{"id":1446,"date":"2026-05-28T13:13:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T13:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/?p=1446"},"modified":"2026-06-19T18:38:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T18:38:12","slug":"one-board-viking-chair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/one-board-viking-chair\/","title":{"rendered":"Simple One Board Viking Chair"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Build a classic Viking chair using one 2\u00d710 board and a few basic tools. This simple two-piece chair breaks down flat, stores easily, and works well for camping, fire pits, or backyard seating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Materials<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2013 1 2\u00d710 board, at least 72\u2033 long<br>\u2013 <a href=\"\/blog\/sandingpads\">Sandpaper<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2013 Circular <a href=\"\/blog\/circularsaw\">saw<\/a><br>\u2013 Jigsaw or handsaw<br>\u2013 <a href=\"\/blog\/drill\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"\/blog\/drill\">Drill<\/a><br>\u2013 Tape measure<br>\u2013 Pencil<br>\u2013 Speed square<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cut the 2\u00d710 board so you have two 36\u2033 pieces.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For the seat piece, measure 12\u2033 up from the bottom and mark a horizontal stop line.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From each side edge, measure in 1 3\/4\u2033 and mark straight vertical cut lines from the top down to the 12\u2033 stop line.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cut along both vertical lines with a circular saw, stopping just before the 12\u2033 mark. Finish the cuts with a jigsaw or handsaw so you do not overcut the seat notch.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For the back piece, measure and mark two horizontal lines at 12\u2033 and 13 3\/4\u2033 from the bottom.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Measure in 1 1\/2\u2033 from each side edge to create the slot layout for the seat to slide through.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drill holes at all four corners of the slot, then use a jigsaw to cut out the opening.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Test fit the seat into the back piece and adjust the slot or seat edges as needed until the chair locks together. A little wiggle is ok.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sand all cut edges smooth, especially around the seat notch and back slot.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Optional: Cut or round the front corners of the seat so they are more comfortable<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Stop the circular saw cuts just shy of the 12\u2033 line to avoid cutting too far into the seat.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A jigsaw gives better control when finishing the notch and cutting the back slot.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Test fit before sanding too much material away.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Any leftover board can be used to make a small matching tablet or iPad stand.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assumption: This build uses a standard 96\u2033 long 2\u00d710 board cut into two equal 36\u2033 pieces.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chair design has been around for years under names like <a href=\"https:\/\/jeffsdiy.com\/how-to-make-a-viking-chair-with-hand-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Viking chair<\/a>, camp chair, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instructables.com\/One-Board-Minimalist-Chair\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one-board chair<\/a>, bog chair, stargazer chair, and African birthing chair.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There\u2019s a <a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.co.bw\/books?id=HykDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA2&pg=PA83#v=onepage&q&f=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">January 1919 Popular Science<\/a> reference to a Comfortable Chair from a 12-inch Board.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I\u2019m not the inventor, this is simply a version with my own measurements, cuts, and build process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Difficulty: Easy<br>Estimated Time: 1-2 hours<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"913\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/buildtomade-viking-chair-diagram-913x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1454\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/buildtomade-viking-chair-diagram-913x1024.png 913w, https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/buildtomade-viking-chair-diagram-267x300.png 267w, https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/buildtomade-viking-chair-diagram-768x861.png 768w, https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/buildtomade-viking-chair-diagram.png 1184w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 913px) 100vw, 913px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Easy \u2022 1-2 hrs \u2022 1 board<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1448,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-build-plans"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9810.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1446"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1446\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1480,"href":"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1446\/revisions\/1480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buildtomade.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}