January 11 – 15 | $2300

Naturally Curved Armbow Stick Chair

with Christopher Schwarz

Experience Level: Advanced

***This class is not for first-time chairmakers. Students should be confident both with hand tools and with staked chair construction. At registration, students will be asked to submit photos of three chairs they have made.

Class Details

The best Welsh stick chairs were made with an armbow that grew curved in the forest. The particular shape of the armbow helped determine the rest of the chair’s design, including the seat shape (and size), the position of the sticks and the shape of the comb.

In short, the tree has a large say in the design of the chair.

In this advanced class, each student will receive a curved armbow (harvested by the instructor) and will design a chair around their particular crook. The focus of the class will be on designing a beautiful chair that does justice to the armbow and constructing their chair in a week’s time.

During the class, students will learn the ins and outs of working with the naturally crooked material, including how to dry it, kill any insects in it, shape it and incorporate it into the chair. We’ll also be drawing on images of old chairs (many of them unpublished) to inform our design choices for these new chairs.

This class is designed for chairmakers who want to greatly advance their design vocabulary in vernacular chair design and wish to spend an intense (and fun) week immersed in all things stick chair with other nerds.

The price includes all materials (wood, glue, etc.) Each class also includes a light breakfast and lunch every day.  

Tool List

Class Tool List

An important note on tools: When you arrive, your tools should be sharp and ready to go.  There won’t be time to restore vintage tools or set up new tools in this class.

Required For the Class

  • Block plane: This is one of the most important tools in the kit. I recommend a high-quality new block plane with an adjustable mouth, such as the Lie-Nielsen 60-1/2. The adjustable mouth will allow you to make against-the-grain cuts without tearing. If you have small hands, you can substitute a smaller model with a non-adjustable mouth. But you will be doing more scraping.
  • Jack plane: Another essential tool. I recommend a vintage metal jack, such as a pre-war Stanley No. 5. The older ones weigh less than the new premium jacks, which is a good thing. And the handles are far more comfortable. If possible, grind the iron so it has a pronounced curve, such as an 8” or 10” radius. If you don’t have a grinder, a sharp, straight edge will work.
  • Spokeshaves, both flat sole and round sole: I am partial to shaves in the Stanley No. 151 pattern. These shaves have two blade adjustment screws. Veritas makes the best new one. You’ll need both shaves – round and flat soles – to work outside and inside curves. We will be working with dry wood, so wooden-bodies shaves are not recommended.
  • 6” rule
  • Small tape measure
  • Combination square (6” and/or 12”)
  • Card scraper (we recommend the curved one we make at Crucible)
  • Mechanical pencils (.9mm or .7mm lead)
  • 10” or 12” Cabinet rasp, medium coarseness, such as 10 or 12 grain. Auriou is my favorite
  • 6” Modellers rasp (15 grain)
  • Scorp: (I recommend the Lucian Avery Inshave, the Hans Karlsson Inshave or the one from Jason Lonon). Order early to avoid disappointment!
  • Travisher: (Elia Bizzari’s 4.5” radius travisher, Peter Galbert’s T2 and the travishers from Allan Williams are all excellent). I also like the travishers from Windsor Workshop. If you use the Windsor Workshop travisher (particularly the Delrin one) then you don’t really need a scorp.
  • Crosscut back saw (Western or a simple dozuki)
  • Cork sanding block
  • A selection of sandpaper in #80, #120 and #180 grits
  • Flush-cutting saw
  • A few chisels – ¼”, 5/8” and 1” are essential
  • Lump hammer (heavier is better for chairmaking). I like 2-1/2” lbs.
  • 16-ounce nail hammer
  • Bubble level (24” levels are ideal).

Nice to Have (if you already own them)

  • 1” Wood Owl Auger (Ultra-smooth version is best)
  • Veritas Power Tenon Cutters (1/2”, 5/8” and 1”)
  • Star M F-type bits (12mm, 16mm)
  • Heavy-duty cordless drill (20v or so)
  • Random-orbit sander with some sort of dust extraction.

Finish

I’ll bring soft wax and the application tools for that finish. If you want something else (paint, India ink, shellac), please bring it along. We will have time to finish your chair completely.

Transporting Your Chair Home

If you are flying to attend the class, we recommend you pack your chair parts in a suitcase and check them with the airline for the flight home. If that’s not possible, please let us know and we can discuss other options (such as shipping the parts via UPS or another carrier).

*Most of all, if you have an unusual situation, please give us a heads up so we can prepare.

Register for the Class

Registration happens via email on a first come, first served basis. Click the Register button for instructions on how to sign up for this class.

Register

Cancellations will be accepted until eight weeks before the class for a full refund.  If a cancellation occurs within eight weeks prior to the class date, a refund will be issued only if the spot can be filled.