Sort of a Birdcage Windsor

[Steve Voigt]

I say "sort of" because I didn't want to build a traditional birdcage chair, but rather a modernist version, stripped of ornamentation.

Originally, I planned to build a Modernist fanback Windsor, along the lines of Nakashima's New Chair or Moser's Eastward chair. But after I mocked up the crest rail with some construction lumber, I was pretty underwhelmed with the result. I hemmed and hawed and thought it over for weeks, and then I finally did something radical: I ripped my crest rail into two halves and made a Modernist birdcage Windsor instead. Haven't put any finish on it yet, but here it is, all glued up:

I'm viewing this chair as a prototype--I want to make some changes for the next one. The biggest change will be to add an inch between the two crest rails. Also, the stretcher tenons have shoulders, and I hate those, so I'll get rid of them. There are a few other minor changes as well. But overall, I'm pretty satisfied.

Now I need to figure out what to finish the chair with. Have to mull that over for a while…I haven't even ordered samples yet. I'll post some pics when it's done.

Thoughts/criticisms/suggestions welcome. Thanks for looking.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

I grew up with a set of chairs like that in the more traditional style. It is one of my favorite styles, so I say well done.

As to finish, when my parents got theirs they were covered with a thick varnish. My mother stripped them down with steel wool and denatured alcohol, and the resulting aged wood, with signs of use on the bare wood has always appealed to me. I think if I built a chair like that I would like to try using a "non-durable" finish like tung oil or boiled linseed oil, which would provide some protection to changes in humidity and things like that, but allow the use of the chair to show more than it seems to with some other finishes.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Very nicely done Steve. I would contend however that it is still a birdcage Windsor whether ornamented or not. There were lots of makers "back in the day" and their interpretations varied all over the map. Generally the only common element was a paint job and maybe some pin striping.

[Frederick Skelly]

That's handsome work Steve. Definitely something to be proud of - she looks great! I'm especially taken with the very crisp, sculpted "peak" on the seat. Too many times that is flatter/less prominent than what you did.

For the finish, maybe just a shellac? Or do chairs require something harder and more durable?

One day, I intend to learn to build chairs. So, I wanted to ask how you fabricated the round and rounded parts; e.g. spokeshave, drawknife or something else?

[Brian Holcombe]

Gorgeous work Steve! For the finish....it depends, do you have a table in mind that you want to use this with?

[lowell holmes]

Steve,
I like your chair. Traditional windsor finishes sometimes include black milk paint over red milk paint. I guess I prefer the natural color it is now.
I attended a windsor class some years ago. We turned the legs and large spindles. The small spindles were shaved on a shave horse.

If you would care to discuss it, I would be interested in how you built it.

Your picture causes me to want to build one.

[Steve Voigt]

Thanks all for the nice comments.

Nick, where in Va are you? I'm in the Shenandoah.

Dave, you're right, there was an incredible variety to Windsor chairs in the 18th C.

Brian, my dining table is a Nakashima-ish piece with a cherry top and very dark, ebony-stained walnut undercarriage. I was considering a couple finishes that Peter Galbert has used…this one (shown in the last two photos) and also this one (2nd, 3rd, 4th photos). Not sure though, those might be too opaque.

Fred and Lowell, briefly, I turned the legs and stretchers on my $75, 50-yr old craftsman lathe. A hunk o' junk, but fine for simple spindles. Fabricating a longer tool rest helps a lot. The spindles were shaved with drawknife, spokeshave, plane, and scrapers. I described a lot of the techniques in more detail in my blog, and also showed the builds of a lot of the chairmaking tools I made (travisher, reamer, spokeshave, steambox, and froe). One of these days, I will link all the posts together by project, but not yet. I think I learned almost everything I needed to know from Curtis's videos, Galbert's blog, and Langsner's The Chairmaker's Workshop. The only really non-traditional thing I did was to rough out the seat with a carving attachment on an angle grinder. I don't have an adze, and I already had the carving attachment, so it seemed like the way to go. I noticed that Mr. Jack Plane use the same technique.

I think I set a record for hyperlinks in this post.

[Brian Holcombe]

Steve, I like the darker finish personally. Is the chair made of elm?

[Paul Saffold]

Steve, nice chair. What wood did you use for the seat?

Thanks for the link to your blog and the details you've posted about your design thoughts. I'm verrry slowly buying and making tools for chairmaking. My latest is a adze with the blade from Kestrel tools. They cater to the northwest native style carving. I am surprised how secure the blade is with the twine wrap. Have only used it on scrap to practice. http://www.kestreltool.com

Paul

[Steve Voigt]

Brian-- thanks for the input. I think you are probably right, and the dark would probably work better with the table. And good eye--the seat is red elm; the rest is white oak.

Paul-- yeah, making your own tools sure slows down the process, but if you are not in a hurry it is worth it. Thanks for the link to the adzes. Very cool! You probably know, Tim Manney makes an adze of similar design; I think he and Galbert co-designed it.

[Brian Holcombe]

Awesome, I'd love to see it in a white oil finish, but I know the darker finish will be great with the table. How do you like working with Elm? It's fairly common around here but I've yet to work with it.

[Steve Voigt]

This is my first time, but so far elm works just fine. It is easy to plane. Carving can be a little challenging, because it is fairly coarse, but you are used to ash, so I think you would have no problems--ash is much harder too.
Carving a pine seat is a whole lot easier, but I'm glad I went with the elm--I think it looks nicer and the grain is a better fit for oak. More durable too.

[Graham Haydon]

I like the chair a great deal Steve. I'm not cultured in making chairs so I have no advice at all, not sure you need any anyhow. Excellent!

[Brian Holcombe]

Cool, I always have projects coming up, so I will plan one in elm. Sounds like a nice wood to work.

I really love Nakashima's 'New Chair'.....this is easily a match for that, you've really done a wonderful job. Proportions are everything and you've nailed it, this is looking both delicate and strong.

[Steve Voigt]

Graham, thanks!

Brian, that is high praise indeed, coming from you. Thanks. It's nice to hear stuff like that when I've just spent an entire weekend making mistakes and scrap wood.