LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Maloof Rocker - Padauk

Tags
padauk
44K views 69 replies 41 participants last post by  Tecton 
#1 ·
First cuts

This is my second Maloof Rocker using Hal Taylor's plans. First time ever working with Padauk, before going to the lumberyard didn't know it exsisted. Started by cutting out all the parts and staging them for the patterns.


Photobucket

Was able to form the seat around some sap wood.
 
See less See more
2
#6 ·
Its a lovely wood but that red dust gets everywhere. If its not too impertinant, how much did that little lot cost you? Just interested to see if lumber is cheaper in the States than here in the UK (assuming you're in the US that is).
 
#7 ·
I purchased 48 board feet of Padauk for this chair. Of the 4 8' planks I got I am only going to be using 3 of them so thats probably 38' bf that I will be using. BritBoxmaker I am in the "States" and actual in the state of Pennsylvania. In my area the Padauk ran me $7.30 a bf.

Smartlikestick, the chairs are difficult but using Hal taylor's plans they are definitly easier to complete. I think that most people view them as very difficult thats why not alot of people attempt them. Regardless of the difficulty factor they are worth it in the end.
 
#15 ·
Seat carving

Havn't completed much work lately on my chair, my wife and I recently bought a new house so we are trying to sell our current one. Last night I was able to do my first rough grinding on the seat. Looks like I will be able to save a good amount of the white sap wood that runs through the seat. I also have started to glue up the back supports and rockers (no pictures). I have decided to add strips of maple into the rockers and back supports as an accent.



Tonight I will spend a few hours dansing the seat to try and smooth out the grinder marks.
 
#18 ·
Setting aside for now

I have decided that I am going to put this project aside for a bit and concentrate on a different chair. After ruining my second set of back legs I need a bit of a break. The problem with Paduak is that it splinters like crazy. Love the grain lines but if you get one going in the wrong direction and hit that with a router - boom good bye piece. I am also going to put it aside until my new shop (could be a while) is completed because the red dust in my small shop is unbearable.

My next project will be another Hal Taylor Maloof but I am going to attempt the children's verison (templates on the way). I think that I will use Cherry agian since I can get it for next to nothing.
 
#19 ·
I always climb cut with a router when working difficult woods. This technique should only be done by someone who has a good understanding of what the dangers are of climb cutting. By "climb cut" I mean the router is moved in the reverse direction of normal cutting. This method will reduce or eliminate all chip out problems.
 
#22 ·
Getting started again (legs and seat complete)

So I decided to continue the work on my Padauk rocker. I was going to shelf it for a few weeks but the new plans that I ordered (children's Maloof rocker) didn't show up so I needed something to do over the long holiday weekend. I completed the legs and the seat.



Here is the first dry fitting of the legs, completed the transition cuts after this picture


My helper Jack



Tomorrow I hope to attach the arm blocks to the back legs, cut angle on legs, & glue front an back legs. I have also been working on the back splats and the rockers are completed.

I would be further along except that on Friday morning I had an accident with my jointer and lost the tip of my little finger. I made a dumb mistake and it happened in a blink of an eye. Luckily didn't hit any bone and it was just skin. Stupid mistake that I hope to never repeat. I can say this about the jointer, that helical head makes a nice smooth cut, be it hard exotic woods or a finger.
 
#27 ·
Arms attached and grinding begins

I have the arms attached and I have gone through my first grinding/shaping session. I have to finish some blending on the underside of the arms and the underside of the seat. The headrest has been resawed to its final thickness and back supports are almost all glued up.



While I wait for glue to dry I started on a child's rocker also.



Does the back left legs (as you look at it) look like it flares out to far? It seems like it does but I can't tell for sure. If its not going to be a big deal I would perfer not to build another one. The front right leg was cut wrong and the new one is drying in clamps so that is why its a 3 legged rocker.
 
#31 ·
Headrest

Today I finished all the transition grinding and attached the headrest. The headrest still doesn't have the back support holes drilled but I fit and shaped it in. Still have to glue up 3 more back supports and mill them all to a uniform size. I did the final trimming on the rockers today (no picture) and next have to glue up the transition pieces and round over the edges. I have two weeks to complete this chair before my wife and I move, promised her no red dust in the new house.





Once again my not so helpful helper is in the pictures. Sorry about the quality but I took these around 5:30 right when a storm was approaching (raining as I type) so the light wasn't the best.
 
#36 ·
Getting closer

Its been several weeks since I have posted an update to my Paduk Maloof rocker. Since my last post I completed and fitted all the back supports, glued up the rockers, & fitted the head rest. My last few steps that I have to complete is finalize the rockers (shaping and mounting) and do a few days of sanding. There are 2 mistakes that I also need to fix, 1 being that there is a hole that needs plugged from when I drilled the back support holes in the seat, and while routing the back supports I had some chip out so I need to make a replacement.





I am also building a child sized Maloof out of cherry at the same time. Since this will be a gift for my niece it is taking priority over the Padauk. Even though she is only 3 months old and can't use it for several years I need to get it done by Christmas (surprise for mom,dad, and baby). I have to fit the head rest and shape that rockers and I will be done with the child rocker. I spent several hours today just sanding out machine marks while the rockers dried so that I can keep moving once they come out of the forms.



I am also trying to turn out several bottle stops for Christmas gifts so I am what you would call busy in the shop right now.

Thanks
 
#41 ·
There goes several months of work

Well yesterday (Friday) I had off work so I figured I would spend the entire day in the shop finishing up my niece's rocker. While moving her chair I knocked it into my bench which caused my Padauk chair to shift and fall off the bench. I froze and watched in horror as months of work went down the tubes. It took me several months to get to this moment just to see it all get ruined. I have assessed the damage and there is no way to fix it. The only thing I can do now is salvage the wood and make pens and bottle stops out of it.





I guess this ends my blog.
 
#42 ·
Wow, I felt sick looking at this.
This is always my worst nightmare.
So close : (
Don't despair, you certainly learned along this build,
and the next one will be easier.
Your work here is beautiful, start another, you've got talent !

Lisa
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top