Lost Art Press

24 thoughts on “Not Here, Here”

  2. OK, the giant frog by the fireplace is kinda freakin’ me out.

  4. Since this is “chair number 1,” will the others be variants, or clones?

    And since a big selling point of this chair is its packability, let’s see a picture of it disassembled and packed up in its carrying case. You did make a case for it, didn’t you?

  5. John,

    When I pack this chair up to go to its customer, I will send a photo of the box. I didn’t make a case. Perhaps some other time.

    The other chairs will be variants — but on a small scale. There were several different leg patterns used by makers, some chairs had canvas seats, others used slightly different hardware.

  7. Very nice chair Chris. It’s been added to my “to-it” list. I was searching for pictures of your campaign furniture and came across a fellow in Australia named Greg Miller that used to make Roorkie chairs. He mentioned you in a recent blog post. I really like his leather Roorkie chairs towards the bottom of his blog post.

  9. Hi Christopher,

    You are out standing in your field! Several decades ago I owned two similar cheapie canvas versions of these chairs, and now I wish I still had them so I could once again experience that same comfort. Thank you so much for this great flash-back! Woo, woo!

    Have a nice day,
    Antti

  10. Chris,

    I’m really excited to see your chairs. My parents had a couple very simple ones while I was growing up. They had square sectioned legs and canvas arms and seats. The arm fastened to the front and back of the legs with brass snaps. They were very comfy, durable and washable, too! When they no longer wanted them, I took one and had it kicking around, broken down, for years with plans to make a few from nicer wood someday. I purged it at some point during a move or shop cleaning frenzy, though I don’t remember doing so. I’ve been regretting it ever since and would like to make a couple. I like the leather seats. They will only look better with time, as you know from your Saddleback items, I’m sure.

    When is your book coming out?

    – Kit Camp

    1. Kit,

      Thanks. The book will take some time. There are lots of pieces to build, plus I need to take a couple trips to do some more research. I cannot even guess at the timing yet because I will be wrong.

    1. Ches,

      If you cut and rivet the leather yourself (a surprisingly straightforward job) then it’s about $130 for the leather, rivets, buckles, finish and the two tools you need (a rivet setter and a drive punch). And you’ll have leftover leather scraps.

  13. Lust. Want chair.
    That leather really needs to be nice “saddle tan” as the Brits call it – sort of a whiskey brown.

    1. And when you build your chair, you can use saddle tan leather.

  14. Chris
    Doing two of these is now on my To-Do list from my wife. But the only way I know it could be reserved for me would be to tool in a Marine Corps emblem in the back of it.

  15. Hey Chris- Love the chair! (and the leather) At one point you were going to make it a smidge wider than the traditional 16 1/2″. Looks a little wider than that-What width did you decide on?
    Thanks. Oh, and just a suggestion… you might like to burnish the raw edges of the arms to get a more finished look and durable function. Leather and Woodworking do have a lot in common.

  16. Totally freakin’sweet Roorkhee Chair! What’s the thickness of the legs? I think I have a chunk of sapele that would be perfect for a pair of those.
    Also, has anyone ever made one with the hyde that included the hair on it still? Wondering how it would look in terms of the pattern.

    1. The legs are 1-3/4″ long by about 21″ long. It doesn’t take a lot of material.

      I think a mohair Roorkhee chair would be awesome. Like what Shaft would have if he were in the British army.

  17. Mohair? No, it should be leopard skin. Make a pillbox hat from the leftover scraps, while you’re at it.

  18. Awesome, Chris! What are the brass-looking fixtures on the front of the leg/arm assembly that that leather arms attach to? They kinda look like they have a ball head. Are they in drilled holes with nuts and washers on the back side of the leg? Are there matching ones on the back (I bet there are). I gotta build me at least two of these, so I can have one. How’s that leather for stiffness vs comfort? (BTW, really? you don’t see a frog?)

    1. Those studs are called “Sam Browne” buttons by some. They were no fun to source. I made those from studs intended to be used on clothing or gun holsters. I’ve found a source for the real deal, however: 13mm gas lift ball studs. The studs that attach to camper tops and lift the glass. No lie.

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