

27 Oct The Stick Chair Book as a Digital Package
Furniture builders looking for a copy of Chris Schwarz’s chair building guide now have a new option. Because of paper shortages, the hardbound version of The Stick Chair Book can’t go to press immediately so Lost Art Press has decided to release a digital package ($25) that includes a PDF of the book along with other valuable materials for stick chair builders. Chris is calling it the “Early Adopter Digital Package” and it contains a high-resolution pdf of all 631 pages of it plus complete plans for five original designs: two Irish inspired armchairs, a low-back chair, a Welsh inspired comb-back and a Scottish inspired comb-back. There is also a PDF with full-size drawings for parts for the five chairs in the book. These 22” x 34” sheets contain every seat, arm, shoe, backrest and comb needed to build the five chairs. The drawings contain all the mortise locations and sightlines needed, and the PDF can be printed out at most office supply stores or reprographics services. They can then be adhered to posterboard or thin plywood to create full-size permanent patterns. Later on this year, Lost Art Press will sell these patterns for $20 for printed patterns or $10 for digital ones. Then there’s a PDF of all the construction sheets for the five chairs. These sheets were generated by mechanical designer Joshua Cook and contain a higher level of detail. Each chair has four 22” x 34” sheets that show all the components in a variety of views. For woodworkers who have an engineering mindset, these plans will be especially useful.
The digital files are delivered at checkout, and they are free of DRM (digital rights management). When the physical book is released in a few months, the digital package will end forever and “The Stick Chair Book” will be sold as a regular new title.
Table of Contents:
Part I: Thinking About Chairs
For Those About to Rock, We Dispute You 22
Wood for Stick Chairs 28
Tool Kit for Stick Chairs 50
Stick Chairs & Windsors: A Tiny History 88
The Sticktionary 98
The Black (no Red!) Book of Chairmaking 116
Part II: Chairmaking Techniques
Make & Shape the Seat 124
Leg-to-Seat Joinery 148
Make & Tenon the Legs 168
Make the Stretchers 204
Arms & Hands 230
Check, Check, Check 254
Drill the Arm & Seat for Sticks 258
Make & Shape the Sticks 278
Saddle the Seat 304\
Wedges 324
Gluing Tools 336
Assemble the Undercarriage 342
Assemble the Uppercarriage 352
Make the Comb or Backrest 366
Level the Legs 386
Make Pretty 398
Chair Finishes 404
Chair Comfort & Design 428
Part III: 5 Chair Plans
Simple Irish-y Armchair 454
Curved Back Armchair 470
Lowback Stick Chair 490
Reconsider Paint 510
Six-stick Comb-back 514
Comb-back with Bent Armbow 534
Chairs & Crapitalism 560
Appendices
Commonly Asked Questions 566
2 Finish Recipes 592
Wood Strength Formulas 600
Sharpen Chairmaking Tools 604