Windsor Chairmaker
539 Province Road, Belmont, New Hampshire
03220
USA
Telephone: (603) 524-9560
E-Mail: mhford@worldpath.net
539 Province Road, Belmont, New Hampshire
03220
USA
Telephone: (603) 524-9560
E-Mail: mhford@worldpath.net
As a Windsor Chairmaker, I am endeavoring to create a product as closely as possible in style and construction methods as Craftsmen of the last half of the 18th century. An antique representation, that is pleasing to the eye as well as functional. Blending in with yesterday or today's life styles. Seats are hand planed and carved from 2" native pine, using a draw knife, spoke shave and inshave to deeply scoop and finish the seat in the traditional manner and comfort of the Original Windsor. Stretchers and legs are turned from hard maple with only the Craftsman's eye to guide him, resulting in slight differences, not noticeable to the eye in the finished chair, which is individually assembled and finished by hand. The steam bending of bows is done with carefully selected woods of hickory and ash. Because of the handcrafted methods and attention to detail, only a limited amount of chairs are produced annually.
A Windsor chair is composed of several kinds of woods. The merit consists not in the kind of wood, but in its shape. The obvious reason for using pine for the seat is that it was very easily worked and neither warped, swelled, or shrunk so much as other woods. The legs and stretchers are usually maple; the bow (or hoop), the top rail, and spindles were hickory, white oak, or ash. The arm rail was maple when heavy and sawed; when light and bent it was of the same wood as the bow. The comb was hickory or oak, and rarely ash, which is not as good as it splinters too readily.
An important matter of style is the rake of the legs, otherwise called splay or slant. A Windsor without this rake is graceless. No other type of chair has splayed legs, because in a Windsor only, does the leg go into a hole in the seat. The bulbs in the side stretchers were no doubt formed to give greater strength at the junction with the cross stretchers, but the cross stretcher itself was then supplied with a bulb because its shape was discovered to be graceful, and was probably first made bulbous through the accident of using an extra side stretcher for the cross stretcher.
A brightly shining Windsor is offensive. The early finish was often the old Indian red. This was more a stain than a paint. A modern substitute for it, under the same name, is obtainable. The old Indian red was used on panel work, chests, and chairs with great impartiality and generous abandon. It is not bright and supplies a good finish today. Red paint is also a popular old finish. There was not too much color in our ancestor's lives and they loved to make it appear in their furniture. Dark green seems to have been the most popular color and most satisfactory. Windsors in old advertisements often mentioned as green. It is a very desirable color. But, light green is perhaps worst of all, except white.
Black, not so common originally, is a most excellent finish, for it not only covers a multitude of sins, but it is harmonious with any other furniture. As there are not heavy broad lines in Windsors, black is not somber, and will be found the most satisfactory of all for the modern furniture. Yellow was not uncommon, especially in children's chairs. Brown and even drab are found. But, white should be avoided. Not a good word can be said for it. It is bad taste through and through. The fad for it, to match chamber furniture, is inexcusable.
To give another form a
color
scheme, one would do well to use green for porch and country house,
used
black for dining room or living room, yellow for the nursery or simple
chambers, and natural finish anywhere. A heavy layer of paint on
an otherwise fine chair, sometimes obliterates its fine lines. It
is best to clean carefully, when two coats well rubbed down produce a
very
fine effect.
Custom finishes are available upon
request. Please contact us to discuss your desired finish and
determine any additional costs.
For more information, call
me at (603) 524-9560
mhford@worldpath.net
