Author: kalevogt

A year ago in the spring of ’25, while I, Kale, was still an apprentice, I ventured to Vermont to build a settee with George Sawyer at his workshop in Woodbury. This is the love child birthed from my time there. This settee takes inspiration from the “Rod Back Chair,” a chair originally designed by Dave Sawyer, that was then modified by George. This class was George’s first attempt at converting the Rod Back Chair into a settee. Built over the course of eight days, this compact settee offers loads of comfort and style.

For the first time ever, I’ll be selling a seating piece via silent auction; the details are below. The bidding price includes crating and shipping to anywhere in the continental U.S. But first, some details on the settee.

From the ground to the top of the comb, this settee is 47″ tall and about 4′ wide. The carved seat sits 16 1/2″ off the ground and is 14-1/2″ deep. Overall, the settee is made from a combination of cherry, white oak, pine and maple.

The legs, stretchers, hand and back posts are turned, while the sticks (short and long,) comb and seat are shaped by hand. Because this settee is handmade, the occasional tool mark and inconsistency may be present. The comb and sticks in particular have a true handmade feel and look, as they were riven then shaped on a shave horse.

The hand features a rounded “knuckle,” which was a personal decision. I love the flair and playfulness it adds.

Although this settee has a slight tilt, the flexible back sticks and sculptured seat invite you to lounge. Comfortable and wildly stylish, the drama of this settee never goes unnoticed.

The settee was assembled with animal glue, making any future repairs a breeze. It is finished with two coats of General Finishes “lamp black” Milk Paint (actually, an acrylic).

How to Buy the Chair

I’m selling this chair via a silent auction with a minimum bid of $800. The winning bid includes the settee, and crating and shipping to anywhere in the lower 48. If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to [email protected] before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Wednesday, May 13th. Please use the subject line: “Settee.” In the email please include:

• Your bid
• U.S. shipping address
• Daytime phone number (this is for the trucking quote only)

If you are the highest bidder, the chair will be shipped to your door. The price includes the crate and all shipping charges. There are no additional charges. Alternatively, the chair can be picked up at our storefront. (I’m sorry but the chair cannot be shipped outside the U.S.)

– Kale Vogt

Several weeks ago, James Wright of “Wood by Wright” and his daughter, Melody, poked their heads in to see just what really goes on around Lost Art Press. With camera in hand, James and Melody, recorded as Chris gave the grand tour of our shop, offices, and Anthe warehouse.

You may recognize James from his popular Youtube channel where he posts daily hand tool woodworking, demonstrations and how-to videos. You can click here to see James’s channel and watch more content. 

But before you do that, give the video below a watch if you wish to get an in-depth look of where we work, create and pee!

This comb-back stick chair is designed for dining and working at a desk. Leaned back just enough, this chair is comfortable to sit in for hours at a time.

I’m offering it for sale for $1,400 via a random drawing. The price includes crating and shipping to your door anywhere in the lower 48 states of the U.S. Details on the sale are at the bottom of this entry. First, here’s more about the chair.

This chair is made from soft maple (seat and arm bow) and red oak (legs, stretchers, sticks and comb.) The legs and stretchers begin octagonal in shape then round into the taper. The through-tenons on the stretchers are cut flush with the legs – as with the stick tenons on the arm; Giving this chair a sleek look.

All joints are assembled with animal glue and wedged with red oak wedges.

This chair sits 17” above the ground, a comfortable height for most sitters. However, the chair can be lowered if desired. The overall height of this chair is 39-1/4”.

Due to the difference in color of wood species, I decided to paint this chair. The chair is finished with two coats of “Linen” by General Finishes “Milk Paint.” The off-white color has a matte finish that I believe will age beautifully.

This chair was my fifth chair build overall and my first chair of 2025. Made mostly by hand tools, the occasional tool mark or imperfection may be noticeable. I made this chair to the best of my ability and am proud of the outcome.

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 [email protected] before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Friday, March 7. Please use the subject line: “White Chair.” In the email please include your:

• 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 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.)

– Kale Vogt

Every chair class Chris teaches seems to develop its own gravitational pull. It’s inevitable – if you orbit within 50 feet of a class taught by Chris Schwarz you will get sucked in.

Now getting sucked into a class can mean many different things: Perhaps it means assisting students taper chair legs by hand until your shirt starts sticking to you; or remaking an arm in record time due to a irreparable and untimely break; or sometimes becoming the designated lunch fetcher of the day (this task can quickly make you popular among the students).

I of course am speaking from experience. I’ve completed all of these tasks at least once and am in no way complaining about it. I openly love the infectious energy of a class week – it’s chaotic and exhausting at times and I live for it. I love walking into work unsure of what the day will hold.

While the palpable energy from last week’s class was no different, one of the tasks I was given was new to me.

With how often we use our tools here, on top of student usage, shop maintenance is a constant. Planes and chisels need sharpening, floors need sweeping and carver’s vises need new jaws.

This is nothing against our beloved carver’s vises; we use them daily here. There is, however, one fault we’ve found with most of them – the softwood jaws that come standard on the vises have a tendency to lose their heartiness over time. (The newly recast Grizzly vise comes with hardwood jaws.)

Either the constant use causes the screw holes of the jaws to strip (which is what happened in this case) or the soft pine cracks. Or both (which is what happened in this case). When these things happen, either oak or hickory are what we typically use for new jaws.

After Chris gave me a quick lesson on how to replace the old jaws, I got to work.

Below is a visual step-by-step of how I made this repair.