This reproduction of a Windsor side chair, based on a Tracy original, is a classic example of late period style at its most refined. The chair combines simple turnings, a comfortable, actually very comfortable, deceptively plain seat, with graceful angles, and a deeply curved wrap around crest into an elegant whole. My adventure with this chair, is there another word, started last January, when Mr. Waters brought a chair into the shop and set it on my bench. He had recently purchased it at an antiques auction because he liked the chair's lines, and most importantly because of its comfort. Could I copy it, and make a set of eight chairs to match? Of course, I said, "Yes." I set the chair on the countertop behind my workbench, and proceeded to study it over the next few months, out of the corner of my eye, while working on my current backlog of chairs.

The chair had several very interesting features, and as I worked on other things, I kept coming back to these features and wondering how it's original craftsman had set about making each part. The turnings presented no difficulty, while I had not seen this particular bamboo style turning profile before, copying them was old hat The seat was interesting because forward of the point where the backposts join the seat, the underside of the chair is very dramatically undercut with a flat bevel, with the bevel in front being the most noticable element of the chair seat's leading edge..The other feature that puzzled me was the simple crest. Unlike many traditional crests which are curved on either the front or back and rise to a point. This crest was realitively flat on top, with a slightly broken 1/8 inch flat on the top of the ears, increasing to almost 3/8 inch flat in the valley between ear and the crest center. Finally , I realized that the shape had been sawn out of a trapazoidal blank, The piece of wood which was to become the crest was given a flat bevel of equal angle on both its front and back faces. The comb blank would then be 3/4 inch thick on the bottom, with a 1/8 inch wide top edge. After steambending the curve to shape, and determining the locations of the backpost mortices, the curved comb shape could be cut into the piece. Bingo, an exact match to the original. Simple. The man who first made this chair was a master of his craft in every sense. He knew how to create a dramatic shape with a minimum of labor.

This fan back chair has been a joy to make, and it will be a joy to have in your home as well.