One Board Vanity Chair (from 8 Foot 2x4)

This instructable was created as an entry into the one-board challenge. I built a vanity chair using only an eight foot long 2x4 framing stud made from pine. Every aspect of the chair, including all wood joints, use only wood from the original 2x4.

I chose a vanity chair for a few reasons; I like the petite style that makes the chair functional while keeping a small visual footprint. Vanity chairs are light and easy to move around as needed. Finally, the diminutive nature of the vanity chair means less wood is required.

To convert this board into a chair, I used the following tools and materials:

1. A band saw
2. A compound miter saw
3. A table saw
4. A router table (nothing fancy, mine is a router mounted to a piece of plywood) with a 1/4" straight router bit
5. An orbital sander
6. A 1/4" chisel
7. 4 or more clamps that are at least 16 inches long
8. Wood glue (slow setting, if possible)

Framing studs are inexpensive but they vary widely in quality from board to board. Many boards are warped and/or have chunks of wood missing. Some are knotty.

Looking down the edge of the board is the easiest way to evaluate straightness. (See the picture.) But more important is that the wood isn't missing any chunks.

I probably studied 8 or 10 boards before I found one I liked. My 2x4 was pretty straight and didn't have any splits or missing chunks.

Exactly half of the 2x4 will be spent making the seat back and bottom.

Cut 3 lengths of 16" from the board. (3 times 16" is 48". This will consume exactly half of the board.)

Using the band saw, cut each of the these 16" boards in half such that the three 2x4 boards become six 1x4 boards.

The previous step produced six identical 1x4 boards that are each 16" long.

One of these boards will be the seat back.

The other five boards must be glued edge to edge to produce a plank wide enough for the seat bottom.

Note that some of the board edges will not be perfectly flat. Therefore, use the table saw to trim a small amount from each side of the boards so that they will join well along the edges where they are glued together.

Apply wood glue to both surfaces where two edges come together. I use my fingers and a toothbrush to apply the glue. I used a slower setting glue so that I had time to get all the edges well covered in glue before clamping the five boards together. After clamping, wipe the excess glue away with a damp cloth.

Now that the seat panel glue is drying, start on the other half of the 2x4; set the table saw to rip a 1.5" cut along the entire 48" length. (I used the width of the board to set the table saw fence.) This piece will be equivalent to a four foot long 2x2.

Next, cut off a 17" piece of the 2x2. This piece will become both front legs.

Finally, rip the remaining 31" of the 2x2 in half, producing two 31" boards that are roughly 0.75" x 1.5". These pieces will become the back legs and back rest supports.

The 17" 2x2 board needs to be cut along a diagonal so that it becomes two tapered front legs.

• Draw a line along the diagonal so that it will be easy to feed through the band saw.
• Use a scrap piece with a 45 degree notch in it to hold the leg at 45 degrees while feeding it through the band saw.

How to draw the line: Start with the piece resting in the 45 degree notch.

• Notice the end of the piece in the picture. Mark the halfway point of the two right sides and draw a vertical line connecting them.
• Mark the half-way point along the top ridge, at 8.5" from either end.
• Draw a line from the center of the upper right face to the center of the top ridge.
• Continue the previous line from the top center down to the center of the upper left face on the far side of the stick. (The picture may be more descriptive than this text.)

Use the band saw to cut along that diagonal line to produce the two tapered front legs.

Currently, the two pieces that will become the back legs and backrest supports are two 31" long sticks that are 0.75" X 1.5".

To prepare these sticks for the chair, each piece will be cut in two places, then glued strategically so that there is a slight angle for the legs from the seat down to the floor, and a slight angle from the seat going up to the backrest.

With the two sticks set before you, starting from the bottom, do the following:

• Go 7" up the left side and mark the spot. Now, go 14" up the right side and mark the spot. Connect these two marks for the first line.
• Go 19" up the right side and mark the spot. Now, go to the top left edge and mark 0.25" to the right. Connect these two marks for the second line.

Before cutting these pieces, make some identifying marks on the wood to help ensure that pieces get oriented properly before they are glued back together. It's easy to get confused. Note that the end of the sticks closest to you is the part that will rest on the floor.

I made these cuts on my miter saw, but the table saw or band saw could also work. Use whichever saw you feel more comfortable with.

