# Wood selection for Maloof-style rocker



## bues0022 (Sep 30, 2009)

It's been a rough and busy year for me with both mine and my wife's graduate school. I'm finally done and ready to get back into the shop and make some things. My wife and I are talking about finally starting a family, and I want to make her a Maloof-inspired rocking chair. I'll be purchasing the plans (I'm assuming). I've typically done mostly cabinet-type projects such as tables, free-standing cupboards and the like - so this project is going to stretch me considerably and also help me learn many more valuable skills. I know it's not likely the best idea to be learning many different things on one project, but I'm rather detail-orientated and will test things on scrap wood as I go along to ensure I know what I'm actually doing!

In any case, I'd like some opinions/ideas on wood selection and design. My wife is from Wisconsin, so I'd like to use woods (mostly at least) that can be found up here. Furthermore, there is a guy I've found in Milwaukee that has a contract or agreement with local municipalities that when they take a tree down, they bring it to him to cut into lumber instead of sending it to the landfill. I'm not particularly "green" usually, but I really kinda like his idea on using good wood that would otherwise go to waste.

Most of all, I want this to be a head-turner. I want it to be absolutely unique. I've seen some gorgeous maple or walnut chairs, but most don't seem to really pop out at me. I've thought about some contrasting woods such as black walnut/hard maple or black walnut/hickory. Her parents have a lot of maple trees on their property, and while I wouldn't be using any of them, it would be fairly sentimental to use said wood. I'm also a huge fan of spalted maple, and thought the combination of spalted maple and walnut may look very rustic and unique. Another idea was to use hickory. We had a hickory tree fall on her parents land I when I cut it up for firewood (too messed up for lumber) it appears to be spalted. I don't know how common this is, but I really do like to color of hickory. Even if it isn't spalted my in-;aws kitchen has "low-grade" hickory cabinets, and my wife really likes the character the color bands and black stains is has. I'm not too afraid of the hardness of hickory, I just know it will require a bit more work.

That's as far as my idea has gone at this point. Does anyone have ideas on how to plan where each wood would go? Anything that may help this scream unique? Do a layup of alternating light/dark then cut the backs slats from this? Solid headrest or light with dark stripes? opposite? matching seat also, but what "style"? Any other wood additions or combinations? If you were to make one, what would you do? I've looked at countless pictures, but I'd like to hear thoughts behind the images.


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## chewbuddy13 (May 28, 2009)

Sounds like you've got some good ideas on the wood selection. I recently did a rocking chair out of cherry. I'm doing two more, one out of ambrosia maple and another out of purpleheart. I like your idea about the spalted maple or hickory, that sounds neat.

As far as suggestions on planning what wood to use for each piece, try cutting out a negative image of the shape on paper and use it to look at the different pieces of wood that you have. I used this method to find the best boards to use for the arms and seat and such.


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## CanadianWoodWorks (Dec 29, 2009)

one thing we have done with some rocking chairs is to use a 1.5'' seat blank sandwiched between 2 pieces of 1/4'' to make up a 2'' final seat blank, so when the seat section gets carved out it reveal the inner blank.

So far we've only done this with lacewood and walnut, you can check my projects on here to see what i'm talking about.


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## WoodLe (Sep 29, 2010)

I got some spalted maple just cut (not dry yet). Just started cutting another spalted maple today, beautiful slab lumber. If you didn't live so far away, maybe I could sell you some. Maybe I could anyway!


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## bues0022 (Sep 30, 2009)

Paul- That is an interesting idea. I'll have to check out your site to get some more ideas. One thing (along those lines) that I've thought about doing, is making a laminate of alternating layers maple/walnut for the rockers themselves. The end result might look cool….maybe? Also, I could make the back slats all out of spalted maple with a thin line of walnut down the center of each - also using a layup type idea.

WooodLe- I appreciate the offer, but I'm a LONG way from Ohio, and never make it that direction either. Thanks for the offer.

Any other ideas of interesting ways to combine spalted maple and walnut on this chair?


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## bues0022 (Sep 30, 2009)

Paul, your work is beautiful. I may need to pick your brain a bit if that's ok. I may be a bit in the dark, but I've not seen Hal Taylor chairs before. How are they different from the Maloof-style? Are the Maloof back slats also flexible? I really like the idea of flexible and rotatable back slats - I may need to do some more research on that style!

Also, when you mentioned the head rest is "coopered" what is that? Why do you do a layup for the back slats rather than cut it from a single piece of wood on a bandsaw?

