# Building a Thos. Moser Design New Gloucester Rocking Chair



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Reproducing a Design*

I recently started a major chair-building project and thought it might be fun to document the process as a series of blog entries. So, here we go…

*My Background*
I started woodworking in seventh-grade woodshop about 38 years ago. I began pursuing this wonderful hobby in earnest in 1986 and was fortunate to catch the wave of woodworking information put out by magazines such as Woodsmith, Fine Woodworking, and American Woodworker. I collected a significant personal library of books and videos and these enabled me to produce a house full of fine furniture as a self-taught hobbyist woodworker.

I consider myself a craftsman rather than an artist. Having built many pieces of furniture, I understand sound furniture construction methods and am able to adapt other's designs to suit my needs. However, my first choice bends towards Thos. Moser designs. His furniture has clean, simple lines and is very functional. I unashamedly copy his furniture since it is for my own use and I never sell any of my work. Apparently his continuous arm chair is trademarked. I don't like captain's chairs, so that will never be a problem! I've built six of his chairs, two stools, two dining room tables, two benches, a buffet/hutch, and a dresser so far.

*The Requirement*
The entry to our ranch-style house leads to the living room. We currently use this room about every five weeks when we host 30-50 volunteers from my children's worship team from church. We want seating that is inviting, comfortable, and different than our Stressless leather set in the family room.

Our first thought was to build two sets of Moser's Ellipse lounge chair with ottoman, a coffee table, and an end table. We would then fill an empty space in the opposite side of the room with a Moser New Gloucester rocking chair. After discovering that high-end leather cushions for the lounge chairs and ottomans would cost about $1,600, we're considering making two rocking chairs and placing an extra dining room chair in the opposite corner. I'm building a prototype New Gloucester rocking chair first to determine if it will meet our comfort expectations.

If the New Gloucester rocking chair is comfortable enough to sit down and read the Kindle for an hour at a time, I may build two of them and disregard the Ellipse option. Either way, I want at least one rocker and this seems like the logical approach.

*Duplicating Another's Design*
Thos. Moser wrote a book, Measured Shop Drawings for American Furniture, in1985. This book included many of his designs, with measurements, and basic instructions on how to build them. It proved quite helpful as I built fourteen of his pieces to date! He recently wrote a new book, How to Build Shaker Furniture: The Completely Updated and Improved Classic. This update includes more details of his case construction techniques and drawings of his Dr. White's chest. I plan to build the chest this winter.

Unfortunately, the New Gloucester rocker is not included in either of these books. Thankfully, he includes detailed drawings of all his pieces, as PDF files, on his web site. I print these out at 150% or larger and then glean the scale of the drawing from a known measurement. I use a metric ruler to measure all of the pieces and then convert those dimensions to inches using the conversion factor I previously calculated. The drawings are detailed enough to obtain angles for the legs and spindles as well.

Armed with measurements and critical angles, I still feel comfortable only proceeding with a prototype of construction-grade pine. I plan to make a seat blank, back crest and rockers of pine. I will turn the final legs, back spindles, and arm spindles of ash at the outset. I can dry fit them in the pine and the best way to determine complex angles for the back crest is to use the actual final spindles.

Next entry…turning long, thin spindles.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

DustyMark said:


> *Reproducing a Design*
> 
> I recently started a major chair-building project and thought it might be fun to document the process as a series of blog entries. So, here we go…
> 
> ...


Moser is a great designer builder and one of the most successful furniture makers out there,making pieces inspired by his designs can only be winners.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Reproducing a Design*
> 
> I recently started a major chair-building project and thought it might be fun to document the process as a series of blog entries. So, here we go…
> 
> ...


Alrighty Mark. You have my attention and I look forward to this blog. I am a T. Moser fan as well but you are way ahead of me in the skills and experience department.

Cheers, Scott


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

DustyMark said:


> *Reproducing a Design*
> 
> I recently started a major chair-building project and thought it might be fun to document the process as a series of blog entries. So, here we go…
> 
> ...


