Lost Art Press

Category: The Stick Chair Book

For Sale: Irish Armchair in a Soot, Dirt & Oil Finish

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From a distance, the chair looks almost black.

This low-slung Irish armchair is the first chair I’ve finished in soot, dirt and oil – a finish that gives the chair a deep brown-black-red color that you find on old stick chairs.

The chair is made entirely of elm (both red elm and American elm) and is one of the most comfortable chairs I make. The back is tilted at 20°, and the chair’s backrest cradles your shoulders to allow hours of comfortable sitting.

Up close, the finish shows the wood’s grain.

The finish is a combination of natural, non-toxic ingredients: soot (carbon black), red dirt from Ercolano, Italy) and purified linseed oil. The finish is low-luster, and it is designed to look better the more it is used. It is topcoated with our Soft Wax 2.0, and will wear gently over time. I developed this finish to create chairs that look correct in a home filled with antiques.

Like all stick chairs, this one bears imperfections that mark how it was made. The leg angles are not exact because they were drilled by hand and without guides. The arms and all the sticks were shaped entirely by hand with spokeshaves, planes and rasps. 

The chair has a variety of textures, from the smooth backrest to the faceted sticks.

The entire chair is assembled with animal glue, which is reversible should your descendants ever need to repair it.

The seat height is 16-1/2”, which is intentionally low for lounging. The overall height of the chair is a compact 30”.

How to Buy the Chair

I’m selling this chair for $1,800 via a random drawing. The price includes shipping and crating to anywhere in the lower 48. If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Wednesday, November 12. Please use the subject line: “Irish 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. 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.)

For Sale: Comb-back in Elm, Sycamore & Oak

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This seven-stick comb-back is Katherine’s first apprenticeship chair, which we built together while teaching a class last week. It’s set up for lounging, with back sticks that rake 20° back and a seat tilt for lounging.  

Like all stick chairs, this one bears imperfections that mark how it was made. The leg angles are not exact because they were drilled by hand and without guides. Two  mortises in the hands have small cosmetic gaps around the hands when the bit wandered as I drilled. (Yes it was me. Katherine was the spotter.)

All in all, it’s an excellent chair in the way it sits and looks. But it’s not manufactured perfection.

The chair has a red elm seat that is pierced with red oak legs and sticks. We drove the legs and sticks into the seat so hard that the oak’s facets cut into the elm. This is why stick chairs last.

The arm is quartersawn sycamore. Like elm, it’s unlikely to split, but it has a little flash of ray flake in the hands. And the comb is elm – because that’s what we had at the end of the day. The wedges are straight-grained hickory, which we drove like nails to hold the chair together.

The entire chair is assembled with animal glue, which is reversible should your descendants ever need to repair it. And the chair is finished with soft wax, which we make here in Covington. Both of us have signed the chair.

The seat height is 17”, which we are happy to cut down for you before shipping. The overall height of the chair is 39-3/8”.

Half of the chair’s proceeds will go to Katherine. Being an apprentice isn’t easy.

How to Buy the Chair

I’m selling this chair for $1,800 via a random drawing. The price includes shipping and crating to anywhere in the lower 48. If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Monday, September 29. Please use the subject line: “apprentice 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. 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.)

— Christopher Schwarz

No Steambox? No Problem

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In their efforts to make chairmaking more accessible, Alexander Brothers in Virginia now offers steambent arms and armbows that will work with all the armchairs in “The Stick Chair Book” (a free download) and the Hobbit chair in The Stick Chair Journal No. 2.

You can get the bent components in red oak or cherry. And you can buy them individually or as a set. I recently purchased a couple armbows from them (at full retail, natch), and their work is as good as I could do. Read more and purchase the parts here.

Note: We do not get any royalty or compensation or consideration from Alexander Brothers. Like them, we are just trying to remove the barriers to chairmaking.

So if you have a big old comb-back chair on your wish list, but you don’t have a steambox, your work just got a lot easier.

Thanks here to Shea and all the people at Alexander Brothers. Good people.

— Christopher Schwarz

One of the chair designs that uses this armbow and comb.

Closeout Sale: ‘The Stick Chair Book’ for $27

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“The Stick Chair Book” is on sale now for just $27 – that’s 50 percent off.

To make room for a revised edition, we’re selling the last 500 copies of this book at a significant discount. 

If you’ve ever wanted to make your own chairs, “The Stick Chair Book” shows you how to do it with bench tools you probably already own. You don’t need to be an expert woodworker – anyone can make a chair. And the book has complete plans for five comfortable chairs. 

Like all our books, “The Stick Chair Book” is made in the USA with a library-grade binding. And at $27, these are selling fast.

— Christopher Schwarz

For Sale: Comb-back in Elm and Soft Wax

Posted on by Lost Art Press

I built this lowback for the third edition of “The Stick Chair Book” (coming out this year). This chair reflects all the design changes I’ve made to the form during the last five years. But the one thing I didn’t change is its seating geometry. 

The lowback chair (and my two Irish chairs) are the most comfortable chairs I make. This one is ideal for keyboarding or dining, with a wide sweeping back that supports your lower back without intruding on it.

The chair is made out of red elm, assembled with animal glue (that we make) and finished with soft wax (which we also make).

If you’re curious how this chair is different than the one in “The Stick Chair Book,” here are the major changes. The seat is thinner with a steeper (45°) underbevel. The arm is narrower (1-7/8″) without sacrificing any back support. The hands are an old shape that I now prefer and a bit longer. The undercarriage uses octagonal components, which are lighter and just as strong.

One new detail to this particular chair is that I have left the leg tenons and their wedges just a wee bit proud. This makes them a bit stronger and looks nice. I have been trying to get this effect for several months now, and I finally nailed it.

Details: The chair has a seat height of 17″ at the front and drops about 3/4″ to the rear (I am happy to lower this chair for shorter customers). The chair is 27″ high overall. The soft wax finish is non toxic (so your toddlers can suck on the stretchers). It has a mellow sheen and lasts for many years if treated kindly. But if you ever damage the finish, it can be easily repaired by applying more soft wax.

How to Buy the Chair

I’m selling this chair via a silent auction. The final hammer price includes shipping and crating to anywhere in the lower 48. If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Monday, September 8. Please use the subject line: “elm chair.” In the email please include your:

  • Your bid (opening bid is $600)
  • 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 auction fees or 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.)

— Christopher Schwarz