Sorry if some of these questions seem a bit newbie, as I definitely am with this type of project.


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## CanadianWoodWorks (Dec 29, 2009)

Thanks, we work hard at making our pieces!

Hal did a great job of what I like to say to to re-engineer sams chair.

No Maloof style rockers do not have flexible back braces.

The back braces on Hals design call for 4 2.29mm think pieces to be laminated together on a form to achieve the desired shape. We have experimented with slices as thin as 2.1mm

The laminated back brace is much stronger then if made from a single piece of lumber. The bottom seat holes are kinda oval to allow movement front and back but very little side ways. 
also the holes into the headrest are double drilled to allow movement at the top of the back brace.

You can push on the back brace backwards close to 4'' ( depending on thickness ), the tops almost come out of the headrest, there in there 1 1/8'' it's really amazing how much strength the laminated back braces has and by allowing stress free movement at the tips there is no reason for failure.

Also allows us to use a high light pieces front and back if desired, or 2 walnuts front back and ash / maple in the middle as the accent.

Picture a wine barrel, it's coopered…. all the pieces have angles on them to make the circle. Sam actually coopered his seats to allow more of a hugging seat.

The headrest is glued up using 4 or 6 blanks with a angle cut on the edges, this allows us to cut a curve on the band saw that could not be cut even using 4'' thick lumber. = greater curve = greater comfort.

Also gluing up the headrest keep the grain flowing up an down, through the headrest down the arms, through the seat. The maloof way the headrest is grain running across, creating a end grain to long grain leg joint. Hal's design creates a long grain to long grain leg headrest joint.

Hal sells a book and it is a great investment, it's so detailed it will blow you away…. He really has done a great job with this chair and instructions.

BTW - I have a blog on my custom wooden rocking chair website, i've taken pretty detailed pictures and what not of most of the process of building these chair and also designing tables using the Maloof style.


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

bues-congrats on the grad school completion. What a great way to celebrate!

I cannot compare with others, but I bought "Charles Brock's package" http://www.charlesbrockchairmaker.com/
and enjoyed his respectful treatment of Sam's brilliance. His book and DVD are clear and good, with, I felt, just enough negative space that you have to figure some things out for yourself. That's good learning. And by the way, skip the kit. It's cheesy to have someone else choose your parts! BTW, Charles' estimates for material were spot on (a student of mine and I built together).

My chair: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/35493

As for the material and splash that you're looking for, I'm having a hard time imagining that. There's no real billboard in the chair for anything except the seat and headrest to display contrast (oh, rockers, of course) and too much of anything there takes away from the breathtaking sculptural beauty of the design. I'd say save the dazzling contrasts and indigenous woods for a cradle project.

This chair is a daunting task for someone who's just done foursquare work, so I'd recommend staying with a wood that's easy to shape. Walnut, though prosaic, is the #1 choice here for strength, beauty and workability. Hickory would be a teeth-gnashing project IMHO. Cherry would be a great second choice, and you could get a grade with a lot of sapwood-Sam loved including sap-and do honor to the man and have an interesting piece.


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

Post script: To do a Maloof you'll need a good bandsaw and a good tablesaw. There are a couple expensive files and a cutter head for an angle grinder and some dowel cutters that are pretty valuable in the process.


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## bues0022 (Sep 30, 2009)

Thank you Paul and Lee for your very informative insights. I think I am going to go with my original gut idea on using spalted maple and walnut - but now I'm at a loss on how to combine them. My idea was to use mostly maple, and the walnut would be used as the accent color (where I'm not sure yet). But I just looked at Paul's double rocker, and I really like how mostly walnut was used, with lighter wood as the accent and seat.

I'll do a bit of thinking and get back with more color-design questions. multi-wood complex projects is new to me, so I have a hard time visualizing what will look good. Something that might seem neat on one component in my head may turn out looking awkward once everything is assembled.


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

Thanks bues-this is a good time to be thoughtful. I had looked at a bunch of rockers on the web and hadn't seen one with the horizontal contrasting strips in the headrest. When I glued up the piece, it looked dazzling, but once I shaped the curve, I didn't like it so much. It was too rigid a line against the fluidity of the sapwood. I doubt I will do it again.

I like the light colored pieces I put in the seat. They seem fine, and I like having more contrasting pieces than just in the rockers.

