As an aging gen-x blogger I decided it was time to build myself a throne from which to harangue, cajole, abjure and speak ex cathedra. Said throne is a replica of Gustav Stickley’s Bow-arm Morris Chair #336 from his 1901 catalog as shown above with a cat for scale.

Making Stickley’s #336 involved an nerve racking steam bending process. The wood went in a makeshift box fed with steam from a wallpaper steamer. After an hour in the steamer the wood was quickly rushed to a form made with plywood. I had to actually sit on the arm to get it to bend. On the first attempt the arm broke and I had to do it all over again. When I was done with the arms I had to steam bend the back slats of the chair. All this took many, I should add pleasant, hours of focused labor blissfully apart from the distractions of the interwebs.

It’s interesting how much Stickley’s design depends on the attractive ray pattern of quarter sawn white oak. I’ve seen versions of Morris chairs like this made with much cheaper plain sawn red oak and they look horrendous and primitive as if made by Fred Flinstone.
As usual, mistakes were made in building this chair. The principle one was not reading the fine print in the directions in the book of plans I was using that noted that Stickley added two inches to the legs between versions make between 1901 and 1909. I was able to counteract the lack of height by having my upholsterer make a thicker cushion. Since Kelly and I are of the tall tribe I need to pay better attention to customizing fit. If I’m going to go through the trouble of making furniture myself I might as well take the time to make sure it’s a custom job.
Now lets hope this latest DIY project doesn’t lead to the sort of bad ideas that afflict other throne owners:
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I repeat my usual reminder that you, as a rabid Stickley fan, should pay a visit to Syracuse, NY sometime. In addition to the Stickley Museum (http://www.stickleymuseum.com) housed atop the former Stickley factory in nearby Fayetteville (now the Fayetteville Free Library), there’s a marvelous antique shop here called Dalton’s, specializing in Stickley and Arts&Crafts generally (http://daltons.com). Dalton’s proprietor, David Rudd, was most gracious and informative when my NYC BFF (also a rabid Stickley fan) and I paid a recent visit to the shop. He was also able to give us an update on the status of the ongoing restoration of Gustav Stickley’s house (http://gustavstickleyhousefoundation.org), which is only a few blocks from where I live. BFF and I promptly went down for a peek inside the windows, and I will be dropping in on 9/22 when the house is open for inspection.
Awesome chair.
I agree with your last comment- please don’t start poisoning the people of LA with Salmonella !!
That’s beautiful! I’m so impressed. I think woodworking is going to be one of those things I don’t get to in this life, sadly. It seems my generalist nature isn’t going to allow for that, so I have a lot of respect for the focus and commitment you put into this.
So you’ve built a beautiful throne for your cat. Now where are YOU going to sit?
I have a friend who collects antique Stickley of all sorts. Your is beautiful.
Amazing! Beautiful work! And I agree about the beauty of tiger oak. Nothing compares.
dang! you are talented, Erik!