'd throw in some pictures of stargazers I've done.

[rmullins]

AWESOME! A Norse Woodworking site???? Post the link?

[peytonjr]

This is a great place for plans, etc., and has some improvements for the chair in the Mark II and III versions

[rmullins]

ummmmm the link?

[peytonjr]

lol sorry
http://tech.cls.utk.edu/wood/projects/bogchair/bogchairplans.htm

[Very Keri]

I agree! I like the sleek, modern design, but it could appeal to a wider variety of people if you add carvings and stain and seal it to keep off the splinters. I'll bet you can sell a ton of those if you don't already.

[jesse.hensel]

I may add carvings to my next chair (expect plank chair 2.0 shortly) but I no longer believe in staining wood. If the chair is kept reasonably dry it will last a very long time, I dislike the toxins in varnishes and stains (cabinetmakers have a high incidence of nasal cancer), and I like the look of worn wood. Additionally, staining will not guarantee that you wont get splinters.

[a918bmxr]

another way of staining the wood without using actual wood stain or varnish is using motor oil...
i did this to my chair (after sanding it) and it looks amazing!
and no splinters so far
d[-_-]b

[Loveofchaos]

additionally to your additionally i agree with the stain-splinter thingy. I believe a nice sanding would help with the splinter problem immensely.

[Loveofchaos]

cabinet makers have high nasal cancer incidence. im sorry my friend, my dad is a cabinet maker and as long as you wear a respirator while staining or while your in the stain booth my dad (or me for that matter) have never had any nasal problems. if your going in the booth just for a short while i usually hold my breath. Good instructable +

[Master Plastik]

I think the point he meant to make wasn't that stainers get nose cancer, but that wood stain is a dangerous, toxic chemical and that by not buying it he is not contributing to the creation of something that will eventually be a deadly waste product.

[Foaly7]

I used to have one of these that I made at boyscout camp. Then, three or four years later I tried sitting in it again and it broke and has been in my garage ever since.

[ERCCRE123]

what's bad about being pressure treated?

[mrthumbtack]

pressure treated wood is made by infusing wood with an arsenic compound...
they recommend not even touching it with your bare hands:

http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/remodeling/question278.htm

[Charlie Horse]

That is myth thats been around for years . if it was that dangerous it wouldn't be sold to the public .

[slaitch]

 Please, please, please tell me this was sarcastic.

[RCS82]

 These days, at least in Canada, PT wood is made with a copper compound rather than the old arsenic compound. This has been around for a while as this was the case when I started working for a building supply store back in 2004.

[shnixter]

how do you cut the hole so neatly?

[Tgauchsin]

We used to make these for scout outings! I love them, comfortable!!! Definately heavy enough to only be for campsite camping not backpacking! I am an EMT and after seeing this instructable, made one while on a 24 hour shift! Only really took about 40 minutes...

[Hawkeye Lyles]

Thats an awesome chair! My friends and I made one in shop class today.

[gtech]

I found your instructable while searching for dimensions for this kind of plank chair,

So, that made me notice something... how do you get 40" and 51" board from a 7' length of piece of wood? ;-)

7' = 84" and 40"+51"=91"

Good job though.

[gtech]

Oops, I just noticed that it has been mentioned in another post... sorry... I also noticed the link for the Bogchairs ... cool... more measurements ;-) I just love these chairs.

[maharg20]

IS IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE THIS W/ A BASIC HANDSAW? PLEASE REPLY.

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[jesse.hensel]

It is possible to make the exterior cuts with a basic handsaw. The hole would be difficult (but not entirely impossible) to make without drilling starter holes.

[4daHALIBUT]

i made it, i varnished it, i love it. Its so simple and so comfy, good job

[inca]

So, if don't use treadted wood but if you paint it using outoor wood paint..will this work? also what kind of wood do you guys recommend for this?

[andes]

This is a great chair. But can someone tell me what the cut are on the ends? Thanks

[Lil Bastard]

Ok you granola-eating hippies. Chill out. Pressure treated wood is still available. When it went on the EPA's blacklist, wood producers wisely ramped up production and, though the supply is almost gone, it is still occasionally available at the less tree-hugging lumber yards, though getting harder to find. Although arsenic is a Very Bad Thing(tm), the health hazard is primarily to infants and small children and it's an issue as to how much contact they have with the material. For a child's playset, pressure-treated wood would be stupid. For a picnic table with small children around, it probably wouldn't be the best idea. But for adult-used furniture, made by an occasional builder, *especially for items that only see occasional use*, it seems to make a lot of sense. Granted, I wouldn't make dinner plates out of the stuff, but if you're only going to be using it for 10-80 hours a year and you aren't licking it, sitting naked on it, or sticking the lumber into your more intimate orifices, then I really don't think it's a big deal.

[karisfa]

wow, thanks for the lecture. actually, lumber companies are still making "pressure treated" wood, just not with the arsenic. The new chemicals they're treating it with will cause most nails to corrode quicker, so now we get to pay extra for the right fasteners.

[smokehill]

Right -- the EPA is a perfect example of a government entity that once had a real mission, and an important one. As years went by, however, a natural progression would have been for its bureaucracy to get smaller as the longstanding dangers -- especially the worst ones -- were weeded out. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is another egregious example. However, as any of us who have worked in Big Government know all too well, Mission Number One has nothing to do with the published mission statement. Maintaining and growing the bureaucracy is Job One, and everything follows from that. You won't get promoted or get a raise by conquering some Evil Thing -- that only happens if you identify another one and convince everyone that danger lurks everywhere. Which is why the Endangered Species list at first included eagles and Kodiak bears, but now has sunk to protecting microscopic, irrelevant insects, bait fish and local fungus. EPA never managed to show that deck-builders or even people at pressure-treating facilities had a higher cancer rate, but they rammed through their silliness anyhow, based largely on the theory that some kids might chew on the deck boards. If your kids are that poorly supervised .... well, perhaps it's Darwin at work and that bloodline should be shortened.

[campa44]

but I like to sit naked on my chairs...

[awkrin]

what weight does that chair stand?

[cook$]

Nice idea! After a bit of thought, I made my own, but I just cut a notch into each piece of wood and slotted them together.

[keefurxxcore]

Me and a friend are making this in Tech class. We are almost done. Friday I should have pics of ours. We used pine though.

[GorillazMiko]

Okay, great Instructable, but two things. -Can't you get splinters? (I hate those) -Won't it break? Pieces of wood like this don't look quite strong to me. Well, it's pretty strong, but not as strong to hold something heavy.