Rocking Glider (first project)

I made this glider a few years ago for my wife’s birthday. I got the plans from the U-build website. The spindles were dowels and the arm-rests were more box-like- so those are some modifications I made.

It is made of white oak and stained to more of a mahogany tone, because back then I liked the “dark-red” look. This was my first project and at the time I was working as a maintenance carpenter. I thought working as a carpenter would be awesome while I was at school, and really was hired to SAND and repair hideous particle-board furniture.

Whenever I got the chance I would ask the full-timers to show me their secrets and help me build something here and there. I had envisioned a “Maloof-style” rocker and of course they were like- no way! I figure they didn’t want to waste their time, so I set out to build this semi-boxy glider with help here and there. This was probably back in Nov. 2007 and at the time my wife was a little ticked and would have rather I spent more time with her than on this chair.
Now after having our first baby (9mo. old son now) I think that opinion has changed, since the rocker has saved our sanity more than once!

I learned a lot with this project. The carving on the headrest is made with a router template, and the spindles were done on a legacy mill. The hardest thing for me was attaching the tiny spindles to the very thin 3/4” board-wow! Now I know why the plans called for a solid arm-to-seat attachment. I learned how expensive wood is, that things take 10X longer then you originally thought, but it’s worth doing right!

I still have that Maloof-bucket list project and will get to it sooner or later!

-- If you can dream it, I can do it!