Oh, and one more thing I learned, talking about contrasting rockers. When I was gluing up the risers where the rockers blend with the legs, I just continued the pattern (I think it was two walnut, one alder, etc) I'd used in the rockers. I don't like the result of that. Next time I'll just use the primary wood from rocker to leg. The reason is twofold: One, where the contrasting wood lands on the rocker, it's hard to get the deltas all to look the same (and good), and two, I had to plane some of the risers so the legs would land kerplunk on them, and that happened to be on the light colored piece, so it's thinner on the inside than on the outside. Such is larnin'!


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## bues0022 (Sep 30, 2009)

And just like that I may have come up with an idea. Criticism welcomed….

Seat - similar to Paul's idea: walnut top and bottom, spalted maple middle exposed once shaped.

Back Slats - laminated, either:
1) Spalted maple front and back, walnut sandwiched in middle
2) Spalted maple front, walnut back
3) Front and back laminate from spalted maple with a walnut strip running vertically
(I like #1 best)

Rockers: laminte of alternating maple/walnut

Armrests: Made in same fashion as the seat: walnut top, maple exposed when shaped.

Vertical members (legs, back uprights)?? I don't have a compelling argument of walnut or maple either way.

Headrest: Same thoughts as vertical members. However, if I made the vert. members walnut, it might look nice to be maple.

Thoughts?


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

The inspiration has begun! I'd say at some point you'd enjoy gluing up some mockups and shaping them as if they were a certain segment of the part you are envisioning. See what happens!

Another overarching thought: Unlike most other objects we build, this chair presents negative space from whatever angle you view it. The only real canvas is the seat; the headrest is much smaller. The crowning glory of a table can be the top, but with the chair, it's different.

End of philosophy blather for today! : )


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## bues0022 (Sep 30, 2009)

Your final thought is exactly why I am having such a hard time designing the wood selection locations. There are many nuances I am unfamiliar with. Designing a square item such as a table or cabinet is easy to visualize what it will turn out as, but on this I'm in the dark!


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## CanadianWoodWorks (Dec 29, 2009)

so many choices, maybe you'll just have to try them all


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## bues0022 (Sep 30, 2009)

Maybe after my wife's I'll have to make one for myself 

Update on ideas: 
Seat, same as above,
armrests, same
rockers: laminate, but use mostly walnut, Maple for highlights
Back slats: laminate, maple front back, walnut center

questionable:
headrest: Maple
Uprights: walnut

I chose the last two because the seat top is walnut, so the maloof joint will show really well with the center maple section if the uprights are walnut. Also, I'm worried on the uprights you won't see as much of the spalting, and the effect will be lost, or at least not as dramatic as the larger flat areas. Because of this reasoning, I'd like to make the headrest spalted maple, but what are your thoughts on the obvious contrasting wood for the headrest to the uprights? Will that look odd? I was also tossing around the idea of making the back of the headrest walnut, but I'm leaning away from that now.

IF I were to do the uprights maple, I would likely still keep the headrest maple - and the entire look of the chair will change from being a "lighter" colored chair, to a "darker" chair. Knowing that my wife prefers darker wood tones, I was thinking about more walnut than maple.

Looking at so many chairs online, I'm starting to think I'm over thinking the wood selection, and just need to get working! Here's my ideas on physical design:

Combination Maloof/Hal Taylor. I prefer the Maloof-type design of the headrest downward curving like Paul's Inspiration 2.0 chair, and the legs extending higher than the headrest. However, I really like the flexible laminate back slats of the Hal Taylor chair.

Since I've never done anything like this, I'm going to need some type of plans/book/information. I can see how getting a Maloof-type book would be great, then just change the back slat design, but the Hal Taylor book is supposed to be so good. How difficult would it be to alter the dimensional designs from the Hal Taylor book to meet my design ideas?


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

Overthinking is a bad thing. Also, in that it's your first chair, I'd vote for simplicity over complexity.

Re: the headrest: what about using Paul's idea of the vertical grain? Come from the verticals 1/3 the distance in walnut, , then in the middle third have a bookmatched piece of spalt? It would be a sort of medallion, and could become your trademark. You could likewise bookmatch spalt in the center section (or the outboard ones) of the seat.

My concern regarding some of your laminating ideas is about the three dimensionality of parts like the armrest. When you laminate alternate colors for something like that, the result is way different than, say, the rockers, which are essentially two dimensions. Getting the (glue) line between light and dark exactly the same one arm to the other could be frustrating and, possibly, not real attractive. It would take away from the curvaceousness of the design by introducing a jarring contrast. If you look closely at Sam's designs here, the arms are like branches coming from the verticals-very organic. Likewise the front leg - to - seat joint. Just my NSHO.

