I recently finished this Irish stick chair in red oak during a chair class and am offering it for sale to readers of the blog. This chair will be sold via a random drawing for $1,600 (that price includes both crating and shipping to your door anywhere in the lower 48).
Details on how to buy the chair are below.
About the Chair
This chair is adapted from “The Stick Chair Book” (a free download). It is almost identical to the chair I built for my recent article in Fine Woodworking. It is a low chair (the seat is 16” from the floor), with a back that leans 20°. It is designed for one task: Sitting around with friends and family and talking, reading or sharing a drink.
Like all my chairs, this Irish chair is assembled with hide glue so it can be repaired easily in the future. The finish was a bit of an experiment. The oak was first colored with lye, which gives it a warm chestnut color. Then painted with General Finishes “Milk” Paint in Emerald (sadly, a discontinued color). Finally, I applied a thin coat of Black Bison Wax from Liberon (dark oak). Then I rubbed out the black wax, carefully burnishing through the paint in areas to give the chair a bit of an aged appearance.
I don’t do this finish often, but it seemed right for this chair.
The through-tenons on the arms are left slightly proud and are burnished, again to add some years to the piece. All the sticks and legs are left faceted straight from the tools, which adds texture and character to this folk form.
How to Buy the Chair
The chair is being sold via a random drawing. If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Thursday, Aug 29. Please use the subject line: “Irish Chair.” In the email please include your:
- Name
- U.S. shipping address
- Daytime phone number (this is for the trucking quote only)
If you are the “winner,” the chair will be shipped to your door. The $1,600 price includes the crate and all shipping charges. Alternatively, the chair can be picked up at our storefront. (I’m sorry but the chair cannot be shipped outside the U.S.)
— Christopher Schwarz
I just finished a chair with GF milk paint in emerald! Was a pint I bought a while back and I love the color, but mine seems much thicker than yours. Poplar seat, one coat, and it’s a uniform color. Yours seems to have the grain showing through which I love. Did you thin it, or is that the burnishing throughout the seat, or am I just a gloopy painter?
I thin it a little (maybe 1:15). And I apply thin thin coats so the grain comes through.
Chris, I am embarking on my first stick chair, missed the patches-grrrr, and wonder which you think more comfortable the Gibson chair( I have video and plans) or the FWW chair (I have the article and purchased your plans). The chair above looks wonderful.
They are very similar in comfort and use many of the same ideas. I think the Irish chair shown in this blog entry is a better “first chair.” Getting the angled back sticks of the Gibson just right can be a challenge. Either way, good luck!
I haven’t made the FWW chair but the Gibson was my first chair and I find it surprisingly comfortable. More comfortable than any manufactured chair I have and better than a lowback chair I made recently. (If you care to see what went well and what went wrong, check out my article about it https://foolishwood.substack.com/p/i-made-a-chair)
I’ve heard chloroprene gloves are more resistant to solvents like acetone than nitrile gloves. Might be a better option for applying Black Bison wax.