You might want to look into making your own cushions rather then pass on making the chairs you want altogether. The big thing is making sure that all the hides come from the same batch at the same time; it ensures color consistency. Ordering 4 hides at once would probably run you 4-500 total and another 100 for filler.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Reproducing a Design*
> 
> I recently started a major chair-building project and thought it might be fun to document the process as a series of blog entries. So, here we go…
> 
> ...


Hi Mark, I'm late to this series, but I got a peep of your latest blog today and I will be following it just for fun as your blog looks particularly well done to me and our work highly skilled too.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

DustyMark said:


> *Reproducing a Design*
> 
> I recently started a major chair-building project and thought it might be fun to document the process as a series of blog entries. So, here we go…
> 
> ...


Nice blog, Dusty. I'll look though this blog series.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## jsk12 (Nov 23, 2016)

DustyMark said:


> *Reproducing a Design*
> 
> I recently started a major chair-building project and thought it might be fun to document the process as a series of blog entries. So, here we go…
> 
> ...


where on his site can i find the gloucester rocker pdf?

if it's not there, could you make the pdf available?

thanks


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Reproducing a Design*
> 
> I recently started a major chair-building project and thought it might be fun to document the process as a series of blog entries. So, here we go…
> 
> ...


Follow this link then download the product sheet. We've had these rockers for five years now and appreciate his design even more over time…


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## jsk12 (Nov 23, 2016)

DustyMark said:


> *Reproducing a Design*
> 
> I recently started a major chair-building project and thought it might be fun to document the process as a series of blog entries. So, here we go…
> 
> ...


thanks so much

looks like they might have cut back the pdf, it is only 2 pages and is mostly promo pictures, not really detailed:

https://www.thosmoser.com/product/new-gloucester-rocker/

https://www.thosmoser.com/wp-content/uploads/tm_ngr_new-gloucester_l.pdf

looks like they might have cut back all pdfs


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## jsk12 (Nov 23, 2016)

DustyMark said:


> *Reproducing a Design*
> 
> I recently started a major chair-building project and thought it might be fun to document the process as a series of blog entries. So, here we go…
> 
> ...


i sent in an email to the thos moser site to see if they could provide the more detailed pdf, if i hear from them, will update


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Turning Long, Thin Spindles*

*Stock Preparation*
Run one face of the rough ash board across the jointer. Then run the opposite face through the planer. That should take some of the twists out of the wood. Rip ¾" square, 31" long spindle blanks on the table saw. Make several extra blanks beyond the 14 that are needed.










Mark the center of the tailstock end of the spindle using a plastic center marking gauge. Make a pilot with an awl. Drill the hole about ¼" deep with a 1/8" diameter brad point bit. This step helps center the live center of the tailstock on the spindle.










I like to secure these spindles in a heavy lathe chuck. Even if the spindle departs the tailstock, there is time to turn the lathe off before the spindle breaks. I like to use my Super Nova 2 chuck with pin jaws attached. This method seems more reliable than using a spur center on the headstock.










*Center Steady*
I'm a big advocate of using some sort of center steady while turning long, narrow spindles. I used to use an old Delta steady that had adjustable steel blocks and no bearings. Plenty of Johnson's Paste Wax took the place of bearings. I made six bowback chairs using that steady. I replaced my old Delta lathe and the swing is higher on my new Jet 1642. That put me in the market for a new center steady. I selected the










Oneway because of its great adjustability and quality wheels/bearings. It does a great job of steadying these chair spindles.










Turn the center 4" of the blank with a roughing gouge until it is round. Secure the center steady wheels to that portion of the blank.










Use a parting tool with a gauge set to 15/32" on each side of the steady's wheels. This helps ensure a continuous taper on the final spindle.










Turn the rest of the spindle to final dimensions on either side of the steady.

