LumberJocks

Sack Back Windsor

Project by FJDIII posted 236 days ago 300 views 2 times favorited 22 comments Add to Favorites
View FJDIII's profile

FJDIII

41 posts in 245 days


Project tags/keywords

chair oak maple pine

Embed This Project

LumberJocks Code

HTML Code

URL/IMG Code

Preview this project card

Sack Back Windsor Sack Back Windsor Sack Back Windsor Click the pictures to enlarge them

Travelled to New Hampshire this summer to take a Windsor Chair Class with none other than the Windsor Chair Guru himself, Mike Dunbar. It was a 5 day class and we needed a full 4 1/2 days to get the chair completed and ready for paint. All chairs were taken home unfinished with instruction on how to prepare the chair for a milk paint finish. The class was not only a tutorial on how to build a Windsor Chair but a lesson on how to develop methods for mistake prevention. Each project that we take on will inevitabley send us down a path towards a possible mishap leading us to get discouraged from time to time. Mike has taken his many years of teaching chair building and put them to good use for not only does he teach you how to make a chair but he teaches you how to keep your ego in tact through his preventative medicine. His philosophy is to try and prevent mistakes before they happen by adding fail safes along the way. Now I’m not saying that people still didn’t make mistakes because attempting a chair for the first time is no easy project. What I am saying is that I came away with a new mentality about how to approach most any project that I will tackle in the future.

The most intriging thing about the whole experience was watching Mike and his instructors turn people into chairmakers, from all walks of life, in one week.

-- Fred.... Poconos, PA ---- Chairwright in the making ----


22 comments so far

View rjack's profile

rjack

110 posts in 289 days


posted 236 days ago

It is nice work and looks very hard to build!

-- Roger - Havertown, Pennsylvania

View DAN's profile

DAN

2810 posts in 417 days


posted 236 days ago

beautiful chair and good story.

welcome to lumberjocks.

looking forward to seeing more of your work.

this one is especially well done.

-- ..... art for lifes sake

View gene's profile

gene

2130 posts in 318 days


posted 236 days ago

Knowing what it takes, to build a chair. You have done a great job with yours. And proud , you should be.
Nice tutorial also. Thanks for sharing.
God bless

-- Gene, a Christian in Virginia

View gizmodyne's profile

gizmodyne

1474 posts in 524 days


posted 236 days ago

Great chair. I have seen these built at my school. They take an amazing amount of elbow grease and trust in one’s eye for the drilling.

Impressive. Keep up the posts and the good work.

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

View Bill's profile

Bill

2511 posts in 596 days


posted 236 days ago

Great job. The chair looks well done.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

View TreeBones's profile

TreeBones

1378 posts in 458 days


posted 236 days ago

Looks like you brought home a lot more than a nice chair. Mabye we’ll learn some from your experience. Thanks

-- Ron, Twain Harte, Ca. Portable on site Sawmill Service http://westcoastlands.net/Sawmill.html http://westcoastlands.net/SawBucks2/phpBB3

View FJDIII's profile

FJDIII

41 posts in 245 days


posted 235 days ago

Thanks for the kind words! It was great to work with my hands again! For medical reasons 4 years ago I had to give up residential construction. I am currently employed in the vaccine department of a large pharma company. Certainly a big turn around for me as I loved working outdoors and working with my hands. The thing that was most pleasing about the chair was the old fashioned tools , no cords, no loud noise, or equipment to set up. I think the draw knife will be my friend for many years to come!

Fred

-- Fred.... Poconos, PA ---- Chairwright in the making ----

View Karson's profile

Karson

12413 posts in 835 days


posted 235 days ago

Great chair. Now are you making a full set for a dining room.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

View FJDIII's profile

FJDIII

41 posts in 245 days


posted 235 days ago

Karson,

Went yesterday to get the materials for a steam box! Picked up logs a few weeks ago and have been working on getting parts ready for more chairs. I’m hooked on the whole chairmaking thing. My wife got me another class with Mike Dunbar for our anniversary and another one for a Christmas present. So I will be returning to New Hampshire on May 5th for a rocking chair class and Aug 4th another sack back class. She will get that dining room set one way or another! LOL

Fred

-- Fred.... Poconos, PA ---- Chairwright in the making ----

View Karson's profile

Karson

12413 posts in 835 days


posted 235 days ago

Thanks. Good luck on your new classes and getting your wife’s chairs done.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

View cajunpen's profile

cajunpen

5352 posts in 500 days


posted 235 days ago

Beautiful chair and story. I don’t know what he charges for the class, but it sounds like you got your money’s worth.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

View YorkshireStewart's profile

YorkshireStewart

619 posts in 336 days


posted 235 days ago

Welcome to Lumberjocks and thanks for showing your beautiful chair. What a great idea for gifts from your wife! Windsor chairs are rarely painted over here but I do like the finish on this one.

