Easy Glider

Build a comfortable outdoor seat in time for spring

by Vern Grassel

Our glider features

metal swing arms
that are easy to
install and provide
a smooth gliding
motion.

hen you’re choosing a spot to design is intended to be attractive and you plan to place the glider outside, use a

W enjoy a spring morning, you

can’t beat the gentle rhythmic
motion of a glider. Combining the looks
comfortable but simple enough that any-
one with basic woodworking skills can
build it. I used dado and half-lap joinery
more weather-resistant lumber such as
cedar, redwood, cypress or white oak. PHOTOS BY MARK MACEMON AND DAN CARY

of a bench with the action of a rocker and for most of the connections and fastened Cut out the parts
a swing, gliders appeal to just about the joints with exterior wood glue and When milling the stock, first cut it to
everyone. And because they don’t require deck screws. These joints are stronger than length; then rout any dadoes or rabbets
a structure above for support, gliders offer plain butt joints but are not difficult to cre- and rip it to the final width or cut the
more placement flexibility than swings. ate. I used a table saw and router for most shaped profiles. Next, cut the frame
The most common glider designs of the milling operations, but you could pieces to length. Note the 2-degree miter
incorporate a bench-style seat frame that achieve similar results with a circular saw. cuts on the ends of the three seat supports
rides on four swing arms attached to a All parts are cut from standard and the bottom of the center backrest.
base frame. Glider swing arms can be dimensional lumber (1x6s, 2x4s and Locate the rabbet and dado positions
made of wood or metal. We used metal 2x6s) available at most home centers. The on each piece (see drawing, p. 14). I used
swing arms (see SOURCES ONLINE) seat slats are shorter than 4 ft. to allow a router equipped with a 3/4-in.-dia.
because they feature enclosed bearings the use of common 8-ft. boards. Because straight bit to cut the dadoes and rabbets.
for smooth operation and long life and this glider was destined for a semiprotect- Clamp matching parts together, making
were inexpensive and easy to install. ed porch location, we made it from sure that the layout lines are aligned, and
Building a glider isn’t difficult. This poplar and applied exterior-grade paint. If rout them at the same time (photo 1,

12 HANDY J A N U A RY / F E B R U A RY 2 0 0 5
PORCH GLIDER N O

1-3/8" Bevel front 22°

1/4" roundover on
exposed edges
of armrest
I
Notch
back slat
to fit
armrest
R Q P

I G

L
M
1
E G K

Half-lap
3" legs and Bevel back
rail Bevel top 10° of P 10°
3/8"
2" 3/4" F J 3/4 x 1-1/2"
3/4" notch (typ.) D
13-3/4"

BACK
CENTER X B
SUPPORT
E H
2-3/4"
3/4" rad.
BACK LEG
1/4" dia.
hole (typ.) B A
1/2"
3"
N D (rear)
C
4-1/2"
O Notch for
C Glider hardware, Leg D 2"
2 x 1/4" stainless steel
carriage bolt and nut
I
X All squares = 1"
D

3/4" I
E F deep G Half-
notch lap ARMREST
K R Q P
Notch M only 2°
3/4" L, M
2"

2°
2°
L J K M
13-3/4" DETAIL 1 SEAT SUPPORTS

1/4" dia. holes K

1" 1-1/2" 3/4" (typ.) 1-1/2"
1-1/4" H
J
3/4"
2-1/2" rad.
CROSS SECTION SEAT RAILS