*My Secret to an Excellent Taper…A Sanding Block!*

The rocker calls for 14 spindles for the back alone. Using the parting tool to set a reference depth at the midpoint of the spindle does wonders for uniformity. However, achieving a real smooth, even taper with a skew or gouge requires skills I don't possess. Here is my secret method…










I use a Veritas sanding block with 100 grit sandpaper and the lathe turning at 1,000 to 1,500 rpm. It's amazing how the sanding block evens out the bumps and voids in the taper. My lathe dust hood does a good job of keeping this a clean method.

*Order of Cuts*
Using a center steady makes the process of turning long, thin spindles a lot easier. However it does add extra steps. Here's the flow of cuts that works for me.
1. I like installing the narrow end of the spindle at the headstock. The spindle runs truer at that end.
2. Round the middle several inches with a roughing gouge.
3. Install the center steady.
4. Round the rest of the spindle.
5. Set reference depth cuts with parting tool on either side of center steady and at narrow end. 
6. Turn spindle to final dimensions.
7. Sand the spindle.
8. Move the center steady toward the tailstock.
9. Even the taper where the center steady had been.
10. Turn the tenon at the tailstock end.
11. Move center steady out of the way.
12. Sand the entire spindle to even taper.

I've completed 6 of the 14 spindles. I'll complete the legs and arm rest spindles next. It might be over a week before my next blog entry.

Next blog…modeling a seat blank from pine.


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## cabmaker (Sep 16, 2010)

DustyMark said:


> *Turning Long, Thin Spindles*
> 
> *Stock Preparation*
> Run one face of the rough ash board across the jointer. Then run the opposite face through the planer. That should take some of the twists out of the wood. Rip ¾" square, 31" long spindle blanks on the table saw. Make several extra blanks beyond the 14 that are needed.
> ...


Thats a fine looking steady you have there. I ve looked at the one ways and was really impressed. I use a cheapy now with the tiny rollers. Very agravating at times. Your post just may motivate me enough to go on and buy one. Thanks ! JB


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Turning Long, Thin Spindles*
> 
> *Stock Preparation*
> Run one face of the rough ash board across the jointer. Then run the opposite face through the planer. That should take some of the twists out of the wood. Rip ¾" square, 31" long spindle blanks on the table saw. Make several extra blanks beyond the 14 that are needed.
> ...


JB:

The nice feature of the less expensive model center steadies is that they can go to some small diameters that the large wheels of the Oneway model could never reach.

However, I have experimented with using two wheels (bottom and back) and basically pushing the spindle into them with gouge pressure and even a little hand pressure. That provides a lot of support when working less than the minimum diameter that can be achieved with three wheels in contact.

5-star rating for the Oneway in my view.

Mark


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## phtaylor36 (Jun 13, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Turning Long, Thin Spindles*
> 
> *Stock Preparation*
> Run one face of the rough ash board across the jointer. Then run the opposite face through the planer. That should take some of the twists out of the wood. Rip ¾" square, 31" long spindle blanks on the table saw. Make several extra blanks beyond the 14 that are needed.
> ...


Looks interesting.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Turning Long, Thin Spindles*
> 
> *Stock Preparation*
> Run one face of the rough ash board across the jointer. Then run the opposite face through the planer. That should take some of the twists out of the wood. Rip ¾" square, 31" long spindle blanks on the table saw. Make several extra blanks beyond the 14 that are needed.
> ...


Philip:
Thanks, I think I enjoy chair building the best. You're rarely working in 90 degree angles and there are plenty of challenges to keep it interesting. A well-done final products screams comfort both when you're looking at it and sitting in it…


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Turning Long, Thin Spindles*
> 
> *Stock Preparation*
> Run one face of the rough ash board across the jointer. Then run the opposite face through the planer. That should take some of the twists out of the wood. Rip ¾" square, 31" long spindle blanks on the table saw. Make several extra blanks beyond the 14 that are needed.
> ...


Good work sequence Mark. I haven't seen a dust hood like yours and I'm thinking it wouldn't be to hard to build one for my lathe out of ply. and some plexiglass.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Turning Long, Thin Spindles*
> 
> *Stock Preparation*
> Run one face of the rough ash board across the jointer. Then run the opposite face through the planer. That should take some of the twists out of the wood. Rip ¾" square, 31" long spindle blanks on the table saw. Make several extra blanks beyond the 14 that are needed.
> ...