After the long angle cuts are made, set the pieces before you in their original orientation before the cuts were made. Then:

• Flip the bottom pieces over and move them to the opposite side of the center piece. Note that the bottom of the piece (the end closest to you) will still be the part of the leg that touches the floor.
• Flip the top pieces over and move them to the opposite side of the center piece. Note that the top of the piece is still the same, just at an angle now.
• I think the picture is worth more than 1000 words here. Mark the pieces generously to prevent gluing the pieces together in the wrong position.
• Glue and clamp the pieces together.

With the remaining piece of the 2x4, which is now a 48" long piece that measures about 2" X 1.5", cut it lengthwise on the table saw to produce two 48" boards that are about 2" X 0.75".

Four apron pieces are needed and they are each slightly different since the chair is slightly wider at the front.

See the top-view diagram. Three of the apron pieces will measure 12.5" on the outside edge. The rear apron piece and the backrest will measure 12" on the outside edge. (The angles in the diagram are exaggerated for easier viewing.)

Note that:

• The front apron piece has 90° angles on both sides.
• The side apron pieces have a 90° angle on the back end and 94° angle on the front end.
• The back apron piece has 86° on both ends. The back apron is wider on the inside edge than the outside edge.
• Cut the backrest to have the same length and angles as the back apron. The only difference is that the backrest is roughly 3.5" tall and the apron pieces are roughly 2" tall.

Label the apron pieces and backrest. See the pictures. Mark the cuts on the wood to visualize the angles before cutting.

Three apron pieces will be made from one of the remaining 48" boards, leaving about a 10" piece of 2" X 0.75". Save this piece for making biscuits in a later step.

The final apron piece will be cut from the last remaining 48" board, leaving about a 35" piece of 2" X 0.75". This piece will become the bottom support braces in the next step.

The larger remaining piece is about 35" long and about 2" X 0.75". Rip this piece lengthwise so that one piece is about 0.75" X 0.75" and the other piece is 1.25" X 0.75".

Now, cut each of the long skinny pieces in half to produce the following sticks:

• 2 pieces about 18" long that measure 1.25" X 0.75". These are the support pieces that will run from back to front on each side.
• 2 pieces about 18" long that measure 0.75" X 0.75". These are the support pieces that will run left to right, connecting into the other support pieces.

The picture of the support pieces shows the ends already trimmed and joined, but that step will be performed later. This picture is to help visualize how they will be used.

All the pieces for this chair will be joined using only wood from the original 2x4.

Most of the joints on the chair will be secured by inserting 0.25" thick biscuits into 0.25" pockets that will be cut with the router bit.

NOTE: The biscuits are rectangular, but the pockets initially have rounded edges due to the router bit. There are two ways to handle this, and they are equivalent:

1. Round the edges of the biscuit with sandpaper, or
2. Square the edges of the pockets using a 0.25" chisel.

See the drawing to visualize how the biscuits and pockets will be used to join the chair pieces.

• Each biscuit is 1.5" tall, 1" wide, and 0.25" thick
• The wood grain must run along the 1" width for strength
• In total, 12 biscuits are needed

The 2nd drawing shows how eight biscuits are needed to join the legs and apron pieces.

Why do we need 12 biscuits?

The additional four biscuits hold the backrest in place. It uses two biscuits per side, as the backrest is over 3" tall.

The final picture in this section shows an apron with a pocket next to a front leg with a biscuit protruding from the pocket. Here, I rounded the top and bottom edges of the biscuit to fit the rounded edges of the pocket.

The only remaining piece of the original 2X4 is about 10" long and measures 2" X 0.75". This step will cut this piece into small rectangular biscuits that will be used to join all the other pieces together.

The sequence for cutting the biscuits is this:

1. Use the table saw to reduce the remaining piece from 2" height down to 1.5".
2. Adjust the table saw to 0.25" and rip the piece twice through to produce two sticks that 10" long, 1.5" tall, and 0.25" wide.
3. Place a 1" stop on the miter saw and quickly chop 1" segments from these two sticks until there are 12 biscuits.

NOTE: The gap around my table saw blade is larger than 0.25". This makes it difficult to cut small pieces because they fall into the gap. To work around this, I slide a piece of 3/16" thick plywood over the blade, up against the fence, then I clamp it down to the table. (See the picture.) This eliminates the gap around the blade.

The pockets will be cut by plunging the wood down onto the 0.25" router bit and making a 1.5" slot. Each slot will be 0.5" deep.

