David Wright Windsor Chairs
& Fine Furniture
Hand-Crafted Windsor Furniture
Bench-Made Windsor Chairs
Since 1987
- Elegantly hand-made, one at a time
- Made of hand-selected, locally sourced woods
- All components riven (split) directly from logs
- Ensures unsurpassed strength in material
- Built using traditional 18th century wet / dry joiners
- Guaranteed Lifetime Usage
Not all Windsor chairs are created equal.
To make a properly constructed Windsor Chair that is BUILT TO LAST – certain techniques are crucial and shortcuts should never be taken. While others may take cost saving shortcuts or mass produce their chairs, you won't find any of those practices used here, ever.
Windsor Style, Done Wright!
As a master craftsman, I build my Windsor chairs using the original techniques of traditional 18th century chair-makers. All woodworking is performed in my studio workshop attached to my circa 1830’s cape-style home in Parsonsfield, Maine. Each piece of fine furniture is made one at a time so the upmost attention can be devoted to every detail of the design.
The process of Windsor chair making begins with a log straight from the woods.
Veneer quality red or white oak, ash, and maple are primarily used. Select logs are split to ensure straight grain wood. The oaks and ash with their tremendous tensile strength, are needed for the back arms and spindles. Turnings are made from hard maple as this wood provides the detailed crispness for the legs, stretchers and arm post. Two inch sawn boards of Eastern white pine are carved deeply for the most aesthetically and comfortable seating.
Working with wood straight from a green log means that selected parts need to be thoroughly dried before assembly. Dried tenons will be assembled into mortised holes of higher moisture content. Such is the case with dried stretcher tenons assembled into a leg mortise, as the leg dries and shrinks, the joint becomes tighter - never to loosen and fail from use. Once dried, the legs and post tenons are fitted to a through tapered mortise in the seat and, upon assembly, are glued and wedged.
I believe, as did traditional 18th century chair-makers, that painted chairs display the elegant lines of a Windsor more clearly than if plainly left in the wood. The paint creates continuity throughout the chair's design and draws the eye to focus on the overall aesthetics, rather than on the wood alone.
Since making my first Windsor chair in 1987, I strive to create pieces that display the deep passion and appreciation I have for the art of woodworking, which is evident in the quality and craftsmanship of all my finished products. My chairs do increase in value over time, therefore I sign and date each one.
I'd love to make a chair ~or two~ for you!