Lost Art Press

‘You’ve Been on a Chair Kick, Lately’

Posted on by Lost Art Press

walnut_chair_wedged_IMG_1081

Earlier this week I was interviewed for the Fine Woodworking podcast by Ben Strano, which was a hoot. (I’ll post links to it next week when it’s released.) Ben and I are always a bit goofy when we’re together, and I said a lot of things I shouldn’t have (including the title to my next book: “Drunk Irishmen Gluing Sticks Together”).

Also, I think he’s going to have to bleep me at least once during the interview.

During the chat, Ben said something like: “You’ve been on a chair kick, lately. Have you given up building flatwork?”

Of course, the entire background of the shot during the interview is a huge dovetailed campaign chest I’m building for a customer. So no, I haven’t given up flatwork. I love it.

The “chair kick” as Ben put it might seem like a new or passing thing – the Dutch tool chest of 2019 perhaps. But those of you who know me well can attest that I have been on a Welsh stick chair kick for more than 20 years.

About 1997 or so I encountered John Brown’s column in Good Woodworking magazine. I was a low-level editor at Popular Woodworking magazine, and we traded subscriptions with Good Woodworking to keep an eye on each other. So I received Good Woodworking every month right to my desk – nice!

JB-chairs

John Brown’s column was – by far – my favorite part of the magazine. JB took no prisoners with his writing, and I simply could not believe he got away with writing what he did (insert sympathy for the turners here). But more than that, the Welsh stick chairs he built infected me like a virus. I quickly found out he had written a book on the subject, and I bought it immediately.

That was “Welsh Stick Chairs,” which we now publish here at Lost Art Press.

The words, drawings and step photos in that book were my first introduction to vernacular chairmaking. I adore the book, except for the photos of the finished chair that JB built for the book, his so-called Cardigan Chair.

The Cardigan Chair was nothing like the chairs he was showing in Good Woodworking. Those chairs in the magazine were the ones I fell in love with – primitive and alive. That’s what I wanted to build.

It took me years to find someone who would teach me how to build the early Welsh chair – I had to trek to Canada in March of 2003 where David Fleming taught me and John Hoffman to build our first Welsh chair.

I came home from Canada in 2003 and immediately started building these chairs. And I never stopped.

My chairs sucked. Hard. I didn’t dare show them to anyone outside my family or circle of friends. I had to work out a lot of stuff because I refused to copy anyone’s design. Like John Brown said, every chair should be different and not be built to some blueprint.

That – more than anything – was a difficult pill to swallow. But it has paid off. Sixteen years after building my first Welsh stick chair I now am reasonably happy with the chairs I make (which are still not built with a blueprint – thanks JB).

On Monday, I will teach my first class on building this sort of chair. I am prepared but incredibly apprehensive. We will start with my templates, which I’ve developed during the last 16 years. But I hope that each chair will turn out different.

And I hope that I’ve built enough of these chairs that I’ve found all the mistakes that can be made during their construction. I feel like I’ve made them all. We’ll see.

So if you hate chairs, don’t despair. I’ll always be a generalist when it comes to making furniture. I’ll make anything if it’s in wood. These last couple years have been particularly chair-y as I’ve made some long strides in that department.

Thanks for sticking around. And soon we’ll be talking about workbenches and tool chests again.

— Christopher Schwarz

21 thoughts on “‘You’ve Been on a Chair Kick, Lately’”

  2. It doesn’t matter what you talk about Chris.
    There’s a lot us out here that will be listening intently.

  3. Over the years I have been lucky enough to meet many world class woodworkers. When I asked about what sort of project they would be most interested in designing and building just for pure fun, the vast majority named a chair of some sort. Most had a comment about casework paying the bills, but chairs were more intriguing in a variety of ways.

    If building something makes you giddy, it will be fun to follow along and peak over your shoulder.

  5. I like the aesthetic of the sixth paragraph (at least on my phone). First word(s) of every line “About 1997, woodworking, woodworking, woodworking.” And the last word of each line is pretty good as well, “ Good, Popular, Good, Good, Nice!”

    1. I forgot a “Woodworking”. Was distracted by my phones repeated suggestion of “Woodchuckington”

  6. Have fun teaching your first chair course. Your enthusiasm for the form will shine through. Probably best JB is not there to scrutinise!

  7. On IG you commented that the components are thinner than ever. Any chance you can comment on what’s different than the chapter you put out? Is it the same as the white oak chair or even thinner?

    1. You’re going to have to wait until I revise that chapter, I’m afraid. Too many details to mention in a blog entry I’m afraid.

      1. Please visit my Kumiko Kutting Board Etsy store and woodworking IG t-shirt picture stealing web site. it may or may not be sponsored by Tritbondfessjetcraft Co.

      2. I see that you are done with the charcuterie boards. I guess they are now out of style.,

  9. Good morning!
    I’d love to ask what your method is for making those tapered octagonal stretchers? I’ve been roughly turning the taper on a lathe, then octagoinizing with a spokeshave and a block plane, but I have a feeling there’s a clever, less fussy way to do it out there.

    1. I’m reminded of a quote (most probably falsely) attributed to Einstein. “If you make something idiot proof, the world will build a better idiot”. 🙂

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