James Rendi

Jim Rendi runs the Philadelphia Windsor Chair Shop on a historic 15-acre farm in Earlville, Pa. He teaches chair making and woodworking from a carriage-barn-turned-classroom on his property. Rendi was first inspired to make Windsors in 1985 when he saw some at a local craft fair. Finding out that constructing a Windsor chair didn’t require a great outlay in tools, machinery, or materials gave him extra motivation. He pored over books on the subject, including Mike Dunbar’s out-of-print tome, and quickly turned his interest into a business. He also wrote a book on the subject, Windsors in Traditional Windsor Chair Making With Jim Rendi, and continues to build chairs and other period furniture for sale.