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Windsor Chair

Project by Paul posted 827 days ago 449 views 1 time favorited 8 comments Add to Favorites Watch

I built this Windsor chair in a week-long Windsor Chair class I took with David Wright, Windsor chair maker from Berea, KY.

Traditional green wood construction. Mr. Wright rived (split the wood with the grain) a “kit” of all the necesssary rough sticks of wood from the green log for each class member to make the legs, spindles, arms, stretchers, etc. – The seat blank was the only dry wood.

Then, we sat all week on a shaving horse with a drawshave and spokeshave making the back spindles, the steam bent back bow and steam bent arm bow by hand. We used a hand scorp, draw shave & spokeshave to scoop out and shape the seat. Brace and bit for holes to recieve spindles, legs, etc., – back spindles and legs all wedged. It was my first foray into turning as well for the legs and stretcher parts. I understand that a famous Windsor Chair maker, who wrote a book on the subject, provides pre-turned legs for his students. This was a fun class but I was physically exhausted at the end of the week.

After turning the legs and stretcher parts, some are put into a simple drying kiln and others are left green. The grain in the green stretcher parts is oriented in such a way to the dry stetcher parts that after assembly and the wood of the green parts dries, the parts lock together. We used very tight tenons and glue, too, but as the round green parts dry they actually dry into a slightly oval shape in a round hole which binds the parts together mechanically as well. It’s not “supposed” to ever come apart. Traditional mik paint finish.

Someday, I would like to try make another.

-- Paul, Texas


8 comments so far

View Thos. Angle's profile

Thos. Angle

4013 posts in 860 days


posted 827 days ago

AS good as this one looks I don’t think I’d wait at all. Get in there and make a bunch. good work

-- Thos. Angle

View DAN 's profile

DAN

6456 posts in 881 days


posted 826 days ago

pretty cool, someday I hope to make one of those. Bet it was a fun project !!

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

View Don's profile

Don

2590 posts in 1075 days


posted 826 days ago

I’ve always thought that the mark of a skilled crafter of wood was his/her ability 6o make chairs – congratulations!

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hilsbiblechurch.org/

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

14167 posts in 1058 days


posted 826 days ago

wow…. great achievement

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View Bob A in NJ's profile

Bob A in NJ

530 posts in 897 days


posted 823 days ago

Fantastic way to spend a weeks vacation. Wonderful work! Had you made any type of chairs before this? I always thought chairs were the most complex thing you can do as a woodworker and I’ve yet to tackle something like this. Hope to aspire to this level someday.

-- Bob A in NJ

View Paul's profile

Paul

607 posts in 990 days


posted 822 days ago

Bob – This was my first chair. Yes, a wonderful way to spend vacation!

Thank all for the compliments!

-- Paul, Texas

View Karson's profile

Karson

25806 posts in 1298 days


posted 822 days ago

Great chair Paul. I didn’t see what the wood was. Do you know?

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View Paul's profile

Paul

607 posts in 990 days


posted 821 days ago

The seat is clear pine and the rest is red oak, if memory serves me correctly. There may be as many as three different woods in traditional Windsor Chairs – one for each section of the chair – bow back (strength & bending qualities), seat (ease of shaping with hand scorp/tools) and legs/stretchers (strength)

-- Paul, Texas

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