Windsor Chairmakers : Shaker five slat arm chair

Graduated slats.

The shaker religion dictated that objects created be functional and beautiful without adornment. Graduated slats on a five slat arm chair epitomize this directive.
The slat at the bottom is narrowest in the middle. They are all the same where they enter the post. Very subtly, this chairmaker has made graduated slats a functional and artistic element.

Ordering procedure.

1. Determine generally what you want to buy.
Questions by phone are good. 800-789-5188

2. Mail a $200 deposit check to us. As we say, this seperates the serious from the curious. It also puts you on our build schedule.

3. We will mail you a written confirmation of your deposit and an invoice distilling to writing the decisions made thus far.

4. Each item we build has lists of "choices" from which a selection must be made. "Options" are optional.

5. Once you have paid your deposit, we are happy to mail you finish samples of your choosing for consideration in your light.

6. Payment in full including shipping and Maine state sales tax if applicable, must be paid by personal check prior to your build date.

7. We will build, ship, arrange and pay the shipper on your behalf, and refund any overpayment.

Lifetime guarantee. You get it to and from our shop and we'll fix it free. No time limit, no exception. If you back over your chair with a pick up truck, send the pieces and we'll fix it free. You only pay the shipping.

Antiquing. The combination of steps in the furniture finishing process that have as their sole objective to make the furniture look older than it really is. How much older is determined by the amount of antiquing applied. We offer antiquing in light, medium and heavy quantities.
The lowest level of antiquing is "light", not "none". There are three reasons for this.

First, try as we might to make perfect furniture with no blemishes, we can't. So, rather than promise you something that we can't do, we offer you the best that we can do.

Second, scratches and dings will happen to your furniture as you use it. if we put the first few on, as others occur, there is less anxiety which is good for you and your visitors.

Third, we think it looks more appropriate. It's like a person over forty-five having crows feet around their eyes

Shipping options. Select the level of service you desire that is available for each and all the pieces in your order.

If you select a level of service that requires packing, we are happy to pack it for you for 5% of the purchase price. The cost of packing and shipping on common carrier is about the same as white glove blanket wrapped.

After shipping is complete, we will pay the shipping company on your behalf, charge that exact amount against your prepayment, and send you a refund check of any overpayment.

White glove blanket wrapped service- Furniture set up in room ready to use. No packing required.

Delivery in company van in Maine- Furniture set up in your room ready to use. No packing required.

Customer pick up- From loading dock at workshop. No packing required.

Call Suzanne for quote
800-789-5188

9am - 5pm EST

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Lumbar back.
The sitting comfort of our Shaker chairs is enhanced by the creation of a lumbar curve to the back. This is achieved by making the lower two slats straighter in the top view than the third slat up. It requires some extra machining but it is well worth it.

Varnish.
Better than lacquer, shellac, or linseed oil as a top coat. It does not allow water to penetrate into the wood and cause a white spot. We use two coats to be surer that we have the surface entirely covered.

Tilters.

Balls, usually wooden, held in a socket in the rear posts of Shaker chairs with a piece of leather. They allow the sitter to rock back on the two back legs or posts while still maintaining a large surface of the floor.
This prevented crushing the floor with all the sitter's weight restricted to a much smaller area.

Ash splint.

Made of ash about 1/16" thick and 1/2" wide. It comes in six foot lengths and is dyed and soaked before the seat is woven. A herringbone pattern is used. We feel certain that this material will last in excess of fifty years before needing replacement.

Shellac.
A secretion from the Lac bug in India. It is unaffected by the pitch that is present in the pine seat. We use shellac to seal the pitch into the pine seat. Pitch eats through other finishing materials such as lacquer and varnish causing blemishes in the finish.

"Custom"
Any color stain or paint will be matched or a new color created for you. In either case, there is no extra charge.

Cloth tape.

The Shakers sometimes wove cloth tape and then wove a chair seat on the chair frame using this material. When they determined it was dirty, they would unweave the seat, wash the cloth tape and reweave the seat.
The tape today is available in a wide variety of colors shown. We can weave the seat in one or two colors. The pattern may be checkerboard or herringbone.