Windsor Chairs: Frequently asked questions

Who is Colin Foxhall?

I make mainly Windsor chairs, and occasionally a few other things. I work as a sole trader, from my own workshops on our smallholding near Tavistock in Devon, England, where I have lived and worked for about twenty years. Due to the small size of the business there is no VAT to add to any of the prices, and I only sell direct, passing on the large saving direct to my customers. More about the chairmaker

Are your chairs guaranteed?

To give you complete confidence, I offer this guarantee:-

"If you are not happy with your chairs for any reason, just return them to me carriage paid and I will repair or replace them free. Or if you wish I will refund the original purchase price. This guarantee will last as long as you think reasonable."

This is equivalent to the "Lifetime guarantee" offered by so many suppliers, but as handmade Windsor chairs have a potential life span of hundreds of years if carefully used, I'd be grateful if your descendants didn't hassle my great grandchildren in years to come!

This guarantee is in addition to and does not affect your normal legal rights. It does not normally cover damage through neglect, damp, heat, severe impact, or accident, but even in those cases I may be able to assist.

Are all the chairs made by you personally?

Yes. I make a range of Windsor chairs from mainly locally grown hardwoods such as Oak, Ash, Beech and Elm. The components are all hand crafted by me, mainly from green (unseasoned) timber and then carefully dried before assembly. Great care is taken with the design and construction to ensure that the chairs will last a very long time, even in modern centrally heated homes. Bent parts are solid timber, steam bent to shape (not laminated).

Beware of statements by others that furniture is "made of English timber" and similar claims. Often, the English timber is sent abroad to be assembled by cheap labour, then the furniture is returned to the UK to be sold. On the face of it there is nothing wrong with that, but you should be aware of the possibilities.

Do you make other products as well?

I try to stick to what I do best, which is mainly Windsor chairs. As I don't posess a decent straight edge, try square or machinery, I find it almost impossible to make anything straight or with a right angle in it. But I have joined forces with a group of local specialist woodworkers, who between them can make almost anything you want. It has been a real eye opener for me to see the multitude of skills on offer from these very talented people. Our marketing cooperative is called Bespoke Woodworkers . The website is still in its infancy, but does show the kind of products on offer and contact details for all the makers.

What is your commitment to the environment?

This has got to be a big section all of its own so I have a separate page for it now. Click here for the environment page

You can be sure that my chairs are produced in the most sustainable way possible, with the smallest possible impact on the environment.

What is a Windsor chair?

A Windsor chair is one with a shaped wooden seat into which are fixed all the other major components. The backrest and legs are always separate. Due to this method of construction all the angles and shapes can be designed for comfort, strength and stability. Many people remember them as the kind of chair that Granny had by the fireside.

Do you use all traditional techniques?

Where traditional techniques are best, I use them. I also employ modern methods where these are appropriate, especially for removing waste. Tungsten carbide tools and diamond sharpening have their place, even in my workshop, but shaping with an old fashioned spokeshave is the only way to get the right 'feel' to seats and backsticks. I now have a semi automatic copying lathe, which I use to 'rough out' my turnings, which are then shaped and finish turned by hand with the dreaded skew chisel to get those sharp edges and deep details which cannot be produced by machine. Where a traditional chairmaker would have used a brace and spoon bit to drill mortices, I use forstner bits in a pillar drill to get the accuracy I need for joints which will be subject to the rigours of central heating.

Some of your chairs look a bit delicate. Are they strong enough?

Certainly some of my chairs do look delicate, and that is quite deliberate. By careful selection of materials and attention to detail of design all my chairs are plenty strong enough for their purpose. But I do produce more visually "chunky" designs, usually of Old English descent, for those who want that look.

What finishes are available?

Sealed and wax polished to show off the natural colour, grain and texture of the wood.

or

Stained, then 3 coats of shellac (french polish) rubbed down between coats to give a realistic patina, then hot waxed, giving the nearest thing to an antique finish that you are likely to get.

or

Painted with an old fashioned water based paint and sealed with oils and wax for an authentic look and feel. (Many Windsor chairs were originally painted). In time with constant use this paint finish will wear thin at the edges giving a beautiful patina to the chair.

Why buy hand made Chairs?

Because they last longer, and are better looking. In years to come, if you look after them, your handmade chairs will become heirlooms.

Hand made chairs can be made of thinner selected materials thus improving appearance, and GAINING strength and flexibility due to the distribution of stresses. Timber can be carefully selected for moisture content and grain pattern. Seats can be deeply sculpted to improve comfort. Hand made chairs of a type may look identical at first sight but slight differences will gradually become apparent to delight the eye. Your hand made chairs will always be unique.

There are many perfectly satisfactory machine made mass produced chairs available, and due to the way they are made they are also likely to be cheaper. To stand up to the additional stresses of machine manufacture, components tend to be made of thicker section timber, and machine lathe turned components are generally less crisp and detailed. Seat sculpting tends to be less pronounced. Generally all this can lead to a "lumpy" appearance. All machine made chairs of a type will be more or less identical. And of course everyone has them!

It's your choice!

How can I justify the additional cost of handmade chairs?

Apart from the sheer pleasure of owning furniture made by a craftsman, the longer life of a handmade chair should justify the additional cost by itself.

Will my hand made chairs increase in value?

I can't guarantee that they will. At least not for the first fifty years. After that, who knows?

Will cheap mass produced chairs increase in value?

No.

Why not just buy antiques?

Have you ever tried buying a genuine set of matching antique Windsor chairs? If they really do match they will be relatively expensive. If they don't quite match they may be what is euphemistically known as a "Harlequin set".

Antique chairs were made in a time before central heating was generally available, so were not designed for the very dry atmospheres of modern homes, and will often be loose in the joints. But good quality antique Windsor chairs are nice. Buy them if you can find them. They are not getting any cheaper.

Where can I find out more?

Use the contact details below. You can find out more about Windsor chairs generally by visiting the Windsor Chair resource centre www.windsorchairresources.com . If you decide that windsor chairs are not for you, or perhaps you need a crafter outside the UK, I have lots of contacts for other craft workers. Or try visiting www.custommade.com, especially if you are looking for a chairmaker in the US.

Can you supply chairs to the US?

I never dreamed that this would be a "frequently asked question". I haven't yet exported any chairs to the US. I have no plans to do so either, as I am not sure of the product liability issues in the States, and currently shipping costs and import taxes make it uneconomical. (Whatever happened to free trade?) However I would be happy to deliver to UK addresses for US clients who want to buy chairs, perhaps as gifts for UK friends. If anyone knows of a cost effective way of shipping to the US I would be pleased to hear of it, although I am not convinced of the environmental credentials of air freighting chairs overseas when there are many good chair makers in the States already.

Do you accept credit cards?

I can't justify the cost of a merchant account at present, and that would add about 7 percent to my prices. As most of my chairs are made to order, there is plenty of time to process and clear cheques. What's the rush anyway? Direct credit transfer is now possible for anyone with internet banking facilities.

Contact information

Electronic mail address - colinwindsorchair.co.uk (to reduce spam this is not an active link so you will need to type this address in full in the "to" box of your email)