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by
Cathy Dalrymple
photos: Brenda Falvey
illustration: Len Churchill |
RECLINE IN THE SUMMERTIME |
| Get
comfortable on the patio or deck with this sturdy reclining
lounge chair |
As early
as the eighth century B.C., the Greeks used a piece of furniture
called the “kline,” for lounging during meals instead
of sitting on a chair. The kline was also used at social gatherings
involving wine, music and conversation, the same things we enjoy
when relaxing outdoors in Canadian summers.
 |
| You
can adjust the incline of the lounger’s back
by moving the prop from one notch to the next. Or
flatten the chair for summertime snoozing. The side
table holds your book and refreshments |
|
The 19th century produced a European version of the kline, the
chaise lounge, which is, in turn, the predecessor of this lounger.
Today you’ll find the lounge chair in prominent use around
pools, on decks, at the cottage or on the topsides of luxury
ocean liners.
This project aims to enhance the
lazy summer day’s experience of a cool drink and a good
book. And better yet, although this simple, elegant design is
long on history, it’s short on construction time.
Begin by preparing the parts you’ll
need, beginning with a template for the stringers. A piece of
scrap 1/4" plywood or even heavy cardboard measuring 4"
x 78" will do the trick. Draw the profile for the stringers
on this material, including an optional freehand undulation
behind the seat back and where your hips will rest on the lounge.
Once you are satisfied with the
profile of your template, trace it onto two pieces of wood,
then cut them out with a bandsaw or jigsaw. With both stringers
cut, clamp or screw them together so you can sand both at the
same time to identical profiles. I used a belt sander with an
80-grit abrasive for this job. Tip the machine forward a bit
so the front roller gets into any curved areas of your stringers.
If you screw the stringers together where the leg bolt holes
will go later, you’ll avoid making unnecessary marks on
the wood. When you’re done, separate the stringers and
lay them out so they’re at the ready on your workbench.
Using the top end of your plywood
stringer template, transfer the shape to the wood you roughed-out
for the backrest stringers. Saw these, then sand the edges as
you did with the main stringers. At this point you can cut,
sand and finish all pieces on the materials list. This not only
saves time, but glue squeeze-out won’t stain your project
as it would bare wood.
Next, lay out the slats for the
lounge surface. I used a piece of 1/2" ply as a spacer
between slats to make sure the spacing was consistent. Once
you’re satisfied with this positioning, mark where the
centre of each slat will join with the main stringers. These
marks indicate where you’ll plunge slots for the #10 biscuits
that secure the slats. These biscuits work together with 5/8"
x 5/8" support strips fastened to the inside of the stringers
with screws to support the weight of people using the lounge.
Add these later.
|
| You
will need: |
| For
the lounge surface |
Size |
Qty. |
| Stringers |
1
3/8" x 3 1/2" x 75" |
2 |
| Support
strips |
5/8"
x 5/8" x 37" |
2 |
| Backrest
stringers |
1
3/8" x 3 1/2" x 32" |
2 |
| Back
legs |
1
3/8" x 3 1/2" x 9" |
2 |
| Front
legs |
1
3/8" x 5" x 9" |
2 |
| Lounge
slats |
3/4"
x 2 1/2" x 22" |
16 |
| Backrest
slats |
3/4"
x 2 1/2" x 19" |
10 |
| Wide
table runners |
5/8"
x 1 3/8" x 25" |
2 |
| Narrow
table runners |
5/8"
x 5/8" x 25" |
2 |
| Table
slats |
5/8"
x 2 1/2" x 14" |
5 |
| Table
edges |
5/8"
x 5/8" x 14" |
2 |
| Table
stiffeners |
5/8"
x 5/8" x 12" |
2 |
| Table
levelers |
3/8"
x 1 1/4" x 22" |
2 |
| Adjusters |
3/4"
x 2 1/2" x 12" |
2 |
| Adjuster
dowel |
1"
dia. x 20"* |
1 |
| Connector
dowel |
1"
dia. x 23"* |
1 |
| Hardware |
| Leg
and backrest bolts/inserts |
5/16"
x 3" |
10 |
| Adjuster
bolts/inserts |
5/16"
x 2" |
2 |
| Adjuster
dowel screws |
#6
x 1 1/2" |
2 |
| Table
runner screws |
#8
x 2 1/2" |
4 |
| *Custom-cut
dowel length to fit your lounge |
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| READ
PART 2 |
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