Honestly, I thought this moviefilm was almost funny when I made it. But it’s not. As always, if you are dissatisfied with your blog subscription, simply write to us for a full refund.
(And yes, I know it should be “Occupational Safety & Health” – it’s a nod to our British friends who endure Health & Safety over there).
Author: Lost Art Press
Publisher of woodworking books and videos specializing in hand tool techniques.
The Insanely Low Bar for Chair Comfort
Ever since I started selling stick chairs, potential customers have asked: “I like the look of your chairs, but are they comfortable?”
My canned response has been: “Compared to a La-Z-Boy, no. But compared to typical wooden chairs, yes, they are fairly comfortable.”
Last weekend I experienced a forced, painful and radical reassessment of my work.
For Thanksgiving, we went to St. Louis (city of my birth) to celebrate with my extended family. Because I lost my mom and dad recently, I’ve tried to strengthen ties to the family members still standing.
We stayed in an Airbnb downtown that was packed with factory-made Forest Chairs (what most people call Windsors). They looked nice and had some saddling to the seats. But after sitting in them for five minutes, I was in mortal agony. My back and my tailbone screamed in two-bone harmony. In my body’s defense, I added a pillow for lumbar support, which helped my back. But my poor coccyx might never be the same. It might not even be triangular anymore….
During the long weekend, I ended up sitting in a variety of factory-made hoop-back Forest Chairs. Each time, I was amazed at how awful they were. In fact, I think I stood during most of our four days out of town — just to avoid sitting in those chairs.
When I came home, I realized that I have been spoiled for a long time. The chairs I make and the chairs made by other woodworkers (Forest and stick chairs alike) are an entirely different universe compared to the factory-made stuff. For years I’ve been fretting over how comfortable my chairs are compared to those made by Peter Galbert and other chairmakers (and I always will fret). But I had forgotten just how low the bar is for comfort when it comes to wooden chairs.
So if you have been wondering how comfortable wooden chairs are that have been made with care by an individual, I have a new answer for you.
First, I’ll whip out my flattened coccyx (no, I won’t). Then I’ll say: For the love of corn — yes, they are far, far more comfortable.
— Christopher Schwarz
P.S. Sales pitch: I cover in detail how I make my chairs comfortable in “The Stick Chair Book.” I don’t have any secrets (except the shape of my coccyx).
For Sale Via Silent Auction: Comb-back Stick Chair
Today I am putting up for sale this eight-stick comb-back chair that is finished in milk paint. This chair is being sold via silent auction – details of the auction are below. But first, here is some information about the chair itself.
This chair is a new design and is (I think) a successful effort to make a chair that’s ideal for both dining and relaxing. The chair has a newly designed armbow, plus some different geometry for the back, sticks and undercarriage. These changes add comfort without taking away the animalistic stance of the classic stick chair.
The chair is made from red oak, slippery elm and poplar, which are local materials that have been chosen to make the chair both strong and lightweight. The entire chair is assembled using hide glue, which is a reversible adhesive. This allows the chair to be repaired with ease by future generations.
The chair is finished in Sinopia milk paint in Bardini Blue, a non-toxic and durable finish. The paint has been hand-burnished to a low sheen and has a topcoat of linseed oil/beeswax finish. This is a time-intensive hand-applied finish with texture and character. The paint is slightly burnished through in places, and you will see neat brush marks.
Overall, the chair is 39-1/2” high x 25” wide x 25” deep. The seat is 16” x 20”, which accommodates most frames. The seat is 16-3/4” high, an ideal height for most operations and most sitters. And the back reclines at 14°, which makes it suitable for dining, keyboarding and relaxing.
A Silent Auction
During the last few years, I’ve had people ask to purchase chairs for a price far above the list price (two or three times the list). These potential buyers were frustrated with the first-come-first-served way I sell my chairs. I get that. It’s a scramble. But I like to be able to sell chairs at a price that many working people can afford.
So after some thought, I’m going to experiment with some different methods of selling chairs.
About half of my chairs will be first-come-first-served like I have always done it, with prices starting at $900 to $1,500. (As always, prices may go up in the future as supplies become more expensive or the chairs become more labor-intensive.)
The remainder will be sold using other methods. For this chair, I will use a silent auction. Simply submit your best bid to fitz@lostartpress.com before 8 p.m. (Eastern) on Saturday, Dec. 4. There is no minimum bid, and the highest bid wins. The winner will be contacted on Saturday after the auction closes.
(On shipping: You can pick up the chair, or I will deliver it within 100 miles of Cincinnati for free. Otherwise, I can ship it via common carrier to addresses in the continental U.S. This usually costs between $150 and $270, depending on where you live.)
In the future I will also experiment with a raffle. (Anyone who wants to buy the chair at the retail price will have a week to put their name in a digital hat. Then a buyer will be selected at random.)
Please remember that this is an experiment. I am trying to find a way to maintain my dignity as both a chairmaker and a breadwinner. However, I might just tick everyone off. Then I’ll flop and end up getting a day job. So if you see me cleaning up sloth poo at the Cincinnati Zoo….
— Christopher Schwarz
That’s Iron Abuse, Mister
We just received our first fully finished sample of our new Crucible Planing Stops. The cast ductile iron stops are all poured and are about halfway through the grinding process. So it won’t be long now.
The stops will cost less than $50. And they are incredibly simple to install:
- Drill a 5/8” hole in the wooden block for your planing stop
- Pound the iron stop in
- Uh, done.
Whenever we post photos of this planing stop or our holdfast, people remind us that cast iron is fragile. It’s a stupid material to use to make a holdfast or planing stop. You can’t hit it with a hammer – it will shatter. Heck, it will shatter when you drop it on the floor.
Even when we tell people it is ductile iron, they respond: Actually, you can’t make holdfasts from ducks, ducts or tile, either. Do the research!
Today, I beat our planing stop samples with a lump hammer more than 100 times each to see what would happen. As always, the answer is: nothing.
— Christopher Schwarz
Back in Stock: Pencils!
We haven’t given up on getting everything restocked in our store. Today I’m happy to say that our Lost Art Press Pencils are back in stock. These U.S.-made pencils are made to our specifications and come in a nicely printed box.
I don’t have good news, however, about restocking “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest.” Our Michigan printing plant had to shut down earlier this month for cleaning after a bad rash of COVID in the plant. Add to that some paper, cloth and staff shortages. While we hope the book will ship in early December, I wouldn’t bet money on it.
If you need this book for the holidays, check with our retailers, many of which have copies to sell.
— Christopher Schwarz