April 30, 2025

I first came across these chairs, consciously, in Sweden last year. I saw these in people's front gardens in more rural areas, immediately loved the design and they looked simple to make. After searching around online I found a few woodworking blogs that gave the step by step instructions and it was known as the "Kentucky Stick Chair". At least that's what it's known as in the U.S. The origin of the design is unknown, and since its found in Europe as well, there are probably other names for it.

For this project, I actually found a timber merchant near me that I could drive to myself to pick up the wood. That way I saved a lot on delivery costs. So I followed the blog's instructions and got to making the chair.

First the cut list, I used a mitre saw to chop all the lengths I needed. The mitre saw is an excellent piece of equipment. Then I took the corners off all the edges using a block plane. This softens the edges to make it less sharp and more comfortable to touch. Next I drill 6.5mm holes in all the pieces where instructed. Measure twice, make once as they say. I was determined to not make silly mistakes.

After that, I painted each stick with some stained wood preserve. I didn't use my own stain mix, but a shop product I already had. I must admit I prefer the colour of this than the steel wool and vinegar mix I made. After the preserve had dried, I arranged them all in the right order and threaded some rope through. The blog uses a steel threaded rod instead of rope, but I prefer the look and feel of rope. It might not last as long, but I can easily replace it if needed. It's also more forgiving that a rod if the holes are not lined up perfectly.

The first chair turned out great and I quickly went to put it on the field to enjoy. It's so comfortable, I'm still in awe of this design. So clever. And it folds up to store / transport.

I quickly made the second one. The only difference is I added some varnish on this one, as well as the wood preserve. It leaves a bit more of a sticky texture that I would prefer. I think with varnish you need to accompany it with lots of sanding, pre and post. And likely my varnish is old... I found it in the house when I moved in... It dries out eventually though and seems to do the job.

After a week, I was still so happy with these chairs and I decided to make ANOTHER one. This time for my back garden. Its the perfect lounge chair. So yes I went to the timber merchant again and repeated the process. This time I however I had a friend join me and we each made one. Such fun! For this last one, I did the same process, but before assembling, I sanded the faces with fine grit (by hand not machine) to give the wood a more smooth finish. It definitely has a positive effect. The final finish is a lot smoother. To be honest, I should have done this from the beginning... I don't have a machine sander yet though so it's an annoying job to do. No one likes sanding. But yes it's worth it. I could sand more and make it even more smooth. But for now am happy with the result. I will be buying a sander quite soon for my next projects.

Excellent project in my opinion, would definitely make again if I needed to. Happy to do requests! The total softwood timber price is £50.

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