Lost Art Press

For Sale: Comb-back in Green Linseed Oil Paint

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The green paint can appear almost black in some light.

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.

Or you could run some thread through the crease….

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

LAP Open Wire, Sept. 9, 2023, from Covington

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The hands of two Irish chairs I just finished.

After Open Wire Live last week in Amana, Iowa, we are happy to be back to the electronic question-and-answer format. (Yes, we loved hugging you in Amana. No, you didn’t smell too awful. And it’s OK about the drool.) Also, people tended to duck every time I yelled “Open Wire!” when I was asked a woodworking question.

So here we go.

Here’s how it works: Type your question in the comment field. I will post my answer. It is that simple.

Note: Comments are now closed for this session!

— Christopher Schwarz

‘The Stick Chair Book’ is Free to Download – Forever

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The cover cloth is black – shocking, I know.

Today we’ve released the revised edition of “The Stick Chair Book” on better paper and at a lower price than the original: $47. In addition, the pdf of the book is now a free download forever. No need to register or give up your email for any spammy marketing techniques. Just click this link and it will download to your computer.

Don’t believe it? Try us.

Of course, we hope you will order the physical book. Like all our books, it is made in America with a sewn binding and cloth-covered hardbound boards. But if you can’t afford the hardback, or you aren’t sure if stick chairs are for you, download the pdf and (I hope) enjoy it.

If you forget about this blog entry, the link to download the pdf is on the product page for the hardbound book – right at the top of the description.

The revised edition of “The Stick Chair Book” is 10 percent shorter than the first edition, but it contains the same information. The same techniques. The same five chair plans. Same dork-a$$ sense of humor. During the summer, I rewrote the entire book to streamline the language and fix a few typographical and factual errors. (Why did I do this? The answer is on page 17 of the book.)

Finally, the colors I wanted.

The print job of this press run is particularly spectacular. It is gratifying to see the images in the rich colors I intended. Pandemic shortages forced us to use a paper for the old edition that was very expensive and not very vibrant.

— Christopher Schwarz

Anthe Update No. 6

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Our fulfillment area – almost ready.

Last week, the county inspectors said we could start occupying the first floor and the basement of our new headquarters. And, after we add some more exit signs and emergency lighting, we will be allowed to occupy the second and third floors.

On Monday, we will move our fulfillment operations to the first floor of the Anthe building. John and his crew are going to set up the packing tables and picking carts. And set up some more shelving racks.

This is a big step forward. But there is still much to do. We need to get the second floor cleaned up so we can move the last of our inventory from Indiana. And our general contractor is now fitting out the storefront.

The storefront will be used for storage until we can get the second floor ready for inventory. But after that, we’ll start designing shelving for the retail space. We want to have the retail area done for Christmas. But that is (I’m guessing) stupidly unrealistic.

But “Stupidly Unrealistic Since 2007,” is our corporate motto.

— Christopher Schwarz

The retail store still has a long way to go.

New Video With the Wood Whisperer Guild

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Look ma, I’m on TV (not really).

I am happy to announce that we have a new video with the Wood Whisperer Guild that will launch next Friday (Sept. 15). The video “American Welsh Stick Chair” can be purchased with a pre-release discount. The video is $79 until it is released next Friday. (After that date, the video will be $99.)

You also can purchase laser-cut templates for the chair to simplify the construction process.

This long-form video serves as an introduction to chairmaking for woodworkers who have no chairmaking tools but would like to build a chair. The chair shown in the video is a modified version of the comb-back stick chair shown in “The Anarchist’s Design Book.” It’s a proven design – I am sitting in it right now while drinking my morning coffee. It is comfortable, stout and (if I do say) nice to look at.

This video with the Wood Whisperer Guild differs from our two videos on chairmaking in many ways. First, it is a professional production that was filmed by a crew with lights, professional sound and multiple high-definition cameras. My dorkiness has been captured like never before.

Thanks to the production values and outstanding editing, the video is a pleasure to watch – even entertaining (and I hate to watch myself on screen).

Second, the approach I take with this video is to show you how to build a chair without chairmaking tools. All the little tricks, dodges and wheezes I’ve developed over the years to try to democratize and simplify the process. Don’t get me wrong, I love my chairmaking tools. But I understand that there are a lot of barriers to make the jump from making cabinets to chairs.

This video is me setting the bar to make a chair to the lowest position.

As a bonus, we include a chapter on how to saddle the seat with only one chairmaking tool – plus standard bench tools.

One more thing – the money. The proceeds from this video won’t go to me. Instead, they will help fund the restoration of the Anthe building (our new headquarters). We got the green light from Kenton County to occupy the first floor and basement. We now have got to get the second-floor storage area ready to get our fulfillment operation fully on its feet. So any purchase of this video helps our headquarters.

Many thanks to Marc Spagnuolo, Todd Tidwell and the rest of The Wood Whisperer Guild for agreeing to work with us on this video. I hope we get to do it again sometime soon.

You can order the video here.

— Christopher Schwarz