A Woodworker's Library

Both a scholar and a craftsman, James Sawusch began documenting his hand crafted Windsor Chair series in December 2007 on his blog Not 9 to 5 aka Spare Time.  Each section or 'chapter' is documented with photos to accompany the text. The blog format is both a blessing and a curse: the   blog section Woodworking - Windsor Chair  displays the newest entries first, which puts the narrative in reverse order. Go to the archive to begin at the beginning of this extended essay on his construction techniques, inspiration, and lessons learned. Grab the RSS link to be advised when new entries are posted.
From his first entry:

My woodworking is an avocation.  My vocation, on the other had, is as a Professor of Psychology at the University at Buffalo.  My typical week is a bit on the long side, so my woodworking is done in small blocks of time on occasional weekends.  I usually make two or three chairs at a time.  The process, from starting with rough lumber to finishing, takes me about two years.

The chairs documented here start with a walnut tree in the back yard of my brother-in-law’s family.  When they decided to remove the tree, he offered to have it milled into lumber and I offered to split the cost.  So, these two chairs start with the trunk of a tree.

For the book lovers among us Jim's 7/22/2008 entry called Final Notes, is not really the end, but a reference list with annotations about some of the resources he has used.  Some titles are readily available to purchase. Some may be more difficult to locate. See his blog entry for his comments. Here is his list:

Dunbar, M. (1984).  Make a Windsor Chair with Michael Dunbar.  Newtown, CT: The Taunton Press.  (ISBN 0-918804-21-3)

Evans, N. G.  (1996).  American Windsor Chairs.  New York: Hudson Hills Press.  (ISBN 1-55595-112-0)

Evans, N. G.  (1997).  American Windsor Furniture.  New York: Hudson Hills Press.  (ISBN 1-55595-064-7)

Evans, N. G. (2006).  Windsor-Chair Making in America.  Hanover, NH: University of New England Press.  (ISBN 1-58465-493-7)

Kassay, J.  (1998).  The Book of American Windsor Furniture.  Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press.  (ISBN 1-55849-137-6)

Moser, T.  (1982).  Windsor Chairmaking.  New York: Sterling Publishing.  (ISBN 0-8069-7630-6)

Santore, C.  (1981).  The Windsor Style in America.  Philadelphia, PA: Running Press.  (ISBN 0-89471-136-9) 

Here is a link to information on the magazine Fine Woodworking, mentioned in another of Jim's blog posts: