The bread and butter of the Windsor trade in the 1790s was the bow-back, side chair. Introduced in Philadelphia in the mid-1780s, it was originally referred to as a Philadelphia oval back chair. The pattern was soon being made all over New England and the Mid-Atlantic. The design was suitable for use around a dining table and took up less room than the popular fan-back chairs.
As with all of our Windsors, each chair begins with locally milled green lumber. Every seat is hand-carved from Eastern White Pine. We do all of our turnings by hand on a lathe out of maple or black birch. Every spindle is rived and shaved on a shave horse to ensure the grain is left unbroken from end to end. This traditional process is repeated on the chair's back before steaming and bending. The legs are set using a traditional tapered lock joint which increases the chair's stability. Finally, everything is wedged, hand-sanded, and finished with your choice of colored lacquer or milk paint. Every piece is custom made to order allowing us to tailor each commission to your specific needs.
Sizing varies slightly by piece, see individual pieces below for variations and sizing by style.
Price: as shown with comb $1450.00
Buy Now
Read More
The Comb-back Windsor is often considered the first "American-made" Windsors. These popular and comfortable chairs featured an oval seat, with arms typically made up of a single, steam-bent piece of wood, and legs with a simple taper in the foot.
sizing varies slightly by piece
This contemporary take on the classic American Windsor bench is available to seat two (2), three (3), or four (4), the larger two sizes require an additional center leg.
Each bench begins with locally grown green lumber. The seat and crest rail are hand-carved from Eastern White Pine. We do all of our turnings by hand on a lathe, out of maple. The legs are set using a traditional tapered lock joint which increases the bench's stability. Finally everything is wedged, hand sanded and finished with your choice of colored lacquer, milk paint or natural finish —available in solid mahogany, black walnut, cherry, ash, maple or oak for an additional $800.
Every piece is custom made to order allowing us to tailor each commission to your specific needs (variety of wood and sizing). This contemporary Windsor bench has sleek lines and a fantastic feel. It is equally at home on your porch, in your entrance way, living room, dining room, or kitchen.
The Continuous-arm Windsor chair was one of the only Windsors developed outside of Philadelphia (circa. 1789) and became for New York what the sack back had been for Philadelphia. These popular and comfortable chairs featured a shield seat, as opposed to the Philadelphia-style oval seat. The chair is available with or without a tail brace and a comb, in kid's or youth size, and with an oval seat which offers a greater chair width for extra comfort. A guitar picking option is also available if you would like only the left or right arm (see images for examples).
Our hand-carved bench-made Kid's sized or youth Windsor chairs are available in traditional designs including Sack-back, Comb-back, Bow-back, and Continuous-arm. The Windsor was introduced to the American colonies by the English in the early 18th century. American chairmakers quickly adopted the tradition and expanded on the original design creating a uniquely American style. Windsor chairs feature tapered joinery—weight on the seat of the chair causes the joints to strengthen not loosen as is the case in traditional tenon joinery. The strength and stability of the Windsor make them a treasured American classic.
As with all of our Windsors, each chair begins with locally milled green lumber. Every seat is hand-carved from Eastern White Pine. We do all of our turnings by hand on a lathe out of maple or black birch. Every spindle is rived and shaved on a shave horse to ensure the grain is left unbroken from end to end. This traditional process is repeated on the chair's back before steaming and bending. The legs are set using a traditional tapered lock joint which increases the chair's stability. Finally, everything is wedged, hand sanded and finished with your choice of colored lacquer or milk paint. Every piece is custom made to order allowing us to tailor each commission to your specific needs.
All of our licensed pieces are custom commissions, hand-crafted in our boutique studio. The Monticello Windsor Bench® is part of our licensed Monticello furniture collection.
Our Nanny bench was inspired by a circa 1790-1810 New England cradle in the collections of Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum. It features a rounded end that flows from a Sack-back bench design. It has a hand-carved New England style continuous plank seat with a single rain gutter surrounding all the vertical parts socketed in the seat. It features Philadelphia-style legs and arms characterized by a tall baluster ring and cylindrical turnings ending in a blunt arrow foot (circa 1740-1790). The back curves around slightly to the left to cradle the sitter. This also provides a comfortable position for keeping an eye on a sleeping child snug in the cradled right side of the bench.
Each chair begins with locally milled green lumber. Every seat is hand-carved from Eastern White Pine. We do all of our turnings by hand on a lathe out of maple or black birch. Every spindle is rived and shaved on a shave horse to ensure the grain is left unbroken from end to end. This traditional process is repeated on the chair's back before steaming and bending. The legs are set using a traditional tapered lock joint which increases the chair's stability. Finally, everything is wedged, hand sanded, and finished with your choice of colored lacquer or milk paint. Every piece is custom made to order allowing us to tailor each commission to your specific needs.
Our Nanny bench was inspired by a circa 1790-1810 New England cradle in the collections of Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum. It features a rounded end that flows from a Sack-back bench design. It has a hand-carved New England style continuous plank seat with a single rain gutter surrounding all the vertical parts socketed in the seat. It features Philadelphia style legs and arms characterized by a tall baluster ring and cylindrical turnings ending in a blunt arrow foot (circa 1740-1790). The back curves around slightly to the left to cradle the sitter. This also provides a comfortable position for keeping an eye on a sleeping child snug in the cradled right side of the bench.
Each chair begins with locally milled green lumber. Every seat is hand-carved from Eastern White Pine. We do all of our turnings by hand on a lathe out of maple or black birch. Every spindle is rived and shaved on a shave horse to ensure the grain is left unbroken from end to end. This traditional process is repeated on the chair's back before steaming and bending. The legs are set using a traditional tapered lock joint which increases the chair's stability.
Finally everything is wedged, hand sanded and finished with your choice of colored lacquer or milk paint. Choose your finish milk paint color from the sample board. Click on the image for a close up. Due to the many variations in monitors and browsers, color samples may appear different on different monitors and screens.
If you select the custom color option (+$150 custom color fee), we will email you for color confirmation.
Estimated 4-6 weeks for fabrication and delivery.
The Rod-back Birdcage Windsor bench (settee) features Asian-influenced bamboo style turnings. The stylish, early 18th-century design incorporates a rare curved seat with back, arms, and medial stretchers also curved to match. The top corners are hand carved just like their 19th-century counterparts to resemble a mitered or "duckbill" bamboo joint, as a result, this style of Windsor is sometimes referred to as a “duckbill” Windsor.
Each bench begins with locally milled green lumber. Every seat is hand-carved from Eastern White Pine. We do all of our turnings by hand on a lathe out of maple or black birch. Every spindle is rived and shaved on a shave horse to ensure the grain is left unbroken from end to end. This traditional process is repeated on the chair's back before steaming and bending. The legs are set using a traditional tapered lock joint which increases the chair's stability. Finally, everything is wedged, hand sanded, and finished with your choice of colored lacquer or milk paint. Every piece is custom made to order allowing us to tailor each commission to your specific needs.
Price: starting at $7500 (seats 3)
Value-added options:
The Rod-back Windsor side chair developed from the traditional pinched hoop or Bow-back style Windsor to included a square back design that incorporated Asian-influenced bamboo style turnings (circa 1810). These popular and comfortable chairs feature a shield seat (either traditional or modified), as opposed to the Philadelphia-style oval seat. The most stylish form of this chair is known as a birdcage Windsor. Alternate back spindles of the chair pass through a second “rod” giving the allusion of a birdcage. In the birdcage, the top corners are hand-carved just like their 19th-century counterparts to resemble a mitered or "duckbill" bamboo joint. This chair is available with or without the birdcage.
The Windsor was introduced to the American colonies by the English in the early 18th century. American chair-makers quickly adopted the tradition and expanded on the original design creating a uniquely American style. Windsor chairs feature tapered joinery—weight on the seat of the chair causes the joints to strengthen not loosen as is the case in traditional tenon joinery. The strength and stability of the Windsor make them a treasured American classic.
The Sack-back Windsor chair was developed in the 1760s and exported from Philadelphia throughout the American colonies. These popular and comfortable chairs featured an oval seat, with arms typically made up of a single, steam-bent piece of wood, and legs with a simple taper in the foot.
Each chair begins with locally milled green lumber. Every seat is hand-carved from Eastern White Pine. We do all of our turnings by hand on a lathe out of maple or black birch. Every spindle is rived and shaved on a shave horse to ensure the grain is left unbroken from end to end. This traditional process is repeated on the chair's back before steaming and bending. The legs are set using a traditional tapered lock joint which increases the chair's stability. Finally, everything is wedged, hand sanded and finished with your choice of colored lacquer or milk paint. Every piece is custom made to order allowing us to tailor each commission to your specific needs.
Sack-back Windsor benches (settees) are available to seat two, three, or four adults (pricing varies by size). Most of the early Windsor benches (settees) were produced in Philadelphia (ca. 1750-1770) and feature a hand carved, New England style, continuous plank seat.
Each bench, as with all of our Windsors, begins with locally milled green lumber. Every seat is hand-carved from Eastern White Pine. We do all of our turnings by hand on a lathe out of maple or black birch. Every spindle is rived and shaved on a shave horse to ensure the grain is left unbroken from end to end. This traditional process is repeated on the chair's back before steaming and bending. The legs are set using a traditional tapered lock joint which increases the chair's stability. Finally, everything is wedged, hand sanded and finished with your choice of colored lacquer or milk paint. Every piece is custom made to order allowing us to tailor each commission to your specific needs.
Price: starting at
A toddler-sized Windsor chair is sure to become instant family heirloom. Perfect to pull up to a tea party, or a work table, the stable historic construction of these chairs supports the full weight of an adult.
Our hand-carved bench-made toddler sized Windsor chairs are available in traditional designs including sack-back, and comb back. The Windsor was introduced to the American colonies by the English in the early 18th-century. American chair-makers quickly adopted the tradition and expanded on the original design creating a uniquely American style. Windsor chairs feature tapered joinery—weight on the seat of the chair causes the joints to strengthen not loosen as is the case in traditional tenon joinery. The strength and stability of the Windsor make them a treasured American classic.
All tools and materials used during the course are provided by Chicone School of Windsor and are included in the standard tuition rate. Lunch and coffee breaks will be provided daily, Monday through Friday. A minimum of two (2) students is needed to run each class.
Beginner to Intermediate Class: (no prior experience is necessary)
$1300
Register Now
Intermediate to Advanced Class: (some experience is recommended)
$1600
*(a 50% deposit is due upon registration, the remainder of the course tuition is due the first day of class)
We accept Visa, Master Card, and personal check.
We will refund course deposits and tuition if a cancellation is made at least 30 days prior to the first day of the class.
All tools and materials used during the course are provided by Chicone School of Windsor and are included in the standard tuition rate. Students are not required to bring anything except their enthusiasm! You do, however, have the option of bringing some or all of your own tools or purchasing a Windsor Tool making kit to take home with you to your home shop.
© 2024 Chicone
[forms ID=1]