The Rod-back Windsor side chair developed from the traditional pinched hoop or bow-back style to included a square back design that incorporated Asian influenced bamboo style turnings (circa 1810). These popular and comfortable chairs feature a shield seat, as opposed to the Philadelphia’s oval seat. The most stylish form of this chair is known as a birdcage Windsor. Alternate back spindles of the chair pass through a second “rod” giving the allusion of a birdcage. In the birdcage, the top corners are hand carved just like their 19th-century counterparts to resemble a mitered or "duckbill" bamboo joint.
As with all of our Windsors, each chair begins with locally milled green lumber. Every seat is hand-carved from Eastern White Pine. We do all of our turnings by hand on a lathe out of maple or black birch. Every spindle is rived and shaved on a shave horse to ensure the grain is left unbroken from end to end. This traditional process is repeated on the chair's back before steaming and bending. The legs are set using a traditional tapered lock joint which increases the chair's stability. Finally, everything is wedged, hand sanded and finished with your choice of colored lacquer or milk paint.
Choose your finish milk paint color from the sample board. Click on the image for a close up. Due to variations in monitors and browsers, color samples may appear different on different monitors and screens.
If you select the custom color option (+$50 custom color fee), we will email you for color confirmation.
Sizing varies slightly by piece:
Estimated 4-6 weeks for fabrication and delivery.
© 2025 Chicone
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