LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Project Information

So most of you that have seen my recent posts all know that they have recently been geared towards baby furniture and in that build I included this rocking chair from Scott Morrison's "Simple Rocking Chair" plans that can be purchased from his website. One of the things that really inspired me to take a shot at this particular build was Scott's willingness to support anyone who purchases his plans throughout the build and I can tell you that he delivered too cause I did in fact call him to chat about some of the specifics on his tools used i.e. the Holey Gallihad grinding discs used to scoop the seat out along with some other questions about the glues he uses, etc… Needless to say the money spent on the video and templates were well worth the money as I now have a family heirloom that I hope will be passed down from generation to generation.

On another note there is something about building a chair that is unique and satisfying in a way that no other furniture can provide. The minute I sat in the chair I knew that this was something I would continue to do again and again. Once my son gets old enough so that I can teach him woodworking I plan on passing this knowledge down to him and build a chair each year. The only thing I plan to do differently on the next one is to wear some antivibration gloves when I use the grinder as both of my arms from the shoulder down were numb for a week! The wood used was soft maple and the stain is General Finishes Light Brown with a lacquer film finish. Thanks for looking!

Gallery

Comments

· Registered
Joined
·
116 Posts
Great job on the rocker. This is one of my Bucket List projects, and I may try my hand at one when we have a kid too (any excuse I can get to make one, I'll take lol). What wood did you choose to go with for yours?
 

· Registered
Joined
·
393 Posts
I first noticed the the rocker runners extend more to the back than usal. Is there a reason for that??? Great job.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1,895 Posts
Very nice set of nursery furniture, and that rocker will be worth its weight in gold when the little one can
not decide what is wrong and lets you know it. The rocker has a calming effect on both the baby and the
parent, not sure which helps more but it is nice. Thank you for sharing.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
3 Posts
I love that chair. I've been looking for plans for a rocking chair for a while. I'll check out his website.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
30 Posts
Thanks for the compliments. To answer some of the questions:

Jim: I used soft maple on this one to match the other furniture in this room. Next I will probably build two more out of poplar and paint them to sit outside under a covered patio. eventually I will probably build one out of a more exotic wood but havent found a species that really catched my eye. Maybe canarywood next, we'll see.

Jerrells: I liked the look of the longer rockers plus when the chair is at its furthest possible rocking position the rockers are plum with the headrest so when you sit the chair in a room you can always place it without having to worry about the headrest hitting a wall.

Thanks again!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
335 Posts
sweet! one thing that turns me off with the "maloof" rockers is the amount of sanding and shaping, this one however definitely gets my interest!

how many board feet of wood does this take to build?
 

· Registered
Joined
·
16 Posts
Thats one awesome chair!! I wouldnt mind trying one like that. So are there any pieces you had to bend or are they all just cut out? Had a friend that steam bent the rockers for his chair and he said it was a pain to do.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
30 Posts
Mike: It took roughly 48 board feet of 8/4 lumber

DaddyT: All parts are cut out from solid pieces with the exception of the rockers and back splats which are a glue lamination. See below pictures. I used a two part jig for the back splats to get even clamping pressure but didnt do that on the rockers. When I build another one I plan on making the second part/negative of the form/jig for the rockers as I find that a two part jig is easier and also requires less clamps. You should give it a try it is a lot of fun and comes with a great sense of accomplishment. One other thing to take note of is to make sure the lamination layers are a consistent thickness the full length of the piece especially if you use a two part jig. I have the luxury of having a drum sander which I will use next go round (for whatever reason I didn't do it this time and I'm not sure what I was thinking). You don't have to do this but I did notice some variation in thickness which made for a challenging clamp-up. Thanks for the compliments! David



 

Attachments

· Registered
Joined
·
60 Posts
David,

You should be very proud of the completed rocker. I am very impressed, and your family will likely cherish it for generations to come. Thank you very much for sharing your pictures.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
405 Posts
Yah, they're not easy to build and you did a great job. I wish more people think the way you do about making family heirlooms. Down the line, they'll be saying with pride, "My dad made this", or "My grandpa built this!". You did good!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1,069 Posts
That is a great rocker.
Which Holey Gallihad grinding disc did you use?
 

· Registered
Joined
·
30 Posts
SASmith,
I used this one.

Scott,
Thanks so much for everything. Your plans are awesome and everything about the chair is great.

LittePaw,
Thanks for the kind words!
 
Top