Category: The Stick Chair Book

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. 

Several people have asked my permission to teach classes in making stick chairs using my designs.

My answer is always: Please do. All my designs I give freely to the public for any purpose, including commercial uses. My book on the topic, “The Stick Chair Book,” is a free download for everyone (you don’t even have to register or give away your email).

So here is what students find on their bench when they start a five-day class in making a stick chair. After years of teaching these classes, we’ve struck a balance between “too much Donkey work” and “not enough Donkey work.” We call that balance: Donkey work.

If you want to teach a class of students (or just your neighbor), I hope this is useful.

1 Seat: 1-3/4“ x 16″ x 20″
The seat is glued up and cut to shape on the band saw.

4 Legs: 1-3/4″ x 1-3/4″ x 20″
All four legs are octagonalized. Three of them have been tapered. Students will taper the fourth leg using a jack plane. All four legs need tenons, so there is lots of work there.

3 Stretchers: 1-1/8″ x 1-1/8″ x 27″
These have been octagonalized. They are overlong (way overlong) because the stretchers are the students’ first encounter with a power tenon cutter. So they practice on one end of the stretchers until they get the hang of it.

7 Long sticks: 3/4″ x 3/4″ x 27″
These have been octagonalized. Seven sticks allow for a wide variety of comb-back designs. And their lengths permit students to make anything from a Shortback chair to a too-tall comb-back.

6 Short sticks: 3/4″ x 3/4″ x 12-1/2″
Our tenon cutters make a 2-1/4″-long tenon, so these lengths create a short stick with two tenons that can be trimmed (or not) to do lots of things. They can go through the seat if the students wants. They can be proud of the arm. They can also be used in a lowback chair (which requires a long tenon for strength.

3 Arm pieces: 1″ x 8″ x 20″
These three hunks of wood allow for a four-piece arm that can be wide or narrow. And they accommodate a variety of hand shapes.

1 Comb: 2″ x 8″ x 24″
This chunk of 8/4 is enough for a student to make two combs to experiment with.

4 Triangular scraps (off-fall from octagonalizing the legs)
These scraps help us measure the length of our side and medial stretchers (this is covered in the book in detail). 

Oh, one more thing for the bench: Usually my daughter Katherine leaves each student a squishy power animal to help them through the week. Never forget your power animal when chairmaking.

— Christopher Schwarz

Today I am offering for sale this low-slung armchair in red oak. This chair is completely set up for lounging, and is about as comfortable a chair as I can make (it’s comparable to the Gibson chair). The seat is low – 16-1/4” – off the ground, like old stick chairs. The seat tilts 4.5° back and the back tilts 33°. The overall height is 33-3/4”.

This chair is designed for long and comfortable sits with your back cradled by the sweeping backrest.

The sticks are shaved and left faceted. The legs are double tapered and faceted (this is the first time I’ve used this detail on a chair). 

Like all my chairs, this one is assembled with animal glue, which is reversible should it ever need repairs. The finish is soft wax, which does not provide much protection but is easily repaired and develops age quickly.

One small flaw. One of the short sticks developed a small split below the arm when I wedged it (this sometimes happens with oak). The split isn’t going anywhere. But if it does ever become a problem, I’ll make good on it via repair or replacement.

I am selling this chair via a silent auction. The starting bid is $500. Shipping is free to the winner in the lower 48 states.

Purchasing the Chair

If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Monday, April 1. Please use the subject line: “Irish Chair.” In the email please include your:

• Bid ($500 is the reserve)
• U.S. shipping address
• Daytime phone number (this is for the trucking quote only)

The highest bid wins. If you are the winner, the chair can be picked up at our storefront. Or we will crate it and ship it to your door. (I’m sorry but the chair cannot be shipped outside the U.S.)

— Christopher Schwarz