I've not seen Hal Taylor's book, but I found Brock's DVD to be invaluable-I watched sections of that repeatedly, at one sitting, finally grasping how his techniques worked.

Yet another overarching concept at work here is this: When we build a cabinet or a table or a shelf, we build from the wall or the floor. It is a consistent and accessible reference.

A chair, and more complexly, a rocking chair, is built from a point in space (a chair sits on four points. A rocking chair sits on only two!). So, for instance, it is vital and crucial that the rockers be exactly the same, that the leg pairs be precise mirror images, and that joints touch comfortably before they are adhered. This places high level demands on the processes all along the way.

Poughts to thonder! : )


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## bues0022 (Sep 30, 2009)

I appreciate thoughts from experienced chair builders such as yourself. I took a picture of a maloof chair I found online, (maple) and took a pen and colored the areas I wanted to make walnut. It looked bad! It looks busy, and cluttered. With my previous idea, the wood combination was almost 50/50. Like you said, especially since it's my first chair - KISS. One wood, using a second as a highlight. I'll do some more coloring tonight and see what I like best.

I'll check into Brock's DVD. I think I understand the back slats floating concept, and I'll check Paul's website for more pictures of it. Other than that a good guide is what I'm needing. Thanks for the insight and advice.


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## SwedishIron (Jun 6, 2008)

bues0022,
This has been a great thread, it reminds me of the same design process I went though last January when deciding upon the wood I would use for my Maloof Inspired Rocking Chair project for a class I signed up for at a local community college. I think keeping it simple is best, let the beauty of the design and grain of the wood be the shining star before you try to deal w/ contrasting species and trying to make the chair unique and your own. As recommended, I would say use a friendly wood like Walnut, very easy to shape, soft enough that the joints and gaps will close up under clamping pressure.. If anything, you should be agonizing over trying to find some spectacular figured boards from the same tress or as pointed out.. find enough nice matching lumber to make the arms, seat, crest rail, and spindles. Those are the areas that are most visible and you want to make the chair look like a lot of thought was put into the grain pattern and matching colors.

I personally chose Birdseye Maple for my chair, not the best choice given how hard the material is but hey, live and learn. As for contrast, its all 100% sapwood BEM w/ the exception of the plugs for the screw holes which will be Brazilian Rosewood. All the maple came out of two 8/4 boards besides the crest rail piece which was 10/4 and I found it up north in Canada. Our instructor used the traditional Maloof crest rail technique which has it cut out of a single 10/4 board. That board had some heartwood in it so once it gets finished I anticipate the crest rail to add a bit of character due to slightly darker colors in the center of it.

This project is a lot of work and I would really focus on finding the most beautiful material you can get your hands on, IMHO.

Here is a picture of my chair after the arms were first cut to fit but not glued on yet. The front legs were shaped on the lathe. 









My spindles were all shaped out of solid stock, lots of sanding but well worth the extra time and labor.









There are many different aspects of the chairs design where you will have a lot of liberty to shape and design as you want.. but my word for the wise is to keep the chair parts as thin as possible and take the time to research as much as possible. If you can find anyone locally that has built the chair or owns one go visit it and take a ton of pictures. There was a method to Maloof's design, shaping, and flow around the chair from sharp edges to rounded edges..

This is just my perspective…


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## bues0022 (Sep 30, 2009)

Well, I've come full circle. The original idea was for a spalted maple chair, with walnut accents, but now I've decided on a walnut chair with maple accents. I'll be making a blog once I start. Additionally, I still have some more questions, but since they are not related to picking out my wood anymore, I'll start new threads on each question. Thanks again for the insight and for steering me in the right direction.


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## bues0022 (Sep 30, 2009)

I know I kind-of terminated this thread with my last post, but my other question hasn't gotten much attention. So, hopefully I still have some attention here.

Talk to me about flexible back slats vs. rigid back slats. It seems as though flexible ones might be a bit more comfortable because they conform to your back and move a bit when you are shifting in the chair. However, on one site, I read that they may not provide as much lumbar support because (obviously) they flex when you sit in the chair. Are they dimensionally the same, but just functionally different? (i.e. if I purchase a book/plan with rigid backs, I could just make them as a laminate without changing the plan much at all?). I know what I want to do, just don't know how to go about doing it, and don't want to purchase too many books/dvd's/plans if I can avoid it.


