Outdoor Morris Chair

This is a Morris Chair I built for the back porch. This is based on a design published in Popular Woodworking April 2002. I basically stuck to the original design with a few minor exceptions. I adjusted the overall dimensions a bit. I also choose to use a full spline in the arm joint. The original published design called for a simple biscuit at this joint.
I constructed this from cypress and finished it with Spar Urethane. Hopefully this will reasonably well protect it from the weather, even down here on the gulf coast. This was the first project where I used a wiping varnish approach as opposed to a brushed varnish. This wiping varnish technique is truly idiot proof.
The only snag I encountered, that I didn’t properly anticipate, was finding cushions. This was like hunting for hen’s teeth this time of year. No one is carrying outdoor furniture stuff this time of year. Plus what little I could find didn’t really fit as well as I wanted. I managed to find something marginally acceptable so I can use this chair during Thanksgiving when we will have a house full of folks. I have made up my mind to make some cushions once the holidays are over.
You can download a complete Sketchup model for this chair; nine scenes with all parts dimensioned. The download is at Google 3D Warehouse.

-- Vic Rice