Sawyer Fan Back II

Well, here is the finished "Dave Sawyer" fan back windsor chair ready for milk paint, otherwise called "in the white". I really like the classic look. The chair is very light and sits you up to a table. Very comfortable.


For those of you who are ambitious woodworkers wanting to try a chair I have included
somewhat of a road map below. The first figure is the post turning which can be difficult due to it's size and length and possible chatter. I like to use green maple that has been drying down to about 15% moisture content. If you turn this post dead green it will "egg" shape when dry and possibly warp to the point where it is noticeable throwing the chair out of alignment. Next is the comb which I did not give the bending radius but if anyone needs this I can post later. This I make from green white oak split from the log. I completely carve then steam bend. After drying in the kiln I scrape and clean the details. (don't sand). The posts will enter the comb 11/16" from the ends of the bottom of the comb. There is lots of shaping I cannot show here.

The final figure and probably most needed is the seat pattern and sight lines. If you understand the sight lines this should be clear. These drawings will work best if you have made a chair before. The seat has elaborate carving. The grain runs front to back. I usually drill all holes then carve the seat which erases all the sight lines. The seat blank usually hand planes out to 1 7/8 " thick.

The chair looks best with the baluster turning for the legs. I usually make the seat height 18" in the front dropping an inch to 17" in the rear. The 7 spindles are 21" rough length with 1/2" tenon in the seat(dry) and 3/8" tenon in the comb(dry). I know this is only the tip of the iceburg but if you have done windsors before then you can do this. Good luck, now go make Dave proud!

A Fan (back) of Dave Sawyers

While spending time with Curtis I got to see many of the chairs he has made over the years. One in particular is a fan back side chair which had been designed by Dave Sawyer from Vermont. I have not met Dave but only talked over the phone. He was making chairs long before a lot of us knew how to sharpen a draw knife. He was Curtis' first influence in chair making back in the 80's. Curtis has always talked very highly of Dave and said he was very giving of all his chair designs. Curtis has always given forward in sharing his designs as well. The fan back Dave designed remained unchanged with Curtis' hands because Curtis says it looks great 360 degrees. He highly suggested I build one to appreciate what Dave had done. So this week I will share my version of Dave's fan back. I am sure many fellow chair makers have made his chair. It is sweet.

I will post pictures of the fan back as soon as it is complete. Below are the swivel barstools I had been working on. I have two more to finish to complete the order. Tom & Shelly seemed to really like them. Tom is Logan's baseball coach. Logan has really impressed me this year due to the hard work and dedication Tom puts into my son's team the "Diamond Jaxx".

My garden has kept me busy lately. Everything seems to come in at the same time. Kim has made many jars of bread and butter pickles. We have froze sweet corn and now the tomatoes are coming in. The watermelon are getting close and the peaches and cream corn is not far behind.

Website in Progress

I have been working on my existing web site trying to bring it back to life. As time goes by I will add better photos to the gallery and more info on classes and chairs. Thanks for all your patience. http://www.penningtonwindsorchairs.com/