For each pocket, we will mark the start and stop points on the wood. Then, set the fence depth so that the pocket will be the proper distance from the edge of the wood. Note that I also marked a line on the router table so that the exact position of the bit is known while sliding the wood over the router bit.

• For joining pieces with no angle, set the router fence so that pocket is in the center of the wood.
• For joining pieces with a 4°angle, set the router fence a little deeper so that the pocket doesn't get too close to the edge. (This includes the front edge of the side aprons, both edges of the back apron and backrest.)

Note that in all cases, the wood is plunged onto the router bit at the left mark, then slid leftward until the right mark is reached. There are two images that show the beginning and end of one cut. The wood has to slide leftward so that the spinning router bit will keep pressing the wood against the fence, ensuring a straight slot.

Finally, to make pockets in the angled edges you either need to set the router fence forward 4°, OR use a 4° wedge placed between the fence and the piece to keep the bottom edge flat on the router table. I cut a 4° wedge on the miter saw. See the pictures where I insert the wedge behind the piece before plunging and routing.

The back legs have been cut and glued into a new shape so that the back legs extend out at an angle. We need to determine how to trim the bottom of the legs so that they will sit flat on the floor.

To do this I clamped the legs together and placed the center part of the legs against a vertical surface (a leg on my workbench, any wall will do), simulating the actual angle of the back legs after assembly.

While the legs are held in this position, use a ruler or piece of scrap wood to trace a horizontal line along the bottom of the leg.

The legs should be identical, so use the miter saw to trim the bottom of the legs along the horizontal line that was just traced.

With the legs clamped together, make sure the tops of the legs (aka the backrests) are even. If the tops of the legs are not exactly the same length, trim them with the miter saw to make them even. (You can see in the picture that one my legs was a little longer.)

Place a front leg against a vertical surface. (See image of front leg clamped to a vertical surface.) Mark where the pockets should start and stop on all apron pieces and the front legs. Note that pockets are 1.5" long.

After the back legs are trimmed and identical, place them once again against the vertical surface as shown in the picture with the bottom of the legs sitting flat on the ground.

Mark where the back edge of the side aprons will meet with the back legs.

Mark where the back apron will meet with the insides of the back legs.

Mark where the backrest will meet with the insides of the upper back legs.

• NOTE: The pockets for the backrest are 3" rather than 1.5", and each side will use two biscuits.

There are many pockets to cut, but this step goes pretty quickly. The things to remember are:

• Make sure the distance from the fence to the router bit is appropriate for each pocket.
• Make sure to use the 4° wedge when cutting pockets on the angled edges.
• When cutting the pockets on the back legs, make sure you distinguish between the right and left legs, as they will be mirror images of one another.

To reduce errors, I always mark the wood prior to the cuts and physically hold the pieces in position before each cut.

Once all the pockets are cut, the entire chair except for the lower support arms will sit freestanding with the biscuits in place.

NOTE: Don't glue anything together, yet. The chair will have to come apart to get the lower support braces in place.

As nice as the chair looks without the support braces, the front legs are far too weak to tolerate typical forces that occur when scooting around in a chair.

Earlier, we cut the following pieces for the support braces:

• 2 sticks that are 1.25"x0.75 - these will connect the back legs to the front legs along each side of the chair.
• 2 sticks that are 0.75"x0.75" - these will run left-to-right and connect to the side braces.

The angles will be determined by physically holding the pieces in place and tracing lines where cuts and joints will be made.

First, assemble the chair with all pieces in place, but no glue. Use clamps or a bungee cord to hold the chair snugly together so that the legs won't move while the support pieces are being held and marked.

Next, cut a block of scrap that is 5.5" tall. It will be used to hold the side braces in place while tracing pencil marks on the legs.

All the support braces will use mortise and tenon joints.The mortises will be cut as the pockets were, using the router. The tenons will be cut on the miter saw.

The left and right supports will be mirror images of each other.

The front of each piece will be cut into a vertical tenon that extends through the mortise that will be cut through the front legs.

The back of each support will be cut into a vertical tenon that fits into a mortise slot in the back leg.

Place the support on the 5.5" block in between the front and back legs. With the support piece in place, use a pencil to trace where the mortise and tenons will be cut.

The rear tenons will be centered. The front tenons will extend from the inner edge of the support.

Mark the support pieces with left/right and top/bottom to help ensure proper orientation while the cuts are made.

Mark where the mortises need to be cut in the front legs and the back legs. Use the router to cut the mortises.

