Last week, Rob wondered whether you love or loathe Adirondack chairs. Here are your colorful thoughts on the matter! – Editor
“I HATE Adirondack chairs. I’m 6’4″ and find them seriously uncomfortable. Thanks for asking!” – Tim Iverson
“Adirondack chairs are not comfortable. Too low to the ground for us old folks.” – Tom Moss
“I’m not crazy about Adirondack chairs either. They’re okay, but I’m 5’1″, so I may feel the same as your wife. My husband and I have sold several ‘Kentucky Stick Chairs’ as well as a wine table that my husband designed to go with them. We haven’t sold many in the last few years. I think that’s because we sold SO many of them for the few years before that. Here’s what they look like. They’re easy to make, and maybe your wife would like Kentucky Stick Chairs better. I also refer to them as ‘Straddle and Squat’ chairs. Happy Woodworking!” – Beth Ann Carter
“You are a woodworker. Tailor the chair to your wife’s dimensions. You can make it more comfortable than any purchase or one built from standard plans, including the many from WJ over the years.” – Jay Simmons
“Adirondack chairs are creatures of the past! I’ve made a dozen of them and sat in them many warm seasons. They were good for sitting, if you had a good drink and/or book in hand and didn’t plan or need to get up for quite a while, and also if you had a spectacular view to look at! However, the design is now dated. And most important, the inconvenience of trying to get out of them is now inexcusable! I like the look of your improved, updated design and plan to make at least one this summer. And I’m too old to want to even try to get out of an Adirondack! Couple more thoughts. I agree that pine, if well-painted, will last a long time, especially if you bring it under cover over the winter if you won’t be using it. Otherwise, given the time and effort of making one (of these new updated Adirondacks), use a better outdoor wood. Secondly, I agree that using a Festool Domino system is the way to go. Dominos are so fun! Once you get the pieces cut and joints marked and go zip, zip, zip, you have a chair ready to sit in! It’s a really great joinery system, worth trying to figure out how you can afford to buy it and then use it more for lots of your other future joinery.” – Ann Dinsmoor
“I’m living in a mixed marriage. My wife hates them and I like them.” – Ken Bayer
“Apologies, I am a classic Adirondack chair hater. I haven’t tried the new design, but it looks like it may be better than the original.” – John Burbank
“Mark me as HATE. When I was no slim type, I simply had trouble getting out of one. Now several years older and MANY pounds heavier, I still have the same problem. Then there is my bride. She is of shorter stature and has the same problems as your wife. OOPS, another hate for the infamous Adirondack chairs.Thanks for a wonderful magazine and internet presence. I have been a subscriber to both Woodworker’s Journal and the Weekly for some time. There is a large stack of your magazines here and not forgotten.” – Charles Tubbs
“Of course I love them. Have made quite a few.” – Gary Mast
“Every Adirondack chair I have tried has been uncomfortable to sit in and hard for this 6’2” skinny frame to get out of.” – RileyG
“Most everyone can be comfortable in an Adirondack chair. As I have aged, getting out of one is another story. The hybrid chair in the article is interesting to the point that I am considering building a couple.” – Tony Newman
“Yes, I do like them, but I need to put a cushion on the seat and the back to sit comfortably-as your bride has indicated. I am thinking of trying your new version. I checked — Rockler doesn’t have any of the African teak in stock, so I’ll likely use cypress as I already have a pair of 20-year-old mahogany chairs/leg supports/and side table. I always read your newsletters and find them interesting and usually challenging to ‘step up’ and push my comfort zone to new ideas.” – Fred Watson
“Well, I guess you can figure out which side I’m on…” – Steve Kendall
“I have two traditional Adirondack chairs now, with the parts for two more in the shop waiting to be assembled. I love them, but you’re right: shorter people struggle getting out of them. I’ll probably make one of the hybrid chairs featured in the magazine. If it gets the approval of the ‘haters,’ I’ll make a couple more. No way I’m giving up the originals I made though.” – Jim Annino
“I really enjoy mine. It’s relatively a standard design, but perhaps a bit heavier-duty than most. As such, it’s a good chair on the porch but not so handy to move. Here’s the link to the ones I build when needed.” – Rick Corbitt
“I am the opposite frame to your wife. I am big and tall, and the downslope of the chairs, usually way too low to the ground, usually see me falling down into the chair. And weighing 350 lbs, I almost need a handyman jack to get me out of the trap. With my size, a fairly straight and upright chair back, and a horizontal seat give me the most relaxing chair fit. (A zero-gravity recliner is OK, but I also am afraid of falling backwards in those chairs.) On the other hand, my wife and my brother both love them.” – Kelly Blalock
“Here is my take on backyard seating. It is harder to make than the typical Adirondack chair, but it sure is comfortable.” – Paul Chek
“I prefer the traditional Adirondack style. I find it very comfortable. I feel so relaxed in one. My wife, on the other hand, likes the look of the Adirondack but doesn’t experience the comfort that I feel. Like your wife, my wife is of small stature and her legs dangle. She says she feels like Edith Ann (Lily Tomlin) in the huge rocking chair. I think that’s the reason our wives may not enjoy them. They have difficulty getting in and out of that style chair. Although I have not built the upgraded Adirondack hybrid featured in your current issue, it seems a bit too upright for me. I don’t think I would get that laid-back, relaxed feeling I get in a traditional Adirondack. It’s a beautiful-looking chair, and my wife definitely wants me to build it for her. It’s that kind of chair our wives would be able to get in and out of without getting the Edith Ann complex.” – Don Wiseman
“My wife’s great uncle was a fine woodworker. His rolled porch swings are something many people desire, and those of us who have one relish them for their comfort. His take on Adirondack chairs was unbelievably comfortable. He made them in three sizes: child, small adult, and normal. His wife was a small lady, and she ran the show, to say the least. I was lucky (maybe smart) enough to hang around with him for awhile and glean some knowledge off of him. It was nothing for him to alter the size of his chairs a couple inches up or down to help fit the chair to a certain porch for a certain person. Having a “good” Adirondack chair with the correct recline is a must, and if you need your feet to rest on something solid, a step stool/riser/table works great. Comfort is a blessing; pain is something you don’t want to inflict on anyone.” – Bobby Cline
