The American Windsor chairs of the mid to late 18th century had their roots in similar chairs made fashionable in Britain. American Windsors, best typified by chairmakers working in Philadelphia and New York, developed the form to a high level of chairmaking craftsmanship. In this class, students will explore why these chairs are so remarkable and enduring. Each class participant will build a sack-back armchair typical of the Philadelphia style. The chair will be built using traditional methods with primarily hand tools. Along with hand planes, most of the tools will be unique and distinctive to Windsor construction. Windsor chair construction starts with riven or split wood from a log. To ensure continuous workflow, spindles and the arm and bow are made first. At the shave horse, with a drawknife and spokeshave, parts are sized and shaped, and the arm and bow are steam bent. These are left to dry until later for assembly. Likewise, legs and arm posts are turned so there is time for these parts to dry as well. Using green wood, these parts need drying in a kiln box prior to assembly. Seat carving comes next, using a scorp, travisher, and spokeshave. Spindle holes are bored along with leg and arm post holes. At this point, parts are hand-fitted for assembly and the chair starts to take shape. If time permits, finishing with milk paint and top coating with shellac will also be covered. This is certainly an ambitious class-fast-paced, with a lot of work and instruction in different skills. But it is always a fun and rewarding workshop, and students will come away with a chair to cherish.