Hi. I’m Jim and I’d like to introduce you to my company: Black Swamp Windsors aka J.D. Paulson Furnituremakers. It’s a family owned business that operates in northwestern Ohio. I have made all sorts of furniture, i.e, Shaker, country style pieces, and some were carved. Now I primarily make hand made Windsor chairs. Windsor chairs became popular in the 1700’s and they evolved into different styles; sack back, continuous arm, high back, etc. Distinguishing aspects of Windsors typically include turned legs and stretchers that form an H, a sculpted pine seat, and the use of oak for the back spindles and the bent parts . Variations were made to the chair over the years, but the good news is that they were made to last. A lot of things come and go, but Windsor chairs continue to be prized as antiques because people still love them. I’ve learned to make these chairs by using the same kind of tools that were used in colonial times. I live close to the Adirondacks and we have a good supply of native woods, so many of the chair parts I use come straight from the tree. I hand split logs for the leg stock and the oak parts. When people come into my shop they find that these chairs are very comfortable to sit in. It is for good reason. The seats are basically sculpted for our bottoms. Sculpting these seats is a joy, especially for someone who is also a woodcarver. I’ll be posting some pictures on this blog very soon that will illustrate our attention to detail.
Jim