The finished Windsor Chairs are now on our Portfolio Page
-watch the building process video-
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-oct 2010
Bow Back Windsor Side Chairs (building process)
We are making six Bow Back Windsor chairs and two Sack Back Windsor chairs for a customer. These chairs will go with the farm table with cherry top that is now completed, and two end tables we have not built yet. Our windsor chairs are handmade, hand turned and hand shaped. Below is the building process of the bow back side chairs.
All of our chair designs are based on antique Windsor chairs of the same style. First, we draw everything full scale. The back, seat, legs, stretchers etc. From these full scale drawings we can make all the patterns we need to get started.
After the leg pattern and stretcher patterns are made turning begins on the lathe. We have 32 legs, 24 stretchers and 4 arm posts to turn on the lathe before we start constructing the bottom part of the chairs.
In between turning we are working on the windsor seat. First, we rough shape the seat on the bandsaw. Then we make a drilling jig to drill the mortises for the legs into the seat. These holes will be tapered with a reamer after the seat is shaped.
The seat gutter is carved in the back of the seat. This defines the area that is dished for sitting and the area where the back and spindles are located. The seat shaping begins with a drawknife and a scorp.
We use various hand tools to dish the seat and to shape the outside edges of the seat. A scorp, drawknife, various spokeshaves, rasps, and scrapers are all used.
The 32 legs are hand turned on the lathe and complete. The seats are shaped and almost complete, ready for the next step.
Next, four holes are reamed to the proper angles in each seat. This makes a tapered mortise. The tops of the legs are tapered to fit tightly in the tapered hole. After all the holes are tapered each leg is hand fit to its mating mortise. Later the legs will get a wedge into the top of the tapered tenon adding even more support for the leg to the seat joinery.
After the legs are all fit, everything is laid out for the side stretchers. Multiple angles are figured before the holes are drilled into the legs for the stretchers. A jig is made to help with the drilling angles. Once the measurements are taken, the two side stretchers are turned on the lathe for each chair. Once turned, stretchers are hand fit to each leg.
Along with working on the chair base we start steaming the wood for the back bows. We steam each piece for an hour in our home made steamer. After an hour of steaming we take the piece out and bend it around our form and allow it to cool.
Next, we fit all the center stretchers. Then we make a drilling jig to drill the holes in the seat to accept the bent bow back. The jig helps with the multiple angles needed for those holes.
After the base is fit we are ready for final assembly with glue. The leg tenons that run through the seat are wedged to form an extremely strong joint. After the glue dries the wedged tenons get pared flush to the seat with chisels.
Next, the steam bent back is cut to size with 5/8” round tenons on both sides, these will fit into the angled holes drilled into the seat before glue up. The tenons are cut square then rounded with a file and a hand shaped scraper.
The bow back is cut with angled shoulders to fit tight onto the seat. This tenon goes through the seat and will also be wedged from below after final fitting and glue up.
Spindles are also being hand shaped. They are shaped with a drawknife and various spokeshaves. The spindles are tapered from bottom to top and there will be nine per chair.
As the spindles are being shaped, the chair backs and seat are being laid out and drilled for the spindles. The bottom holes are drilled first, then the holes in the back bow.
Next up, a scratch stock is made to “scratch” a bead around the back bow. There are two beads on the front of the back bow, both top and bottom.
With all the spindles fit, It is time for the final few steps before glue up. The legs are cut to length, the back of the chair seat is a little lower than the front for comfort. The spindles get small cuts into there tops to accept wedges.
Now for the glue up. The bow back mortises are glued and wedged for an exceptionally strong joint.
Next, each spindle is glued top and bottom. The top of the spindles are then wedged to the bow back. Wider wedges are used to bite into the bow back, this helps keep the spindles from turning if the glue ever fails.
After the glue dries, the wedged spindles are paired and scraped flush and smooth. Now the chairs are ready for the finishing process.
Next, the chairs will get a coat of stain. This will give the wood an older look when it is distressed through the painted finish, giving the chair a more natural aged look.
After the stain dries a coat of traditional red milk paint is applied and allowed to dry. After the layer of red dries two coats of black milk paint are applied. This will give the chairs an older look when distressed, replicating antiques, being painted multiple colors over their lifetime.
Next, after the final coat dries the chairs are distressed. We use different distressing techniques to simulate age. We also look at various antique windsor chairs paying attention to the areas of the chairs that get the most use, this is where we distress our windsor chairs so that the aging can be believable. After the distressing we apply a protective coat of an oil varnish mixture.
