Outdoor Rocking Chair

Originally posted May 5, 2017 by Brad.

This rocking chair started as a scrap-lumber challenge after a few back porch repairs left me with extra outdoor boards. Instead of letting the material sit around, I wanted to see if I could turn it into a simple outdoor chair with a matching set of free plans.

The design was drawn in SketchUp with the build process in mind: straightforward pieces, simple joinery, and construction-grade material that can live outside.

Download the free plans Support PTB

Design And Material

The build began with leftover boards from the porch project. That made the chair a practical experiment rather than a fine-furniture build. The goal was an outdoor rocker that could be built with common material and basic shop tools.

While designing the chair, I tried to keep the joinery simple. Most of the joints can be cut with a dado blade, but the design does not require anything exotic. One part originally used a large radius cut from a 2 x 6 for the back rests. After building it, I realized that piece could probably be simplified with a straight cut without changing the comfort very much.

Finished Chair

This chair was built as an honest outdoor-use project, not as a family heirloom. The original version was screwed together without glue. If the chair loosens up over time, construction adhesive or waterproof glue would be an easy upgrade.