Antique Collector - Oak and Country Furniture |
Windsor chairs were developed in the late 17th century in the vicinity of High Wycombe but named for the local big town of Windsor, Berkshire, England. Their introduction to America seems to have been by the 1726 governor of Pennsylvania, Patrick Gordon.
It is common to find Windsors made in the 1700s that contain three different species of wood. Pine or poplar are common for the seat. Elm is common for seats because its rippled grain gives good cross-grain strength that resists splitting where holes are placed close to the edge of a seat. Maple makes crisp turnings. Oak, ash, and elm all rive (split) and steam bend nicely. They are also straight grained and thus work well for slender spindles.
The legs are splayed at angles fore-and-aft (rake) as well as side-to-side (splay) to provide actual and visual support of the person sitting. Early chairs made in America usually have stretchers connecting the front and back legs and a cross stretcher connecting the two side stretchers, creating what is known as an "H" stretcher assembly.
"Through-holed and wedged" is one of the primary means of joining Windsor chair parts, making glue a redundant detail in their assembly.
