🔥 Hurry! Only two spots left in this class!
Modern Windsor Rocking Chair
7 Days: Monday-Sunday, August 11th-17th, 2025, 8AM-6PM
Tuition: $1,600
Ages: 16 & Up
Instructor: Luke A. Barnett
Instructional Delivery Method(s): In person
Prerequisites: none
Program Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Program Description:
Build a Modern Windsor Rocking Chair with Chairmaker Luke A. Barnett. Students will join us for a 7-day class. We will start with logs on Monday morning and finish with a rocking chair on Sunday. With a maximum of 5 students, you'll receive personalized instruction in a fully equipped woodworking college with state-of-the-art work benches.
View fullsize
Learning Objectives:
Students will learn how to rive the logs to get perfect straight-grained lumber. We will steam bend the spindles, back posts, and crest.
We will learn how to build a kiln and control the moisture content in the wood to get the best out of it.
We will sculpt the arms and carve the seat.
This is a hand tool, intensive class. There will likely be additional hours needed during this class, expect to work late some days
At the end of the course, students will have created their own hand-crafted Windsor Modern Windsor Rocking Chair from a log to last generations.
Gain an intimate knowledge of timber by starting with a log and exploiting the physical structure of the wood to obtain the perfect material. Mechanized machines are unable to obtain the same quality of the material.
Use descriptive geometry and/or trigonometry to solve for sightline and resultant angles in chairs. This methodology is also used in complex hip roof structures.
Utilize different species of wood to push wood beyond it quantified limitation laid out in the Wood Engineering Handbook.
Students will learn how to obtain and choose the ideal logs for a chair.
View fullsize
Tool List: (We provide all the tools, but you are also welcome to bring your own)
Cordless drill w/ 3/8, 1/2, 5/8 Brad Point drill bits
Spokeshaves - round and flat
Travisher
Scorp
Drawknife
6-degree reamer
Folding rule
Japanese style flush cut saw
Large gouge - Pfiel 3/25 is perfect
Set of Lee Valley Dowel Cutters - 1/2, 7/16, 3/8
Attendance Requirements: Students must attend all days
Location: Sam Beauford Woodshop, 1375 N. Main St, Building 41, Adrian, Michigan 49221
Class Size: Maximum 5 students
If you have any questions about this class, please contact the Administrative Office at (517) 759-3070 or email
YWRtaXNzaW9ucyB8IHNid2kgISBlZHU=.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Can I transport the chair in my vehicle or on an airplane?
A: If you have limited vehicle space or fly here, we will only glue up the bottom portion of the chair. This will allow you to box it for carry-on or ship it to your home. You can then complete the glue-up at home.
Q: Do we make the turnings in class?
A: The turnings are provided for this class.
Q: Do we apply finish to the chair in class?
A: No, we do not apply finish to the chairs in class, but we will discuss the finishing process and instructions to take home.
Q: Do I need to bring tools or wood?
A: No, we provide all the tools and wood you will need, but you are welcome to bring your own tools if you would like.
Q: What species of wood is used in this class?
A: Windsor Chairs are built using three species of wood: White Oak, Hard Maple, and Eastern White Pine.
You may also like the following events from Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute:
Also check out other
Workshops in Adrian,
Arts events in Adrian,
Craft events in Adrian.
