If you are focusing on pine, I bet you haven't found a good lumber yard yet, and have been looking at one of the big box homes for unwanted, poorly dried, twisty wood. (Yes, I have a bias, based on years of trying).
I suggest that you look for better wood. If you insist on using a borg, at least upgrade to cedar fencing and decking for your raw material. From a real lumber yard, my recommendation would be white oak (not red oak). Old growth cypress is great, but the new growth is not as good, but far better than pine. Or redwood. Or if you want 50 year furniture, and are ready to spend a lot of time building, try ipe. But not pine.
Painted or stained outdoor furniture will need to be finished frequently - perhaps every year. Therefore you might want to focus on a wood that doesn't need to be finished at all - something that ages nicely without finish like cedar, redwood, teak, etc. The wood costs a little more up front, but when it lasts 10 times as long you will be glad.
And Lacquer is an indoor finish. If you insist on finishing, use an exterior deck paint or a spar varnish, to have the flexibility to move with the weather.
And Welcome to the forum