This Windsor chair was constructed primarily using traditional methods. The spindles for the back were rived out of green white quarter-sawn oak and shaped using a draw knife on a shaving horse. They were then kiln dried and final shaped with a spoke-shave. The seat is carved out of basswood. … The shape was roughed out with an adze and smoothed using an in-shave, drawknife, and travisher. The back was roughed out in the same fashion as the spindles, from quarter-sawn white oak using a draw knife on a shave horse, and then steam bent using a form. The holes for the spindles and back were hand drilled using a brace and tapering bit. The back and spindles are all wedged to solidify the construction.

The only departure from traditional methods was in the construction of the legs and stretchers, which were turned on an electric lathe. All other construction could be done without the use of electricity. The legs are also wedged into the seat. The Tarheel lettering was carved by hand and gives the chair a uniquely non-tradition flare. The paint is an enamel oil based product that is extremely durable. The UNC blue was custom mixed for me by a local paint shop, Swann Paint, using the official recipe given to them by the University of North Carolina.

Read more Read less