Illinois Stories: Windsor Chairs

From Clarksville, Missouri, shop owner Caron Quick and chair maker Ralph Quick share their love and knowledge of building Windsor chairs with hand tools.

The Windsor Chair Shop is one of many unique Clarksville shops, and Ralph is one of Clarksville’s most recognizable and interesting members of the community. Visit their shop to see their award winning hand-made chair work. Bring a few questions and listen to a few stories. You won’t be disappointed!

Windsor Chair Shop shows Boy Scouts Old Fashioned Chair Making

Boy Scout Troop 701 Visits Windsor Chair Shop VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Ralph Quick, owner and master craftsman of the Windsor Chair Shop in Clarskville recently hosted the Boy Scout Troop 701 out of Columbia Missouri for an afternoon of hands on learning in traditional chair making.

We had a great day in the shop with a visit from the Boy Scout Troop 701 from Columbia, MO. They watched my friend Gary Douglas and I demo how our forefathers made colonial Windsor chairs by hand the old fashioned way.

Several of the scouts also got to give it a shot at using the old hand tools that were used as far back as the 17 & 18th century.

I could tell they all left with a whole new respect regarding our forefathers once it set in just how hard they had it back then to make the things they needed for every day living.

I’ll be posting some photo’s that Caron took of them assisting us steam bending wood for chair parts. Hope they all had a great time, I know we sure did. – Ralph Quick

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Distinctive Gifts from Clarksville (Part 1)

The Bent Tree Gallery	Frontier End Table: $210 Cut Log Bookends: $45 –$75
Clarksville Glassworks	Orange & White Bulb Force Vase: $36 Glass Disk, Earthtone & Cane Glass Beads, Sterling Silver Wrap and Clasp, One of a Kind: $200 Swirled Cobalt Blue & Clear Glass Cruet: $36
Cool Beans	Assorted Novelty Flasks: $20 / each Assorted Coffee Mugs: $13 / each 1 LB Local Roasted Coffee: $10.66 / pound
Richard’s Great Stuff	Cocktail Shaker: Mariposa Aluminum with Zebra Etched in Amber Glass: $20 Cocktail Shaker: Mariposa Aluminum Penguin Shaped: $20 Serving Spoons: Mariposa Aluminum with Glass End-of-the-Day Inserts: $15 / pair Other unique gifts under $25
B.T. Dove’s Antiques	Vintage American Porcelain and Composite Doll, Period Dress and Wig; cerca 1910: visit for price.
The Windsor Chair Shop	Continuous arm windsor chair. Historically, made in New York, the ‘C’ arm is one of the most difficult windsor chairs to create. The ‘c’ or ‘bow’ arm is a single, continuous piece of Red Oak. Painted in soldier blue, milk paint is safe for kids and pets: $600
Bee Naturals	Glycerin Soaps (50+ Fragrances): $4.95 Natural Bath Luffa: $3 Ultimate Foot Crème: $7.95 Natural Wood & Bristle Nail Brush: $3.95 Aromatherapy Foot Soak: $7.95
CBC Bank	U.S.A. Paper Savings Bonds: $25 – $?? $1 Presidential Coins Yes, really!  Paper Savings Bonds will be discontinued January 1, 2012. Own a piece of history while you can, and save for a love one’s future.