A simple and satisfying chair made from one plank of wood.

1. Get a large plank of wood

The piece of wood that I used for this chair was 7' long, 11" wide, and 1-3/4” thick. I originally used driftwood planks to make these chairs because they look nice and are free. If you choose to use found wood be careful that it’s not pressure treated.

2. Cut the plank in two

Cut the plank into two pieces. For this chair I made one piece 40" long and the other 51". The dimensions can be varied to fit your preferences.

3. Make the back leg

Cut two inches of wood off of the sides of the board starting 15" from one end of the plank.

4. Cut a hole in the second plank

Place the tapered end of the first board 15-1/2” from the bottom of the second board and trace around the edge. Remove enough wood to slide the first board through the hole in the second at an angle.

5. Try it out!

Fit the two pieces together and try it. This is your chance to readjust anything you’re unsatisfied with.

6. Fine tuning

The planks will not intersect at right angles, so some wood will need to be trimmed. Figure G shows the marking process. Use a saw to redefine the angles.

7. Finish and relax

I wanted to remove the glitter on the boards so I resurfaced the plank with a chisel. However, the only necessary step here is to relax in your new chair.

Jesse Hensel is a contemporary artist whose work is informed by the Yup’ik woodcarving tradition. His rugged natural sculptures use an Alaskan frontier perspective to critique contemporary society. San Francisco exhibitions have included Man Cradle at the Diego Rivera Gallery and Keggtuli (Pike) at the de Young Museum.