Windsor Chair 2
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Windsor Chair 2: The back spindles, the legs, stretchers, arm posts, arm rail, and back bow are all carved from rived red oak. The seat is basswood. The chair is painted with milk paint, an under layer of red and a top coat of dark blue. It is finished with boiled linseed oil.
The basic plans for this Windsor chair are from a workshop I took from Mike Dunbar at the Windsor Institute [http://www.thewindsorinstitute.com/] and from the book he published on the subject. However, I have made a number of design changes to improve comfort and to suit my own aesthetic.
The basic plans for this Windsor chair are from a workshop I took from Mike Dunbar at the Windsor Institute [http://www.thewindsorinstitute.com/] and from the book he published on the subject. However, I have made a number of design changes to improve comfort and to suit my own aesthetic.
The legs, stretchers, and arm posts are carved into an octagonal cross-section, instead of the traditional lathe-turned round cross-section. Each facet is very slightly concave, which subtly catches the light and emphasizes the facets. For the back of the chair, I used an even number of spindles with a relatively close spacing to enhance the support and comfort for one's back. With an even number of spindles, there is no center spindle to interfere with one’s spine when one sits straight in the chair, and the small spacing of spindles better distributes the pressure of one’s back against the chair. To emphasize the location of the mid-line of the chair, I added a medallion between the two middle spindles. The medallion features a carved pheon, which is a heraldic device representing an engrailed broad-arrowhead. The spindles have a slight flair at the bottom that becomes a gentle curve above the arm rail. The end of the hand rest has a thickness and shape that fits the natural curve of one’s fingers, and it incorporates gentle grooves that invite one’s fingers to locate and rest in a natural position.