Windsor chair

Windsor chair

A Windsor chair is a chair built with a wooden seat into which are fixed the backrest and undercarriage. Typically, the backrest and sometimes the arm pieces are formed from steam bent pieces of wood.

History

Windsor chairs were developed in the late 17th century in the vicinity of High Wycombe but named for the local big town of Windsor, Berkshire, England. Their introduction to America seems to have been by the 1726 governor of Pennsylvania, Patrick Gordon.

Forms and construction

There are about seven distinctive forms. These include:

* Sack-back

It is common to find Windsors made in the 1700s that contain three different species of wood. Pine or poplar are common for the seat. Elm is common for seats because its rippled grain gives good cross-grain strength that resists splitting where holes are placed close to the edge of a seat. Maple makes crisp turnings. Oak, ash, and elmFact|date=July 2008 all rive (split) and steam bend nicely. They are also straight grained and thus work well for slender spindles.

The wood of the seat is removed to create the saddle. Softer wood makes the shaping of the saddle easier.

The legs are splayed at angles fore-and-aft (rake) as well as side-to-side (splay) to provide actual and visual support of the person sitting. Early chairs made in America usually have stretchers connecting the front and back legs and a cross stretcher connecting the two side stretchers, creating what is known as an "H" stretcher assembly.

"Through-holed and wedged" is one of the primary means of joining Windsor chair parts. A cylindrical or slightly tapered hole is bored in the first piece, the matching cylindrical or tapered end of the second piece is inserted in the hole as a round tenon, and a wedge is driven into the end of this tenon, flaring it tight in the hole. The excess portion of the wedge is then cut flush with the surface. This supplies a mechanical hold that will prevail when the glue fails. In general, early Windsor chair joints are held together mechanically, making glue a redundant detail in their assembly.

Conniseurship

When presented with a 'period' Windsor chair in a stain finish, be aware that in the period, American Windsors were always painted. Look for traces of original paint on the bottom of the seat and in the turnings. Also be aware that the value of such a chair has been diminished by this alteration of the original finish.

See also

* The Windsor Institute

References

A leading expert on Windsor chairs was Tom Crispin of St. Albans, VT, whose book 'The Windsor Chair' of 1991 is a classic on the topic, being the product of 40 years of an intelligent dealer and craftsman's observations and research. [T. Crispin: The Windsor Chair. 1991]

Acknowledged experts in the making of American Windosrs today are Brian Boggs, Michael Dunbarcite book
title=Make a Windsor Chair with Michael Dunbar
author=Michael Dunbar
publisher=Fine Woodworking, Taunton Press
isbn=0918804213
date=1985
] and Drew Langsnercite book
title=The Chairmaker's Workshop: Handcrafting Windsor and Post-and-rung Chairs
author=Drew Langsner
publisher=Lark Books
isbn=1887374345
date=1998
] .

External links

* [http://www.windsorchairresources.com Information on Windsor Chairs]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Windsor chair — Windsor Wind sor, n. A town in Berkshire, England. [1913 Webster] {Windsor bean}. (Bot.) See under {Bean}. {Windsor chair}, a kind of strong, plain, polished, wooden chair. Simmonds. {Windsor soap}, a scented soap well known for its excellence.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Windsor chair — n. a style of wooden chair, esp. popular in 18th cent. England and America, with spreading legs, a back of spindles, and usually a saddle seat …   English World dictionary

  • Windsor chair — (sometimes l.c.) a wooden chair of many varieties, having a spindle back and legs slanting outward: common in 18th century England and in the American colonies. [1715 25] * * *       popular type of wooden chair constructed of turned (shaped on a …   Universalium

  • Windsor chair — noun Etymology: Windsor, England Date: 1740 a wooden chair with spindle back, raking legs, and usually a saddle seat called also Windsor …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Windsor chair — /wɪnzə ˈtʃɛə/ (say winzuh chair) noun a wooden chair of many varieties, having a spindle back and legs slanting outwards, common in 18th century England …  

  • Windsor chair — noun a wooden dining chair with a semicircular back supported by upright rods …   English new terms dictionary

  • Windsor chair — Wind′sor chair′ n. fur any of various wooden chairs of 18th century England and America, having a spindle back and legs slanting outward • Etymology: 1715–25 …   From formal English to slang

  • Windsor chair — n. a wooden dining chair with a semicircular back supported by upright rods …   Useful english dictionary

  • Windsor — may refer to:*Windsor (automobile) defunct American automobile maker *Windsor (typeface), serif typeface used in the credits of Woody Allen films *Windsor cap, soft men s cap *Windsor chair, type of armchair with turned bars forming a back and… …   Wikipedia

  • Windsor — Wind sor, n. A town in Berkshire, England. [1913 Webster] {Windsor bean}. (Bot.) See under {Bean}. {Windsor chair}, a kind of strong, plain, polished, wooden chair. Simmonds. {Windsor soap}, a scented soap well known for its excellence. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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