An overhead view of a comb-back stick chair

A close up view of the arm on a comb-back stick chair

A detailed view of the seat and short sticks on a comb-back stick chair

A overhead view of the back of a comb-back stick chair

Managed to finish one last chair in 2025, a comb-back in cherry and oak.

High stools cherry and red oak.

It was fun to keep exploring this form in a slightly bigger format than the chair I recently made that sent me down this design path.

Thanks Mitch!

It's so good! The board I had for this seat was really nice, I'm sad this was the end of it!

Front view of a stick chair made from cherry and beech

Close up of the front of the seat of a stick chair

High angle view of a stick chair

Close up view from the side showing the seat carving details on a stick chair

Side chair in cherry and beech

A very new seat shape for me, it was fun to bring in more curves and swoopy bits. While carving this seat, I was dreaming of what I could do if I’d started with even thick stock. Will need to find some 10/4 material for a future chair.

Thanks! There is such a perfect hour or so of sunlight this time of year at my house. It makes takings pictures a joy.

So exciting! Looking forward to reading it.

Thanks! I'm excited with how it came out.

Me too! I definitely love to see how many hard lines I can have all converge at one spot, it just so satisfying. I think it's one of the best reasons to get good with those edge tools.

Comb-back stick chair in cherry and oak

It was comb-back stick chairs that sparked a lot of my interest in chair making, so it seems a little odd that I’ve made so few of them. Working on this one has made me excited to make some more!

A partial view of a freshly assembled comb-back stick chair

All glued up and ready for cleanup/finishing. Already full of ideas of what I want to change for the next comb-back I make!A

It's the best safety video I've ever seen!

The front edge of the seat on a partially assembled stick chair

Seat carved and undercarriage assembled on this stick chair. The experience of sculpting/carving a seat is a nice departure from the more measured work on a chair. These days I rely a lot more on what looks good to the eye and feel good to the bottom rather than any actual measurements for it.

Close up of a chair seat being carved with a travisher and wood chips in the background

On to carving the seat on this stick chair. Perhaps one of the best parts of making a chair, both because the scorp and travisher are a joy to use and it’s at this stage that the chair really starts to come alive.

A partially assembled comb-back stick chair in shadow on a concrete background.

It was a little disconcerting how easily the dry fit of this armbow with the shorts sticks went together. I suppose it means I can make holes line up through space better now than I ever have!

Reflecting today on just how much my work has changed since getting a drawknife. I love a tool that can jog off huge amounts of material and also take the most delicate of shavings.

It’s been a busy summer full of lots of good non-chair making things like teaching classes, building workbenches for my local folks school, and plenty of travel. Glad to be back in my workshop working on chairs though!

Thank you! I'v been using this color a lot lately, it's really wonderful.

This is the second democratic chair I’ve made and both times I’ve learned so much about design from this wonderful chair design by Curtis Buchanan. Making this one I realized all the little things I did wrong on the first one, but luckily they are both functioning and comfortable chairs.

You should be able to get a pretty good surface of both of them, especially the travisher. They are definitely a little tricky to sharpen, I think both Peter Galbert and Curtis Buchanan have some good sharpening videos on their YouTube that I found helpful.

I think one of the most important things I've learned as a woodworkers is how to recognize when it's time to take a break from the shop. Some days are just not shop days and that's ok!

If you get the chance get yourself a scorp and a travisher because using them is maybe one of the best ways to spend time in the shop.

Also I dented the dang spindle deck assembling this chair’s undercarriage! >_<

Side view of a stool made with a cherry top and oak legs/undercarriage

Close up of the side stretchers on a cherry and oak stool

Front view of a stool made with a cherry top and oak legs/undercarriage

Close up of the bevels on the seat on a cherry and oak stool

Low stool in cherry and oak.

Soaking up some morning sun.

Letting this stool with a cherry top get a little sun tan. One of my favorite things about cherry is how much richer and deeper its color becomes as it ages. Part of the joy of working with it is knowing the resulting piece will just get better with time.

Thanks Ben! Yeah, it's black oak (which is a kind of red oak). The spindles and legs are the sapwood from the same log.

A side chair made from black oak sapwood+heart wood and poplar. Finished will milk paint and beeswax/linseed oil.

Close up front view of the front of this side chair

View from above of this side chair showing the texture of the seat

Front on view of a side chair with milk paint accents

Sometimes I question why I’m so into making chairs these days and don’t want to spend much time on other woodworking projects. But then I realize it’s because they are just so dang fun to make and whenever I finish one I get so many ideas of things to try on the next one.

Thanks Ash!

A busy weekend in the shop, in between finishing the side chair I’ve been working on I got all the undercarriage joinery finished on this stool and got it glued up.

Thanks Keller!

All painted/assembled and ready for final clean up and finishing. I’ve been second guessing my idea of making a chair with so much oak sapwood showing and nearly painted the whole thing today. I know the colors will change a lot when I apply finish but I think the results may be good.