Two by One Chair

Ian Anderson

Two by One DIY Chair by Ian Anderson
Two by One DIY Chair by Ian Anderson
Two by One Chair

Design and photography by Ian Anderson
Published in Fall 2019

Featured in the essay Make This Chair., the Two by One Chair design was used as a pretext to pursue a discussion on DIY and the modern condition. It requires a minimal amount of materials by utilizing the triangle to both enhance the structure of the chair and define its aesthetic (much in the same way Enzo Mari and Tord Boontje did with their DIY designs). The full assembly process takes about 2 hours to complete and the parts cost less than 20 USD on average.

Two by One DIY Chair by Ian Anderson
Two by One DIY Chair by Ian Anderson
Two by One DIY Chair by Ian Anderson
Two by One DIY Chair by Ian Anderson
Assembly
Index
Parts
Smooth Planed Pine Wood, 1in x 2in (20mm x 34mm)
*Any popular softwood can also be used, like Redwood. Metric measurements above are actual, not nominal, and availability may vary by location. 18mm x 34mm or 19mm x 38mm wood cuts will also work.
 
Quantity required: 2 pieces 34.5in (88cm) long, 6 pieces 27.5in (70cm) long, 2 pieces 15.75in (40cm) long, 2 pieces 17.75in (45cm) long, 10 pieces 20in (50cm) long
Flat Head Wood Screws, #6 x 1-1/2in (4 x 35mm)
 
Quantity required: 70
Tools
Hand Saw
Power Drill
Drill Bits
Ruler or Tape Measure
Screwdriver
Square (or flat object with 90 degree angle)
Sandpaper, 180 Grit
Help Each Other

4 thoughts on “Two by One Chair”

  1. Love the Two by One chair. Do you keep the screws exposed? What about deeper countersinks and then tap in wood caps? Might that lose some integrity of the connection?

    PS. I did an Enzo Mari type bench for instructables.com , furniture contest. Pretty good, given my lack of skills. M.

    1. You can definitely use the method you described to cover up the screws – I don’t think it would affect the strength of the connections. An alternative is to use wood pegs and glue to join the pieces together (like in the new chairs on the website). We would love to see the Enzo-like bench – if you would like to share, please send photos to [email protected]

  2. Hello! I love your 2×1 chair and this website as a whole. A quick question: do you have recommendations of optimum 2×1 length to avoid waste? For example… to make one chair, is it better to buy 8 pieces of 2x1x8ft or 6 pieces of 2x1x12ft… or what do you recommend?
    Thank you!

    1. Hi Sergio, Good question – I haven’t done that calculation, unfortunately, but feel free to share here if you’ve figured it out by now. I hope your chair turned out how you wanted!

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