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## SteviePete (May 10, 2009)

I have enjoyed this thread. I have the Maloof books and have looked at quite a few chairs. 1. Make something you don't expect to be in love with out of spalted anything. It's full of surprises, stinks and will never work in a high stress area. 2. I've toyed with the idea of using air dried walnut with sapwood pattern in the seat and back. 3. Flexible vs solid. Design around the butt that will be sitting in the chair. Charles Hayward has an out of print book about proportional sizing. 4. Wisconsin wood. Walnut and cherry are probably the best options. I have some butternut, red elm and american hop hornbeam in stickers. It should be dry enough by the time I'm ready to use it in a rocker. I agree with you on hickory and would add white and black ash, willow and black locust. Stop by when you are in the neighborhood. 92.49W 46.28N May the dust be with you.


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## bues0022 (Sep 30, 2009)

Steve - I haven't heard that about spalted maple before. I had assumed that as long as you stop the spalting process before it goes too far the wood should be stained but not structurally poor.

I can't use the butt that will be sitting in the chair. It's for my wife, and it's a complete surprise.

If I'm up in your neck of the woods I'll let you know.


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## Timbo (Aug 21, 2008)

Ryan,
I have sat in a Hal Taylor chair and I don't think you will find a more comfortable chair, the flexible back slats make a BIG difference. The slats are thicker at the top and bottom and offer plenty of lumbar support.


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## SwedishIron (Jun 6, 2008)

Ryan,
I guess the back spindles you choose will really come down to the aesthetic they bring to the chair. I personally wanted to build as close to an original style Maloof Rocking chair as possible so I went with the rigid 'solid stock' ones. Note that even though solid they do flex a fair bit when sat in, the top of the spindles go into the top crest rail around 1 1/2" and are only epoxied into the seat. So don't think that the solid ones don't flex and form with the persons body. For me the laminated ones when I saw them in photos don't have much mass to them and their thinness and "laminated" look just reminded me of mass produced furniture, that is my personal taste though.

As what Steve mentioned, Spalted maple is basically rotted maple and due to a chance that the boards strength is compromised I wouldn't use it in any weight bearing parts of the chair if you do decide to incorporate it as an accent species.


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## bues0022 (Sep 30, 2009)

So does anyone have any suggestions on a plan/book/dvd? Like I mentioned earlier, I want the maloof shape of the headrest and back uprights, but the flexibility of the Hal Taylor back slats. From that statement, I'd need the plans of Maloof for dimensions for the head rest, but then I'd also need the plans for the Hal Taylor chair for the design of the slats. I don't have the coin to drop $90 for each set of instructions (though I'm sure I would learn a whole lot). Anyone near Minneapolis that might have one of the sets of plans I could supplement the opposite set of plans with?


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## bues0022 (Sep 30, 2009)

Scott - I can see where you are coming from with the "handcrafted" look compared to other mass-produced furniture. I think I have a plan to avert that. My laminate idea has now changed from Maple - Walnut - Walnut - Maple (which may end up looking almost like a plywood). The laminate will now be asymmetrical (from front to back) Maple - Walnut - Maple - Maple. This may help a bit with the handcrafted look because you just don't see this styling on any mass-produced furniture.

The question still remains about the plans. Thoughts??


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## g1hopper (Nov 10, 2008)

I also have made Maloof inspired furniture to include a rocker. I love the joinery and the style of his later work. When I decided on building these pieces I also did research as you are. I even wrote to one of the guys that offer plans. In the end I decided to build without purchasing plans. I did this for a number of reasons. I kept thinking that those who created the plans had to first start by making their own version. I did lots of research, and then just started. I now believe that I am much happier knowing I created my pieces without plans, and learned lots doing so. I would suggest you try it without plans, find videos, pictures, and articles online (free) to help you. Write questions to people like us if you come across a problem. In the long run, I am sure whatever method you choose will make your wife happy receiving something you created for her.


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## bues0022 (Sep 30, 2009)

Steve - I can certainly appreciate the idea of doing it all yourself. This will actually be the first project I've ever used a plan on. The reason is that it is also the first non four-square project I've done. Yes, the "originals" were made from trial and error, but I want to build it once and build it right, not find out 4 months in that I really goofed something up. Besides, I've already ordered the plans/books/templates. I do plan on customizing things a bit. I have a blog started about my project already. http://lumberjocks.com/bues0022/blog/19630. I'll update it as times goes on, and hopefully it will turn out as nice as I'm sure yours is.


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