Maloof/Sculpted Bar Stool

[Patrick Kane]

I’m interested in starting a bar stool, but I’m having difficulty finding the right set of templates or plans. What I’m looking for is a taller version of sam’s lowback dining chair. This Etsy maker is pretty close to what I’m looking to do.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/752375378/bar-stool-sapele-basic-maloof-low-back?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=maloof+bar+stool&ref=sr_gallery-1-4&organic_search_click=1&frs=1

I’ve looked at plans for stools by Scott Morrison, I think Hal Taylor has plans, and finally Canadian Woodworks. Either the stools don’t have arms, or they look too soft and ‘gumby’ like. I like sharper lines in Sam’s pieces. I’m currently considering combining the bar stool and lowback chair from Canadian Woodworks. I made a rocker last year and it was a great build, but I very much realized how helpful good plans are.

[Chip Byrd]

Patrick, Did you ever find any plans besides those listed above?

[Tom Bender]

$16,000 per bar chair?

It could be possible I suppose to justify the price but paying it would be indefensible.

Building your own, excellent!

[Prashun Patel]

I’d get the Morrison plans. I have done a couple of his. The shaping and sculpting is something you just have to observe and practice. No plans will give that to you. Morrison’s DVD’s are long and you see everything. I did Brocks plans too.

[Patrick Kane]

I havent started on the bar stool yet. My mom surprised me with a request for a new dining room table by Thanksgiving. I unloaded $1800 worth of 8/ sapele two weeks ago, so i should have plenty of material for the stool(s). Interestingly enough, i reached out to the guy that built the $16,000 bar stool and spoke to him for a bit. Very very interesting story behind those stools. He and Maloof's shop made a ton of commissions for a wealthy guy with an enormous yacht. I asked if he had templates to share for a price, and he wasnt agreeable to selling them--invited me down to his shop to build one with him, but wouldnt sell the templates. Like Prashun mentions, its mostly in the sculpting and not the plans, but good plans set the structure for the ergonomics of the chairs, i feel. I love the way he rolled the back of the crest rail.

I ended up buying the canadian woodworkers bar stool for $5-10. That will be the base set of templates i work from for the project.

[Prashun Patel]

Unsolicited advice alert:

Also, be advised that all the sculpting takes a lot of time. There's no short cutting it or productionizing it. You can get power tools and grinders large and small to help, but the final shaping just takes time.

I heard someone say (butcheringly paraphrased) : When making a set of chairs, the first is hard, the second is fun, the rest are torture.

I say this from experience: I bought about the same amount of cherry about 9 years ago to do the same as you are contemplating. I made one, and then changed course. I am just now using up the last bit on projects...

You might really consider simplifying the design considerably...

[Patrick Kane]

Oh, i only wanted to make one stool at this time! Although, half a dozen lined up does look pretty sweet.

You are right, i had the majority of a maloof rocker together in maybe 2-3 weekends of woodworking. Structure of the chair, joinery, etc. It then took me the next few months of weekends to do the sculpting and sanding.

[Michael J Evans]

I assume these all start out with square stock and them some form of trickery makes it look like one piece?

[Frederick Skelly]

$16,000 per bar chair?

It could be possible I suppose to justify the price but paying it would be indefensible.

Building your own, excellent!

Noticed the price too. It's a nice stool but geez.......

[Andrew Hughes]

Noticed the price too. It's a nice stool but geez.......

I agree that too much for a copy of Sams work. If it it had is signature on the back that would justify all the zeros.
I would also like to point the chairs do look identical but too heavy in their details. The chairs are not as refined.
They look clunky.