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For Sale: Bog Oak Stick Chair

Posted on by Lost Art Press

This six-stick comb-back chair is inspired by two Welsh chairs – one that I inspected at Tim Bowen Antiques and a second chair that I have in my collection. The chair is built using 4,000-year-old bog oak that was harvested in Poland. All the parts of this chair came from one tree.

I am selling this chair for $1,500 via a random drawing. Details on purchasing the chair can be found near the bottom of this blog entry. Here are some more details about its design and construction.

This stick chair is a new design – a definite break from my previous chairs. It features new shapes for the seat, arm, hands and comb. The rake and splay of the legs are new numbers. But in the end, it is still just a stick chair, a humble and vernacular form found in many cultures.

This particular chair is set up for working or dining. The back is fairly upright at 11° off the seat. And the seat tilts at 4°, giving the chair an overall tilt of 15°. The seat is 16-1/2” off the floor to accommodate both short and tall sitters, and the chair is 40-1/2” high overall. So it has a nice presence in a room.

One of the goals with this chair was to make it a bit more roomy. There is 20” between the arms, and the arm shape is square-ish to accommodate stocky sitters.

The bog oak used in this chair is a gorgeous nutty brown, with hints of green and orange in it. All of the chair’s major joints are assembled using hide glue, so repairs in the (far) future will be easy. The chair is finished with a non-toxic soft wax, a blend of beeswax and raw linseed oil that my daughter cooks up here in our shop. The wax is an ideal chair finish. It is not terribly durable, but it is easily renewed or repaired.

Among the unusual design details of this chair are the through-tenons in the seat. The chair’s sticks were left long and protrude out the bottom of the seat. This feature is more common on Irish chairs, but I like the look, and it gives a sitter something to explore down there.

I consider this chair a prototype, and it is not perfect. On one of the arms there is a small bit of tear-out (3/16” square) that I filled with tinted epoxy. There are also tell-tale signs of handwork everywhere on this chair. You will find faint rasp marks on the arms. Scallops from the jack plane on the underside of the seat. Facets from a spokeshave on the comb. 

I prefer these subtle marks to a homogenous sanded surface. Though some people would call them flaws.

How to Purchase This Chair

This chair is being sold via a random drawing. The chair is $1,500 plus domestic shipping. (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 Wednesday, July 13. In the email please use the subject line “Chair Sale” and 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 on July 13, 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. The crate is included in the price of the chair. Shipping a chair usually costs about $250 to $300, depending on your location.

— Christopher Schwarz

For Sale: Bog Oak Comb-Back Chair

Posted on by Lost Art Press

I haven’t built a four-stick chair for a long time. Not because I don’t like the form, but because I have been focused on chairs from “The Stick Chair Book.” 

But as I sorted through the load of beautiful bog oak I got from fellow woodworker Andy Brownell, I realized something. I could squeeze two chairs out of the material. But barely. So thanks to some creative cutting I wound up with parts for both a six-stick chair and (squeakily) a four-stick chair.

Because I was unsure about the material (its stability, strength, color), I decided to begin by building a chair form I could make while sleeping. 

This four-stick chair is made from bog oak that is between 2,000 and 4,000 years old that was excavated in Poland. The seat is 16-3/4” off the floor. The back sticks lean 15° off the seat. And the seat is pitched back two fingers off level. So this chair is very nice for both dining and relaxing – a tough wire to walk.

All the wood is cut from one log, but the color and texture varies throughout all the parts. As a result, the surface finish was a huge challenge. No matter how much effort I threw at getting perfect surfaces, some areas just refused to cooperate (such as the front tenon on the left hand). So there are small areas of this chair that are imperfect, though the form as a whole is completely sound.

The wood is stunning – almost impossible to capture in photographs. It varies from a dusty charcoal to an English brown oak to areas that have a faint olive cast to them. I’ve spent about an hour just taking in the colors on the chair’s surfaces.

All the joints are assembled with hide glue, which is easily repairable by future generations. The finish is a beeswax and linseed oil blend, which is free of toxic solvents and is also easily repairable.

I’m selling this chair via a silent auction. To bid, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Wednesday, March 9. In the email, please include your name, your shipping address, your phone number (this is used for a trucking quote only) and your bid. There is no minimum bid, and the highest bid wins. The winner will be contacted on Wednesday after the auction closes.

On shipping: You can pick up the chair at our storefront, or I will deliver it for free within 100 miles of Cincinnati. Otherwise, I can ship it via common carrier to addresses in the continental U.S. This usually costs between $200 and $300, depending on where you live.

