If you are a true do-it-yourselfer, you probably have some great ideas to improve on styles and designs of traditional aluminum lawn furniture. With the new emphasis on the retro or vintage look, this is a perfect time to take on a project that will be a lot of fun and requires very few tools.
Ideally, first use a current lawn chair, bench or table as a guideline for measurements. There are also some free software tools available online that will allow you to design a chair or table and have the measurements calculated for you, making the math very easy.
Supplies
You will need to choose your aluminum tubing size and then also choose the right tubing connectors. These connectors will allow the frame of the chair, table or bench to simply snap into place.
There will be one of the various types of tubing connectors per area where more than one element of the frame join together. The good news is that with all the options in shapes and styles you will find the pre-made connector you need just by browsing through the online inventory from an aluminum dealer.
Tools
It is a good idea, if you are ordering tubing and connectors from the same company, to have the aluminum custom cut to your measurements. Although aluminum is softer than most metals, it can be challenging to cut at home and will require the use of a cutting oil, a hacksaw or a circular saw with a suitable blade and also a series of clamps or a guide to hold the pipe during the cutting process.
You may also want to rent a pipe cutter for this process. It will be important not to apply too much pressure as this can deform the area of the aluminum under the cutter, causing problems with the correct fitting of the tubing connectors.
Another factor to keep in mind is that you will need to deburr the edges of the cuts. This will be important as these areas are very sharp and could easily cut people using the table, chair or other item.
Before assembling the lawn furniture of your design, you will need to consider if you want to leave the aluminum natural or paint it. If you want to create a durable surface you can have it anodized and finished, even choosing a color that will perfectly match your home.