The side-to-side support braces will be mortise and tenon joints into the side supports. The smaller side-to-side braces will have horizontal tenons that fit into horizontal mortises in the side support pieces.

Reassemble the chair with the back-to-front supports installed (but not glued).

Set the two smaller support braces across the top of the two back-to-front support braces.

The rear piece will be 2" from the back legs. The forward piece will be 8" from the rear legs.

Mark with a pencil the intersection of both sets of braces. Then, draw on each piece where tenons need to be cut and use the miter saw to cut the tenons.

Finally, mark where the mortises need to be cut, and use the router to cut those mortises.

In this step, everything but the seat will be assembled and glued.

Lay all the pieces out on a flat working surface so that they can be quickly coated in glue and joined together.

For best results, apply glue to both surfaces before joining. I used Q-tips to swab glue into the pockets. I used a toothbrush to coat other surfaces with glue. I use a slower setting glue so that I have more time for the assembly.

I glued in this order:

• The front legs to the front apron
• The back legs to the back apron and seat back
• The four lower support pieces to each other
• The side aprons to the rear legs
• The support assembly to the rear legs
• The front legs to the side aprons
• The front legs to the support assembly

Use clamps to snug the joints together, but don't use too much force.

Make sure all four legs are touching the flat surface.

Measure the cross dimension from back-left to front-right and compare that to back-right to front-left. If necessary, adjust the clamps to make the chair symmetric.

Wipe away excess glue with a damp cloth.

Cut off the tenons that extend through the front legs so that they are flush.

The widest part of the chair is about 15.5" and the seat panel must be wider than that, especially if the seat will extend beyond the apron by some amount.

In my case, my glued-up seat bottom was slightly too narrow, meaning I probably shaved too much wood off of the boards before I glued the seat planks together.

Nevertheless, I fixed this problem by removing wedges from the rear of the seat panel and gluing them to the front of the seat panel.

I measured the width of the rear of the chair and compared that to the width of the seat panel. I had about 2" of extra width at the rear of the seat panel.

At each rear corner of the seat panel, I marked around 0.75" in, then drew a line to center of each side, which is about 8" up each side.

I used the miter saw to cut these wedges, then glued them to the front of the panel, giving the seat panel the extra width I needed at the front.

When I clamped the wedges on with glue, my panel starting bowing up, so I place a hand weight on it to hold it down.

Before gluing the seat panel on, give the seat panel and chair a good overall sanding with an orbital sander.

Pine is soft, and using an orbital sander with anything coarser than 120 grit can remove lots of wood quickly, so be careful not to over do it.

For the first sanding pass, I removed all the markings that were used to identify the pieces and all the pocket marks.

The next sanding pass, I smoothed out joints where the pieces were not well aligned plus sanded off places with too much glue.

For the final sanding pass, slide your hands around the chair frame. Anywhere that hands or bare feet are likely to touch the chair, round over sharp corners and edges.

While the sander is still handy, sand around the top edge of the aprons and front legs, making sure that the seat panel sits pretty flat.

Then, cut the back corners out of the seat panel so that the seat panel can slide backwards between the rear leg posts.

Once the seat panel is resting in the proper position, set a weight on it, then use a pencil to trace a line around the aprons and legs onto the bottom of the seat panel.

Next, remove the seat panel and use a band saw to trim the excess seat panel away. Near the rear of the seat panel, I cut close to the line. As the cut approaches the front of the seat panel, I gradually drifted away from the line so that the front of the seat panel has about 0.25" overhang around the front of the chair apron.

Next, apply glue to the top of the apron pieces and front legs. Apply glue around the bottom of the seat panel where it will rest on the chair frame. Use a weight to hold the seat in position while carefully clamping the seat panel to the frame.

Finally, use the orbital sander to round over the top edge of the seat panel and any other sharp edges that are discovered.

The next step is to apply a finish to the chair. It can be painted or stained.

If the chair will be used in a bathroom, as vanity chairs often are, then a penetrating oil like Danish oil is recommended. A penetrating oil will protect the chair from moisture and increase the strength of the pine.

If the chair will be painted, then a primer is highly recommended since pine is porous and thirsty. A primer will seal the wood and help the painted finish look its best.

For more finishing ideas, try searching for instructables on painting and staining furniture.

I hope you enjoyed this instructable! Please feel free to contact me with questions or leave recommendations for making it better.