This six-stick comb-back chair is one of the four chairs I built during the filming of our “Build a Stick Chair” video. It features a squarish back, 14 sticks and details found on many of my favorite Welsh chairs. (I wouldn’t call this a Welsh stick chair, however.)
This chair is set up for general use. The back leans 11° off the seat, and the seat is tilted 6°, so the back leans 17° off the floor. The seat is 17” above the floor, which is a good height for most sitters. Overall, the chair is 38-1/2” tall and is 19-3/4” tall at the arms.
The hands of the chair feature through-tenons that have been shaped pyramidal. The stretchers also use through-tenons, which add strength to the chair’s undercarriage.
Like all my chairs, the joints are assembled with hide glue and oak wedges, so the joints are strong but can be easily repaired by future generations. The walnut is finished with a home-cooked linseed oil/wax finish that has no dangerous solvents. The finish offers low protection, but it is easy to repair by the owner with no special skills or tools.
Purchasing the Chair
This chair is being sold via silent auction. (I’m sorry but the chair cannot be shipped outside the U.S.) If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Friday, Sept. 30. In the email please use the subject line “Chair Sale” and include your:
- First name and last name
- U.S. shipping address
- Daytime phone number (this is for the trucking quote only)
- Your bid (don’t forget this…)
Shipping options: You are welcome to pick up the chair here in Covington, Ky., and also get a free yardstick and pencil. I am happy to deliver the chair personally for free within 100 miles of Cincinnati, Ohio. Or we can ship it to you via LTL. The cost varies (especially these days), but it is usually between $200 and $500.
— Christopher Schwarz
I had this question, so I went looking in old posts and thought the answer might be useful to others. This is from a post earlier this year on another chair silent auction:
“A note on silent auctions: Several people have asked how much previous chairs have sold for via silent auction. Sorry, but that is the “silent” part. I have no desire to run up the price unnecessarily. So bid what you think is fair; that’s all we ask. It’s fair to say that the prices for the chairs sold at silent auction go for far more (two times or three times) the typical $1,400 price when we sell chairs via a random drawing. So for the guy who keeps bidding $100 – we love your confidence.”