This three-legged comb-back chair is available for sale and immediate shipment. SOLD
The chair is based on several Welsh three-legged comb-back chairs I have inspected that have a distinctive square-shaped arm and seat. This particular iteration is set up for lounging, with back sticks that lean about 16° off vertical. The seat height is 17”, with the overall height of the chair at 39”. The seat is 16” deep x 20” wide and nicely saddled.
Three-legged chairs are common vernacular forms found all over the U.K. and Europe, but many moderns suspect they are unstable. After building and using many three-legged stick chairs, here’s the real deal: When you sit in them, they are stable. You can even tilt back on them on the rear leg (fun!).
The only time they are unstable is when you are not sitting in the chair and you try to lean on the ends of the comb, which are unsupported. That’s when the chair wants to tip.
Construction Details
The legs, sticks and comb are made from dead-straight red oak that was both rived and sawn to yield the straightest, strongest parts. The seat is poplar. And the four-piece armbow is made using slippery elm. The interlocked grain and strength of the elm is what allows the arms to curve 93° and still be strong.
All the joints are made with reversible hide glue, so that repairs in future generations will be easy. The chair is finished with shellac covered by General Finishes acrylic paint in Lamp Black.
Purchasing Information
The chair is $1,100 plus actual shipping via common carrier. This is a little less than usual because of the three legs. Shipping typically runs between $100 and $225 depending on where you live. Delivery within 100 miles of Cincinnati is free – or you can pick it up at our shop in Covington, Ky. If you are interested in the chair, send an email to fitz@lostartpress.com. Ask all the questions you like, but the first person to say “I’ll take it” gets it.
— Christopher Schwarz
P.S. I have four more chairs in various stages on the bench. The next one is a 16-stick comb-back.
Nice
At the rate your chairs sell you’ll never have to worry about warehousing.
It wasn’t always this way. Want to buy a red Gibson chair?
Ever use milk paint on your chairs?
Yup. It’s very time-consuming. Happy to do it for customers who are willing to pay for it.
Have you ever considered auctioning these? You could set “your price” and then donate any overage to a charity, scholarships for classes, or similar. These don’t last more than what, ten minutes? Think of where they might go with a 24hr window. What was that Spiderman quote again…?