chairs

Resources on traditionally handcrafted Windsors

Specializing in Windsor chairs and hand made traditional furniture. Jeff Trapp offers a 5-day sackback Windsor chairmaking class

I find that every chair takes my best effort and attention to detail. Use of the right woods and joinery leads to a wonderfully light, strong, and resilient structure. Pine or basswood seats are carved deep for comfort. Legs and backs are split from green hardwood following the grain for strength, then shaved, steam bent, or turned to final form. The usual finish is milk paint with Danish oil or shellac. I also make natural chairs of butternut, cherry, and oak.

The Windsor furniture from my shop is made by the same construction techniques that produced today's antiques which are now prized for their distinct character, beauty and strength. It is an ancient form in which the legs and back are socketed into a solid seat. It got its name in England and was refined in the mid 18th century colonies from Philadelphia to Boston. I have chosen from the early Windsors the best elements of design in shape and proportion. I use the traditional species of wood and keep comfort as my guide.

Hand-crafting a variety of styles of Windsor chairs and furniture. Repairs and restoration of hand-made Windsor-period furniture. Providing parts to professional Windsor chairmakers and hobbyists.

Maker of fine 18th century Hand-Made American Windsor Chairs.

Curtis Buchanan makes his Windsor Chairs in much the same way they were made 200 years ago. His small, one-man shop is located in the heart of Jonesborough’s Historic District. Buchanan has published numerous articles on chairmaking and has taught in many craft schools both here and abroad.

Fallen Timber Studios uses 18th century tools and techniques exclusively for their chairs. Starting with a log they split the chair parts from it. Each and every component is shaped by hand the way it was over 200 years ago in Colonial America. Milk Paint is the traditional finish and only finish they use for their Windsors.

The woodworking tools and techniques I use are many centuries old. All the items I make bear the marks of my hand tools. The quiet of my shop is reminicent of a pre-industrial country woodshop. Like 18th century woodworkers I use safe, non-toxic finishes that protect your health, my health and the health of our planet.

Peter Galbert is a full time chairmaker. Before specializing in green wood chairmaking he built custom cabinetry and furniture as well as museum displays. Peter also offers one on one intensive seminars to woodworkers of all levels.