New Windsor Chair: update

Creating a new piece is, by necessity, a labor of love: it’s guaranteed to take 2 to 3 times as long as planned. That’s not good or bad, just the way development is. In this case, an opportunity to show my newest offering at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in NYC was the final impetus. Sometimes I’m grateful for deadlines.

Among the gnarly surprises I encountered, the crest rail could not be sawn from a solid piece of stock as planned. This would have put short grain where it is least welcome: at the joint. Rather I opted for a bent ply lamination using yellow glue. This yielded a part which is like Gary Cooper: tough and handsome. Another task which was more persnickety than I’d anticipated was boring the spindle holes at precisely the correct angles (each one different!) ...I love complex geometry, but can sometimes paint myself into a corner. The answer lied in the correct auger (by WoodOwl), which I found at http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/, coupled with a steady guide system.

The rest of the chair is rather straightforward, consisting largely of turnings and wedged, through-tenon joints. The result is quite robust in spite of it’s delicate appearance. Aesthetically, while any two contrasting woods will work, I’m particularly taken with the Walnut & Figured Maple seen here.

I’ve got a settee in mind, based on this chair and will be posting about that soon.

Till then ...Rich

"New Windsor" Chair: modern treatment of a classic design

This is a project that bubbled to the surface a couple of months ago. Some designs come more easily than others. Anyway, since chairs are the "stock in trade" for most furniture makers, I'm always searching for new products to offer. While tinkering with a completely unrelated concept (my Flaming Poster Bed design-more later), I hit upon a strong & simple way to mount a leg to a seat blank. This required a hefty top which dictated a dramatic taper. After some sketches (see photo) I picked up a bit of Walnut scrap and lathe turned a 1/4 scale leg. The appeal of the shape was instant, so I made four and fastened them to some pine of a suitable thickness. The resulting contrast of materials was pleasing, but now what? After struggling for a week or two with the design of the backrest, I remembered my own words "bring this piece into the 21st century". My aha moment was a decision to honor the masters of the past with the use of Windsor Chair style construction rather than solid panels. The two tone chair pictured is the 7 inch tall model which resulted.

The next step was to build a full size prototype. I hesitated here, knowing that without comfort, I would not have a valid design. Can it be made comfortable? ...I took the plunge. A few days in the shop produced the result you see here: a 30" tall spruce sample. Fortunately, after some careful adjusting, I arrived at a low back design with user friendly contours. An early morning shard of sunshine inspired the snapshot (with untrimmed spindles). BTW, my good friend and NYC photographer John Gotman taught me never to hesitate with good lighting. "Everything else can wait!"

Well, this accounts for the lions share of development. A few tweaks to the joinery & such will prepare it for production. Next Step: select some Walnut and Maple stock then get to work on the real deal. It is my intention to have this completed this summer to be followed by a family of tables of related design. Till then... -Rich