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business.

View mot's profile

mot

4835 posts in 471 days


posted 235 days ago

I’m always impressed with chair makers. Well done!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

View biff_kpv's profile

biff_kpv

208 posts in 298 days


posted 234 days ago

I too make windsor chairs. This one looks great! Great idea for the wife to get you more classes.

-- Kevin -- (http://www.furniturebykevin.com)

View jockmike2's profile

jockmike2

4001 posts in 681 days


posted 234 days ago

Beautiful chair, I’d love to do that just can’t afford the class. mike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

View rikkor's profile

rikkor

7015 posts in 309 days


posted 234 days ago

Your chair came out very nicely. Good luck with the two classes. What nice gifts from your wife.

-- Maplewood, MN

View Billp's profile

Billp

199 posts in 634 days


posted 232 days ago

There is something about making a chair, what a feeling of acomplishment you must feel. Some day I hope to make a chair as wonderful as the one I looking at.

-- Billp

View tenontim's profile

tenontim

795 posts in 179 days


posted 165 days ago

I met Mike Dunbar at a woodworker show, we were both displaying at, in Maine, back in 2002. These chairs don’t fit in with the rest of the furniture that I make, but I was really taken with the workmanship that goes into them. I kick myself for not taking the time to go “next door” to New Hampshire and take the class before I left New England. You did a real nice job on that chair, Fred. These chairs sell real good, so keep after ‘em.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

View FJDIII's profile

FJDIII

41 posts in 245 days


posted 165 days ago

Thanks Tim,

Hard to believe that you would want to leave Maine! I built the house my parents retired to on Bailey Island in 1988 and I have been visiting ever since. Every time I visit the urge to stay gets stronger. The class that I took with Mike was awesome to say the least. He has great teaching methods which enabled people who had never even touched a hand tool before to produce a chair. My wife has gotten me 2 more classes for this year which will get me well on my way to becoming a chair making fool. Little does she know she may become a widow to the woodwork.

Thanks Again,

Fred

-- Fred.... Poconos, PA ---- Chairwright in the making ----

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

8398 posts in 256 days


posted 148 days ago

Fred.

I apologize for missing this one when you originally posted it. But I am glad it came back up on my list. This is a gorgeous chair. I could not imagine the effort and ability it takes to complete a build like this. Obviously working 5 days under a master craftsman says a lot about the effort and talent it takes to complete this chair. Well done.

I am sure more are in your future. Keep ‘em coming. I promise I will be more timely with my next review.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

View kenn's profile

kenn

88 posts in 154 days


posted 145 days ago

There is nothing like a windsor chair. I was hanging around and had to look some more. I too have gotten bitten with the chairmaking bug through Mike Dunbar. Just completed my 13th chair and I have 2 more classes scheduled this fall, Sept 22 for a continous arm and Nov 3 for a writing arm. Maybe I’ll see you at chair class one day soon. Your looks great, keep making them.

-- Every cloud has a silver lining

View jeanmarc's profile

jeanmarc

1533 posts in 151 days


posted 69 days ago

beautiful chair

-- jeanmarc manosque france

You must be signed in to post the comments.

Your Online Shop - Your Support Is Greatly Appreciated - Your Woodworking Showcase - 3 Ways To Help, Financially - Your Woodworking Community

Woodworking StoreApparel StoreMake a Donation
Bookmark And Share This Page
  • View all advertisers
  • Advertise with us

DISCLAIMER: All views and comments posted by members are not necessarily those of LumberJocks.com or of those working on the site.

Latest Projects | Latest Blog Entries | Latest Forum Topics

HomeRefurbers.com

Latest Projects | Latest Blog Entries | Latest Forum Topics

GardenTenders.com :: gardening showcase