- A Walnut Windsor Chair – Introduction
- The Log
- Transport
- Rough Lumber
- Seat Blanks
- Legs
- Arm Posts and Tapered Holes
- Carve the Seat
- Turn the Undercarriage
- Assembling the Seat and Undercarriage
- Spindles
- Arms
- Assembling the Spindles and Arms
- Crest Version 1 — The Form Bent Laminated Crest
- Crest Version 2 — The Steam Bent Crest
- Final Assembly
- Detailing
- Finishing a Walnut Windsor Chair
- Final Notes
Entry 18
Finishing a Walnut Windsor – 7/13/2008
The last step is finishing. I use a clear finish that I can wipe on.
Late April and the weather has warmed up. Once classes are over and I am done for the semester, I can get out into the garage and set up my finishing bench. In this case, the semester ended in mid May, but my real work took precedence until late June and early July.
Like the steam box this is high tech. Two saw horses and a grid of 2x4s support a sheet of wall board. On it, I can work on two chairs at a time.
The finish is a mixture of varnish and oil. It is the Sam Maloof oil/poly finish sold by Rockler. I wipe it on (liberally), let it sit/soak in for about 15 minutes and wipe the excess off. The first coat seals the wood. Second and third coats are to build the finish. Any rough areas or dust from the air that gets into the finish between coats is removed with steel wool or 320 grit sandpaper. The final (fourth) coat on these two chairs is the oil/wax mixture that is then buffed after it has dried. After the last coat, I let the finish dry for about a week before taking the chair indoors. It will cure for another 3 weeks before anyone sits in it.
As I finish using a cotton rag, it is put into a pail of water. Oily rags will burst into flames because of the heat generated by the drying of the oil. After each finishing session, all of the cotton rags are laid out on a remote area of the concrete driveway to dry. One dry, they can be thrown out with the trash.
This finish is like Danish Oil and other clear oil/varnish mixes. If it is damaged, it is repairable. It lets the beauty of the wood show and highlights the grain. The walnut has a beautiful, rich brown tone and the hickory has a golden color with hints of tan. (June-July, 2008)
Time for carving crests, final assembly, detailing and finishing, 23 hours. Total time to make two chairs, 121 hours – spread over nearly two years.
Spare Time 