Category: The Stick Chair Journal

Whenever I teach a chair class, I build a chair along with the students. I don’t always sell my classroom-built chairs because I always push myself to try something different on the chair – something I’d be afraid to do to a chair that I am counting on to put food on the table.

During last week’s chair class I crossed over a threshold I have been approaching for a few years: changing the geometry of the comb of a comb-back to the point where it sits more like a Gibson chair.

This is the most comfortable comb-back I’ve made to date. I don’t like to name my furniture, but for now I’m calling this a “short-back chair.”

What’s different about this chair compared to my previous designs in “The Stick Chair Book” (free for download forever)? Quite a lot.

I don’t have “plans” for this chair. That’s not how I design chairs. It would take me longer to draw plans for this chair than to build another chair. But I am happy to share the essential geometry so you can graft it onto one of your designs. (This is my Southern way of saying all gentle-like: No, I’m not going to create plans. All you need is in the free book and the information below.)

Seat Height
I have been gradually lowering the seat height of my chairs, as measured from the pommel to the floor. This chair is 15-1/2”. You might think that’s low. I don’t. I think tables are too high. When one of the students this week asked how low chair seats could go, I replied: “Many Morris chair seats are 12” off the floor.”

Back & Seat Lean
The back of this chair leans back 16.2° from the seat. The seat tilts 4.15° back. That’s a total lean of 20.25°. No, it doesn’t feel like a dentist’s chair. If you are using the chair plans in “The Stick Chair Book,” you achieve this 16.2° angle by positioning the front edge of the arm 1-1/4” behind the back edge of the seat. The seat is tilted back “two fingers.”

The Comb
My big comb-back chairs have the comb about 15” above the arm. That makes for a big and impressive chair, but you have to arrange the sticks so the sitter’s shoulders don’t feel like they are being poked by a bunch of sticks. 

In this chair, the bottom of the comb is 8-3/4” above the arm’s shoe. This means the comb supports the shoulders – the sticks are taken out of the comfort equation, which means the comb must be a comfortable curve. This one is 18” long and has a 20” internal radius. The top edge of the comb tilts back to add a little comfort.

What’s Next?
I’m going to move the comb down 3/4” next time. I have a hunch that will help even more. (I could be full of crap.)

This chair is currently in paint (“Twilight” in General Finishes acrylic). Megan is patching a bit of blow-out on the arm (the bit of white in the photo). This chair, while experimental, is good enough to sell. I’ll post it for sale on the blog in the next week or so. It is made of elm with ash sticks. The chair will be $1,500 (which will include shipping). We’ll sell it via a random drawing.

— Christopher Schwarz

I love using Cold-Bend Hardwood for the bent parts of my stick chairs. During the last 10 years I have basically a 0 percent failure rate with the stuff (the only failure was my fault – more on that in a bit).

When I steam-bend arms, I typically lose about one-third of my bends.

People think it’s expensive. I disagree. Each chair arm costs me about $100 in material. But there is almost no time involved in making the bends. Today I opened a new pack of Cold-Bend Hardwood, sliced it to size and bent three chair arms (by myself) in less than 45 minutes.

When I steam-bend an arm, I have to find and purchase some suitable material (that takes time). Rive it out (more time). Then slice it, steam it and bend it. And then 33.33 percent of the bends fail during the bend or during drying.

If you live in a forest and have the space and time, steam-bending is ideal. When you live in the city, have no land and every minute counts, Cold-Bend Hardwood is the way to go.

Now, before you buy some, you must do two things.

1. Read every word of advice from the company on using the stuff. Take their advice seriously.
2. Read my tips below.

My Tips Below

Before you even order the stuff, build your bending forms because you need to bend the stuff within a few days of its arrival. The packaging will get damaged in shipment. The plastic will get a tiny hole in it. And your stuff will dry out.

Do not let it sit around. Assume the plastic is letting out moisture.

Order stuff that is overlong by about 18” to 24”. You need the extra length to provide leverage as you make the bend. If you won’t do this, you’ll need to use a bending strap with a long handle to give you leverage.

That extra length is the difference between a cakewalk and a desperate slog.

Order stuff that is the correct thickness for your bend. You cannot joint and plane this stuff. It will explode in your machinery. You can’t rip it on the table saw (crosscuts are OK). Again, it will self-destruct.

There are only two ways to dimension the stuff when it’s wet: the band saw and abrasion. After it is dry you can machine it and shape it with hand tools. But until then: band saw and sanding only.

I fasten my bending forms to the end of my bench with holdfasts. The holdfasts pass through both the form and the benchtop. Simply clamping the form to the benchtop rarely goes well. The form comes loose during the bend.

Allow some extra length at the beginning of the bend. This extra length (cut away later) will allow you to screw a batten across the arm and remove it from the form to dry.

About My Failure

I had one arm crack during a bend when using Cold-Bend Hardwood. The reason was simple: I had waited too long to make the bend, and the stuff had dried out. The fresher the stuff is, the easier it is to bend. I cannot emphasize this enough.

