Really, this video could have been done in four words…three words, one repeated: Wax on, wax off. But that’s already been said. So instead, I’ve blathered on for a few minutes about soft wax and how easy it is to use.
The jar I’m using is from Katherine Schwarz (aka The Anarchist’s Daughter), who will no doubt have more in stock soon. But if you want to make your own, you’ll find the recipe in “The Stick Chair Book” and in this blog post.
We now have a good supply of laser-cut chair templates in our warehouse that are ready to ship.
The set of templates makes it easier to build the Staked Armchair from “The Anarchist’s Design Book,” but they are also a good starting point for many of the chairs in “The Stick Chair Book.” The seat and arm shape is the same, as are the leg locations and stick locations. So the templates are a good place to start exploring chairmaking.
(FYI, we also carry full-size paper patterns for the five chairs in “The Stick Chair Book.” These need to be adhered to your own wood and cut out.
The templates are laser cut in Ohio. If you want a set, don’t tarry. We might not stock these permanently as getting the raw material is getting harder and harder.
— Christopher Schwarz
This six-stick comb-back chair with a narrow comb is the chair I built for the first issue of The Stick Chair Journal. I spent about a year gradually changing details on my chairs to arrive at this design, which features a four-piece arm with mitered arms.
This chair, which is built using Pennsylvania black cherry, is set up for dining or relaxing. The back leans 17° off the seat, and the seat is tilted 5°, so the back is a generous 22° off the floor. The seat is 17” above the floor, which is a good height for most sitters. Overall, the chair is 39” tall, 28” wide, 23” deep and weighs 16-1/2 pounds.
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. Also worth noting: The shoe is attached with both glue and two blacksmith-made roseheads – a tip of the hat to the iron hardware that sometimes holds together old examples of vernacular chairs.
Like all of my chairs, this one shows texture and evidence of the tools used to make it. There are subtle rasp marks in places. All the angles of the chair’s legs, stretchers and sticks are sighted by eye and without jigs. So there are small variations – some might say imperfections. I’ve never had complaints from customers, but I like to make it clear this is not like a factory-made chair.
The joints are assembled with hide glue and oak wedges, so the joints are strong but can be easily repaired by future generations. The finish is 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 Thursday, May 26. In the email please use the subject line “Chair Sale” and include your:
Shipping options: You are welcome to pick up the chair here in Covington, Ky., and also pick up 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 $300.
— Christopher Schwarz
This is an experiment. A fair number of readers have asked us to restock the full-size chair wooden templates for the Staked Armchair from “The Anarchist’s Design Book.” We carried these templates for a couple years and discontinued them after sales cratered.
So we have done a short run of the templates to see if there is indeed interest in them.
The templates are $49 and come with six full-size laser-cut templates for making the four-stick Staked Armchair. Unlike our earlier templates, these are made from 1/8” Baltic birch so they will be more durable.
These templates are great for any beginning chairmaker. And many of the parts are compatible with the armchairs from “The Stick Chair Book.” The seat and arm shape is the same, as are the leg locations and stick locations. So the templates are a good place to start exploring chairmaking.
(FYI, we also carry full-size paper patterns for the five chairs in “The Stick Chair Book.” These need to be adhered to your own wood and cut out.)
The templates are laser cut in Ohio. If you want a set, don’t tarry. We might not stock these permanently.
— Christopher Schwarz
Here’s a short movie that shows how to cut 5/8″ tenons with a deburring tool and a plug cutter. The tooling costs as little as $20 total. While this method is slower than using a dedicated tenon cutter, it is much easier to center the tenon on the stick.
— Christopher Schwarz