A Windsor chair question...sort of...Really about riving spindles

[Roger Feeley]

I want to built some Roorkee chairs and the stresses on the chair parts are pretty extreme. The way they were made in the 19th century was to use riven wood instead of sawing so that the grain would go the full length of the part.

So, to you Windsor chair folks. You need extreme strength in those thin parts. Do you just go to the lumber yard and cut your wood to follow the grain? Do you rive the wood. Do you start with green wood. How big a deal is this.

[Jim Koepke]

Riven wood would be my guess.

You might receive a better response in the Neanderthal Haven conference.

jtk

[Prashun Patel]

I have only made a few Windsor style chairs but I have used riven stock for the spindles. It shapes better, bends better, and is easier than making it from pre cut lumber. The spindles are so thin and not so long that you can get a good many from A single trunk section.

[Peter Mich]

I’ve only used riven parts for the chairs that I’ve made. Riven parts would be best, especially if you have access to logs or part of logs. Curtis Buchanan has several series of YouTube videos on Windsor chair making. In the 3rd video of the Democratic Chair series, called Obtaining Wood and Splitting Out Parts, Curtis describes how you might visit a sawyer or mill to find useful tree parts for riving in the event that purchasing a whole log is a bit beyond your needs.