The Stick Chair Book: Revised Edition

The Stick Chair Book: Revised Edition

You don't need to be a highly skilled woodworker to make a chair, nor do you have to be extremely wealthy to own a nice one.

The reality is that everyday woodworkers—such as farmers, amateurs, and those in other trades—created wonderful chairs using common woodworking tools and readily available wood, whether it was dry, wet, soft, hard, or even branches from a tree.

“The Stick Chair Book: 2nd Revised Edition” delves into the craft of “hedge carpenters” who designed chairs for everyday homes. These chairs were not intended to impress the wealthy; instead, they were built to be comfortable, sturdy, and (if you have a good eye) aesthetically pleasing.

After 22 years of building vernacular stick chairs and studying historical examples in the U.K., Europe, and North America, author Christopher Schwarz has figured out how anyone can design and build these chairs without much gear or specialty jigs. He has condensed this knowledge into a concise format—96,000 words spread across 568 pages measuring 6" x 9". The book is filled with hundreds of illustrations and clear photographs.

With the help of this book, you can visit any lumberyard to find the wood you need. You can use tools you probably already own, and basic layouts will guide you—there’s no need to understand trigonometry or complex angles to create these chairs.

“The Stick Chair Book: 2nd Revised Edition” is divided into three sections. The first section, “Thinking About Chairs,” introduces you to the world of stick chairs, as well as the tools and types of wood required for building them.

The second section, “Chairmaking Techniques,” covers every process involved in creating a chair, from cutting sturdy legs to shaping curved arms from straight wood to carving the seat. You will also explore a wide variety of shapes you can use. The chapter on seats demonstrates how to lay out 14 different seat shapes. The chapter on legs offers 16 common forms that can be crafted using just a couple of hand planes. Additionally, you’ll find 11 different arm shapes, six arm-joinery options, 14 hand shapes, seven stretcher shapes, and 11 combs. With this variety, you could spend your entire life making stick chairs without ever creating the same one twice.

The final section provides detailed plans for five stick chairs, ranging from a basic Irish armchair to an elegant Scottish comb-back. These five designs serve as excellent starting points for making your own stick chairs—the book's ultimate goal. Just like people, no two stick chairs are exactly alike.

Additional chapters cover topics such as chair comfort, finishing techniques, and sharpening tools.

Contents

Preface: Commonplace Chairs
Introduction: That’s Not the Case

Part I: Thinking About Chairs
Wood for Stick Chairs
Tool Kit for Stick Chairs
Stick Chairs & Windsors: A Tiny History
The Sticktionary
The Red Book of Chairmaking

Part II: Chairmaking Techniques Make & Shape the Seat
Leg-to-Seat Joinery
Taper & Tenon the Legs
Make the Stretchers
Arms & Hands
Drill the Arm & Seat for Sticks
Make & Shape the Sticks
Saddle the Seat
Wedges
Gluing Tools
Assemble the Undercarriage
Assemble the Uppercarriage
Make the Comb or Backrest
Level the Legs
Make Pretty
Clear Finishes
Reconsider Paint
Chair Comfort & Design

Part III: 5 Chair Plans
Stick Stool
Simple Irish-y Armchair
Irish-American Armchair
Lowback Stick Chair
Seven-stick Comb-back
Comb-back with Bent Armbow
Chairs & the Cwtch

Appendices
Finish Recipes
Wood Strength Formulas
Sharpen Chairmaking Tools
Bibliography
Acknowledgments