This stick-back armchair is designed for reading and relaxing. It is based on Irish examples I’ve studied during my travels, and I have gradually tweaked this design to get it right where I want it.
I’m offering it for sale for $1,700 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, some details about the chair.
While the chair has a spartan appearance, it is remarkably stout. That’s thanks to the fact that the legs and sticks are rived out of tenacious Southern red oak. All the joints are assembled with animal glue, which is reversible, and wedged with black ash wedges selected for arrow-straight grain.
Design-wise, this chair is different from Irish armchairs I’ve made before. The legs are double-tapered with a jack plane. The sticks are also double-tapered and faceted with planes. The arms are rasped and scraped to shape to resemble those of Gibson chairs. And the backrest is curved and positioned to support your shoulders.
The seat is tilted 3°, with the chair’s back tilted 33° off the seat, making this a great chair for sitting by the fire or on the porch. The seat is 16″ off the floor, making it comfortable for almost all sitters.
It is finished in General Finishes Milk Paint in Twilight (which is an acrylic). Like all my chairs, I make them as best I can, but most of the work is by hand. So you will find an occasional stray tool mark or tiny imperfection. These are not left intentionally, but they are the result of hand work.
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 Tuesday, May 7. 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. 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
P.S. Soon we will offer full-size plans for this chair.