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.
Next, drill all holes for the leg bolts and dowels. The plans show where the parts go. I used a Forstner bit for this job because it cuts such clean edges, although you could use a sharp brad-point bit instead. You can now cut the dowel that fits between the main stringers to length. Set the slats between the stringers so you can measure the required dowel length exactly.
Fasten the legs to the stringers with 5/16"-dia. x 3" connecting bolts that thread into metal inserts set into the wood. Install the threaded inserts, test-fit the legs, then set them aside.
Now it's time for glue. I used a weatherproof glue for securing the slats, beginning with those on one stringer first. Set them in place with biscuits, then use your 1/2" plywood block to check and adjust spacing. Adjust the slats so they're all square to one stringer, then let everything dry before repeating the process with the other stringer.
You'll find that this second side takes a bit of patience, since the slats you put in want to wiggle out as you work on the others. I fixed this problem with a loose pipe clamp installed across the stringers at one end of the frame. Tighten it slowly as you add slats and things should go well. It also helps to keep a scrap of wood underneath the slats, so they don't fall down if their biscuits happen to pull away from the wood.
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