— Christopher Schwarz

For Sale: Bog Oak Comb Back No. 2

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This six-stick comb-back chair with a narrow comb is probably my favorite design to make. It’s both a challenge to build and a delight to sit in.

This chair is built using bog oak excavated from Poland that’s between 2,000-4,000 years old. The wood was leftover from a stunning dining table commission built by local furniture maker Andy Brownell at Brownell Furniture.

All the wood came from one boule, yet the bog oak varies in color, which made things a challenge. The wood is also dense and difficult to bring to a high level of finish. As a result, there are a couple small bits of grain tear-out on this chair that were impossible for me to tame. As best I can tell, this ancient oak is as strong as contemporary oak. This particular tree grew very fast, so it has lots of tough earlywood. 

This chair is set up for dining or relaxing. The back leans 15° off the seat, and the seat is tilted 5°, so the back is a generous 20° off the floor. The seat is 16-1/2” 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. 

Like all my chairs, the joints are assembled with hide glue and oak wedges, so the joints are strong but can be easily repaired by future generations. The shoe and arm of the chair are also secured with two blacksmith-made rosehead nails.

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 Friday, March 18. In the email please use the subject line “Chair Sale” and include your:

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

Shipping options: You are welcome to pick up the chair here in Covington, Ky., and also get a free yardstick. 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. 

A note on silent auctions: Several people have asked how much previous chairs have sold for via silent auction. Sorry, but that is the “silent” part. I have no desire to run up the price unnecessarily. So bid what you think is fair; that’s all we ask. It’s fair to say that the prices for the chairs sold at silent auction go for far more (two times or three times) the typical $1,400 price when we sell chairs via a random drawing. So for the guy who keeps bidding $100 – we love your confidence.

I apologize if this is frustrating for people who want a chair. I want you to have one, too. I love these chairs and would love to see them in many more homes.

— Christopher Schwarz

LAP Open Wire, Aug. 26, 2023, With Megan and Chris

Posted on by Lost Art Press
Scraping the backrest of an Irish armchair in bog oak.

This has been a wild week, and we should be sitting by the pool with some margaritas. But instead, we are here for the Lost Art Press Open Wire.

If you’ve got questions about woodworking, our books, tools or grub ephemera, we are your answer team.

This week’s open wire is hosted by me and Megan. Here’s how it works: Type your question in the comment field. Brevity is appreciated. We will do our best to answer it. It is that simple.

Two notes: 1) Comments for this entry will close about 5 p.m. Eastern. And 2) Next week’s Open Wire will be held in In Person at Handworks in Iowa. So come to the Amana Colonies and meet some of your 5,000 closest friends.

NOTE: Posts are closed for this week’s session. Next week we will be LIVE at Handworks in Iowa answering questions.

— Christopher Schwarz

For Sale: Bog 7-stick Comb-back Chair

Posted on by Lost Art Press

This seven-stick comb-back chair is built from a 2,000-year-old oak tree that was preserved in a Polish bog and recently harvested. The wood, which is remarkable and difficult to photograph, varies from charcoal black to a beautiful olive to a warm chestnut brown.

This chair is one of my newer designs; it uses a four-piece arm (for stability) and a thin shoe, which streamlines the look by removing visual bulk from the arm. It also is one of the most comfortable chairs I make.

This chair is set up for general use. The back leans 12° off the seat, and the seat is tilted 3°, so the back leans 15° off the floor. The seat is 16-3/4″ above the floor, which is a good height for most sitters. Overall, the chair is 38-1/2″ tall and there is 19″ between the arms. 

Like all my chairs, the joints are assembled with hide glue and oak wedges, so the joints are strong but can be easily repaired by future generations. The bog oak is finished with a home-cooked linseed oil/wax finish that has no poisonous solvents. The finish offers low protection, but it is easy to reapply as needed (with no special skills or tools) by the owner.

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 Tuesday, Jan. 17. In the email please use the subject line “Chair Sale” and include your:

  • First name and last name
  • U.S. shipping address
  • Daytime phone number (this is for the trucking quote only)
  • Your bid (don’t forget this…)

Shipping options: You are welcome to pick up the chair here in Covington, Ky., and also get 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 $500.

One last note: I bought about half of this bog oak boule with a friend (hi, Andy!). I estimate I have enough wood for about five or six more bog oak stick chairs. So there will be more in the future. However, I cannot say exactly when. The wood is quite difficult to work, so I have to space these chairs out a bit to give myself a break.

However, I will say that the extra effort is worth it. I wish I could afford to keep one of these chairs for myself. The wood is stunning.

— Christopher Schwarz