I saw a nice Rocking Chair that Mike Pekovich from Fine Woodworking presented in the last issue and having never made one, I thought I'd give it a shot. Lots & Lots of curved and angled joinery and more mortise and tenon work then I've done in a long while. And not having a machine for that made for lots & lots of drilling and chisel work…lol He made his out of oak and I made mine from cherry. I took my time and it turned out to be a really fun build. There are bending jigs you have to make for the rockers, and there is a whole class on upholstery for the cushion. (I used a couple of patio chair cushions after I regained consciousness from looking at what a thick leather cushion would cost to make…holy smokes…lol) I followed the instructions as best I could and only deviated when his plan called for use of tools or materials I don't have. All in all it was a lot of work, but I have to admit that it sits super comfortably, and is a pleasure to sit in. Well balanced and keeps rocking after you stop pushing for a long time. I finished it in liberal amounts of linseed oil and then I let it sit in our Florida sunshine for a couple of days and boy o boy did that ever turn it a beautiful brownish amber which everyone here likes. Cherry is really cool that way. I've included a bunch of process shots below in no particular order. Thank you for looking at it. And have a great day. Then, the neighborhood gang showed up to see what was going on. A tough bunch but if you have a couple of bugs laying around to pay them off, they leave you alone…lol If I ever start making more chairs, I'm going to invest in a nice mortise and tenon machine. Gave my scrappers a good sharpening and that cherry turned out smooth as a baby's butt. The bending form for the rockers took a day to make out of MDF and some scrap cherry for the base. (currently on Craigslist because it's too nice to throw out and I don't have room for all the jigs I have now!)..lol Then my grandson hung out with me for a while and to do some laps around the driveway. This chair took a pretty good chunk of my cherry. I'm going to have to make a run to the lumber yard when management isn't looking. Enough pictures. You get the idea. Thanks again and have a great day. Eric
I saw a nice Rocking Chair that Mike Pekovich from Fine Woodworking presented in the last issue and having never made one, I thought I'd give it a shot.
Then, the neighborhood gang showed up to see what was going on. A tough bunch but if you have a couple of bugs laying around to pay them off, they leave you alone…lol
If I ever start making more chairs, I'm going to invest in a nice mortise and tenon machine.
Enough pictures. You get the idea.