ILLUSTRATION BY GABRIEL GRAPHICS

14 HANDY J A N U A RY / F E B R U A RY 2 0 0 5
 Side bottom
rails

Front seat
rail

Back seat
rail

1 2
Use a straightedge to guide the router while cutting the rabbets and dadoes. Rip a 10-degree bevel along the top
Make several passes, lowering the router 1/8 to 1/4 in. with each pass. edge of the front seat rail J (pictured)
and the back edge of the front seat
slat P, and rip a 22-degree bevel along
the front edge of the top crosspiece N.
(photo 3) first before drawing the
curves on the actual stock. I transferred
the pattern for each piece (see drawing)
to a full-scale grid of 1-in. squares that
I drew on paper.
Draw the patterns on the full-scale
grids as they appear in the illustrations.
Fasten the patterns to 1/4-in. hardboard
with spray adhesive and cut them out
Seat support with a jigsaw. Sand the edges of the
3 templates smooth and trace them onto
the stock. Then cut out each piece with
Make templates for each shaped piece by transferring the drawings to a 1 x 1-in. a jigsaw (photo 4, p. 16).
grid adhered to hardboard. Then trace the template onto the workpiece. Tip: To make cutting the stock easi-
above). If you don’t have a router, you can along the top edge of the front seat rail J er, I placed a piece of rigid-foam insula-
cut the dadoes and rabbets with a circular (photo 2) and the back edge of the front tion that is thicker than the maximum
saw (see “Circular Saw Option,” p. 16). seat slat P. Rip a 22-degree bevel along blade cutting depth under the work-
Once you’ve cut all the dadoes and the front edge of the top crosspiece N. piece. The foam supported the work-
rabbets, rip the straight pieces to their Next, you’ll need to cut the shaped piece and waste, allowing me to stop
final widths. Rip a 10-degree bevel pieces. I made hardboard templates and reposition during cuts without
reclamping along the edge of the table.
MATERIALS AND CUTTING LIST After shaping the parts, clamp the
Key No. Description Size matching pieces together and sand them
Base Frame so that they are identical. Sand all sur-
A .... 2. . . . . . Front/back base rails . . . . . . 1-1/2 x 3 x 39 in. faces smooth and ease the edges — I
B .... 2. . . . . . Side base rails . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1/2 x 3 x 18-1/2 in.
C .... 2. . . . . . Base feet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1/2 x 3 x 25 in. used a 1/8-in. roundover bit on all edges
D .... 4. . . . . . Base legs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1/2 x 2-3/4 x 12 in. that did not mate with other pieces.
Seat Frame
E .... 2. . . . . . Back legs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1/2 x 5-1/2 x 35-1/4 in.
F
G
....
....
2. . . . . . Front legs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1/2 x 2-3/4 x 22-1/2 in.
1. . . . . . Center back support . . . . . . . 1-1/2 x 5-1/2 x 24-1/2 in.
SHOPPING LIST
H .... 2. . . . . . Side bottom rails . . . . . . . . . . 1-1/2 x 3 x 20 in. 1x6 x 8-ft. poplar (4)
I .... 2. . . . . . Armrests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1/2 x 3-1/4 x 21-3/4 in. 2x4 x 8-ft. poplar (6)
J .... 1. . . . . . Front seat rail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1/2 x 2-5/8 x 46-1/2 in. 2x6 x 8-ft. poplar (1)
K .... 1. . . . . . Back seat rail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1/2 x 3 x 44-1/2 in. Glider hardware (Rockler No. 58330; 1)
L .... 2. . . . . . Side seat supports. . . . . . . . . 1-1/2 x 3 x 20 in. 1-1/4-in. exterior-rated screws
M .... 1. . . . . . Center seat support . . . . . . . 1-1/2 x 3 x 20 in. 1-5/8-in. exterior-rated screws
N .... 1. . . . . . Top crosspiece . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/4 x 1-3/8 x 47-1/2 in.
Seat slats 2-1/2-in. exterior-rated screws
O .... 8. . . . . . Back slats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/4 x 2-1/2 x 47-1/2 in. 1/4 x 2-in. exterior-rated carriage bolts (8)
P .... 1. . . . . . Front seat slat . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/4 x 2-1/4 x 47-1/2 in. 1/4-in. exterior-rated locknuts (8)
Q .... 1. . . . . . Second seat slat. . . . . . . . . . . 3/4 x 2 x 44-1/2 in. Exterior-grade wood glue
R .... 5. . . . . . Seat slats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/4 x 2-3/8 x 47-1/2 in. Exterior satin or semigloss paint

J A N U A RY / F E B R U A RY 2 0 0 5 HandymanClub.com 15
 Assemble the frames
Assemble the base frame first. Position
the base sides in the rabbets cut in the
base stretchers and fasten them with glue
and 1-5/8-in. screws. Then fasten the
base legs in the notches of the base feet
Maximum with glue and 2-1/2-in. screws. Complete
cutting depth the base assembly by gluing and screwing
the base sides to the base legs.
Assemble the seat frame by fastening
the legs to the side bottom rails and the
center seat support to the center back
support with glue and 1-1/4-in. screws.
Note: Keep the screws clear of the glider
hardware bolt holes. Use the center seat
4 support assembly to locate the position of
the side seat supports on the side assem-
Cut the profiles with a jigsaw. Support the workpiece with 1-1/2-in.-thick rigid-
foam insulation. The foam and workpiece must be thicker than the maximum
bly (photo 5). Attach the side seat sup-
cutting depth of the blade (see inset). ports to the side assemblies with glue and
2-1/2-in. screws. Trim the bottom corners

Circular saw option

If you don’t have a router, a circular
saw and chisel work well for cutting
large rabbets and dadoes.

1-in.
radius
Center seat
support assembly
Seat side
5 assembly

Use the center seat support assembly to mark the position of the seat supports
on the seat side assemblies. Clamp identical pieces together and
gang cut each joint with a circular
saw. Make several passes to remove
the bulk of the waste material. Use a
speed square as a saw guide.

Break out the wood remaining

between the kerfs with a hammer,
6 and clean up the half-lap mortises
with a sharp chisel. Hold the chisel
Assemble the base and seat frames. Fasten the joints with exterior-rated glue flat to avoid digging deeper into
and screws. the stock.

16 HANDY J A N U A RY / F E B R U A RY 2 0 0 5
 arms parallel to each other and perpendi-
cular to the floor. However, we found
that positioning the arms with the bottom
bearings inside of the top bearings pro-
duced a much better gliding motion. We
usually do not recommend deviating
from manufacturer recommendations,
but in this case we doubt the change will
affect the life of the swing arms.
Drill a 1/4-in.-dia. hole at each
swing arm mounting position (see
drawing). Fasten the swing arms with
7 8 1/4 x 2-in. galvanized or stainless steel
Mark the position of the armrests on Fasten the swing arms with 1/4 x 2-in. carriage bolts and locknuts (photo 8).
the fourth back slat. Cut notches in the galanized or stainless steel carriage Before applying any finish, test
back slat to fit around the armrests. bolts and locknuts. the glider’s operation. If everything is
of the side assemblies to 1-in. radius. each screw. Start with the bottom back- working properly, remove the hardware
Next, fasten the front and back rails rest slat and work up, leaving about 1/2 in. and apply exterior finish. I applied one
to the center seat support assembly with between slats. Notch the fourth slat coat of primer and three coats of exteri-
glue and 2-1/2-in. screws. Fasten the around the armrests (photo 7). Fasten the or satin latex paint with an HVLP
seat support assembly to the seat side remaining backrest slats and then move sprayer. If you chose a rot-resistant
assemblies with glue and 2-1/2-in. to the seat slats, starting at the front of wood, you could apply exterior
screws (photo 6). Finish the seat frame the seat. The second slat must be cut to stain and sealer instead. u
by fastening the top crosspiece to the 44-1/2 in. to fit between the front legs.
back legs and the armrests to the front
and back legs. Install the glider hardware
For online information, go to www.HandymanClub.com
Attach the slats to the seat frame Attaching the metal swing arms is the and click on SOURCES ONLINE.
with 1-5/8-in. screws. Drill pilot holes easiest step of this project. The manufac- Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
and countersinks through the slats for turer recommends installing the swing (glider brackets, No. 58330), 800-279-4441

18 HANDY J A N U A RY / F E B R U A RY 2 0 0 5