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