If you are wondering how the stuff is made and how it works (it’s like magic), the company’s website has all that information. If you are wondering if other companies make the stuff, the answer is yes. There’s a place in Amish country in Ohio that makes its own, but they don’t sell to the public. They make the bends for you. I also knew a couple chairmakers in Middletown, Ohio, that made the stuff in their chair factory. They have disappeared. And there are companies in Europe that make it. Google “comp wood” or “compression hardwood” for more details.

— Christopher Schwarz 

I keep telling myself that modern spade bits are not great, but they’re OK. But I am lying to myself. Anytime I use a NOS (New Old Stock) Irwin spade I am shocked by how good the old ones are compared to the modern stuff.

During the last few chairmaking classes I taught, the modern spade bits could barely make it through one chair before becoming useless. And the cutting geometry was so poor that you had to push with all your might to get them to bite.

So until I find a good (I’d settle for decent) brand of spade bit, I’m looking elsewhere.

Last week I tried the 5/8” Trident bit from BB Custom Tools. I paired it with the BB Custom Drill Extension (6” or 10” works for stick chairs) and the Stick Chair Spindle Bushing. It’s an expensive rig, especially compared to a $12 spade bit (16” long).

But here’s the deal: The bit is resharpenable ($8 to $14 for the job), and it cuts with far less effort than a spade. The Trident comes insanely sharp and plowed through all the mortises for four stick chairs without complaint. And it was still razor sharp at the end.

There is a little more fussing around when drilling the mortises through the arm and seat with the Drill Extension. You have to detach the bit and extension to drill the mortise in the seat. But after drilling mortises for one chair (that’s 26 mortises), it became an intuitive operation. So the plusses way outweigh the minuses. 

The biggest surprise with the equipment was the little plastic Stick Chair Bushing. It centers the bit in the mortise through the arm. I laughed when I saw it. “Yea right, I’m not using that.”

I fricking love it, and it will reduce errors with students.

Speaking of students, I’m going to switch over to this drilling system for classes. I’m tired of watching students struggle with sub-par spade bits. And I’m tired of smelling the smoking wood as some of the spades have to practically burn their way through the wood after four or five holes.

I am happy to recommend this gear for all makers of stick chairs. I only wish we had a manufacturer of spade bits that did as good a job as BB Custom Tools. Nice work, Kyle and Patrick.

— Christopher Schwarz

I’ve used linseed oil paint on casework for some time; this is my first chair using the stuff. This comb-back is painted with Holkham green from Allbäck. On top of the paint is a thin coat of beeswax and washed linseed oil.

I am pleased by the result. The hand-brushed paint shows the grain’s figure. And it has a smooth feel, without being plastic-y. Like all hand jobs (no pun intended), the paint is not perfect. Some very small areas are worn a bit, especially on the chair’s facets. I like the look. It will only look better as it ages – that’s one of the many charms of linseed oil paint.

This chair is built with a mix of woods: red elm for the seat, undercarriage and comb. The armbow is red oak. The sticks are ash. All parts are sawn or rived for maximum strength. All the housed joints use animal glue (Death Grip, to be exact). It is reversible, should repairs become necessary in a few dozen years.

The chair is set up for general use. The back tilts at 14°, and the seat tilts back 5°. The seat height is 16-3/4”, offering 19” between the arms. The chair is 40” tall overall. If you need the seat lowered, I am happy to do that – no extra charge.

The hands of the chair feature an unusual crease detail that I saw on a chair at St Fagans National Museum of Wales in the museum’s storerooms. It is decorative. But, yes you could perch a cigarette there.

I am selling this chair via a random drawing. 

Purchasing the Chair

The chair is $1,650 plus $250 shipping to your door in the lower 48. (I’m sorry but the chair cannot be shipped outside the U.S.) If you wish to buy the chair, send an email with the subject line “green-comb back” to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 5 p.m. (Eastern) on Thursday, Sept. 14. In the email please include your:

• First name and last name
• U.S. shipping address
• Daytime phone number (this is for the trucking quote only)

After all the emails have arrived, we will pick a winner that evening via a random drawing.

If you are the “winner,” the chair can be picked up at our storefront for free. Or we can ship it to you via common carrier. We now charge a flat $250 to ship a chair anywhere in the lower 48 states.

— Christopher Schwarz

In 2018, I shared this trick that David Savage used to improve dovetail joints. He called it “Juicy Lucy,” and it involves flooding the exterior of a joint with extra hide glue to swell the fibers and improve the joint cosmetically.

We continue to use his trick with dovetails with great success. And at some point I started using it with the wedged through-tenons on my chairs. Here’s how I do it. 

After I glue the joint and assemble it (but before wedging), I paint a thick coat of glue around the show surface of the joint. Then I paint glue on the wedge and knock it in place.

Once the glue has gelled, I remove the excess with a dry rag and let the joint continue to set up overnight.

I’ve been real happy with the results.

— Christopher Schwarz