Mike:

I'm considering running a 4" hose with a small sub-hood from inside the main hood when turning shorter items. That would out the suction closer to the source. It would friction fit into the 5" dust port. Always tinkering…


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

DustyMark said:


> *Turning Long, Thin Spindles*
> 
> *Stock Preparation*
> Run one face of the rough ash board across the jointer. Then run the opposite face through the planer. That should take some of the twists out of the wood. Rip ¾" square, 31" long spindle blanks on the table saw. Make several extra blanks beyond the 14 that are needed.
> ...


Nice equipment and nice work.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Turning Long, Thin Spindles*
> 
> *Stock Preparation*
> Run one face of the rough ash board across the jointer. Then run the opposite face through the planer. That should take some of the twists out of the wood. Rip ¾" square, 31" long spindle blanks on the table saw. Make several extra blanks beyond the 14 that are needed.
> ...


My interest in the dust hood is mainly because my shop is so small that and swarf and dust that gets airborne winds up under all my other power tools and dust collection is difficult for a lathe. My other machines are all on wheels, but it's a chore and time consuming to move everything every time I clean up.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Turning Long, Thin Spindles*
> 
> *Stock Preparation*
> Run one face of the rough ash board across the jointer. Then run the opposite face through the planer. That should take some of the twists out of the wood. Rip ¾" square, 31" long spindle blanks on the table saw. Make several extra blanks beyond the 14 that are needed.
> ...


The hood does well with the pesky dust and not as well on chips which are easy enough to sweep up.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Turning Long, Thin Spindles*
> 
> *Stock Preparation*
> Run one face of the rough ash board across the jointer. Then run the opposite face through the planer. That should take some of the twists out of the wood. Rip ¾" square, 31" long spindle blanks on the table saw. Make several extra blanks beyond the 14 that are needed.
> ...


I no longer move the center steady. That was a waster of time and effort. I am careful to get the part under the steady to the mid-taper diameter and even sand it a bit before lowering the steady into place. I leave about an inch on each side of the steady smooth. I then blend the turning into that from each side. After turning, I sand on either side of the steady, raise the wheels out of the way, and sand the area under the steady. At this point the wood is smooth and I'm able to support the spindle with my hand as I sand the center of the spindle.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Modeling a Seat Blank from Pine*

*Necessity of a Model*

The seat blank is a critical piece of this rocking chair. All of the spindles and the legs attach directly to the seat. I made six bow-back chairs back in the mid-nineties and didn't model the first seat blank. Unfortunately, I didn't nail the design on the first attempt and chair number one is not as comfortable as the other five. I decided to take the time to model a seat blank for this rocking chair.










*Gluing Up the Blank*
I selected construction-grade 2×6 pine for the blank and alternated the heartwood in hopes that the blank would remain stable.










I was surprised that, despite this precaution, the blank released a tremendous amount of stress after I shaped it and it curled up 7/16". This will impact the splay angle of the legs, but I'll continue to use the blank for subsequent steps.
*Update:* The seat continues to curl up. The total curve in the cross section is now 3/4". I will no longer sculp the seat when using construction-grade pine for a chair model. It's still worth it to use the pine in order to figure out angles for the various spindles and the leg holes. The only disadvantage of not shaping the seat is that the model will be 3/4" higher than the final product.

*Marking Out Curves and Leg Holes*
The curve for the front and the back of the seat blank is not a perfect radius. The back curve seems to have a flatter section in the center.










My technique for marking out these curves is to use a flexible stick. However, the curve for the back was too tight for my curve marking stick. No problem, I ripped a scrap piece of Formica and used that instead. I determined where the curve would terminate on the side of the blank. I chose 8" from the back and made marks on the blank here and at the center of the back. This is a four-handed operation. My lovely wife works well with me as we determine a pleasing curve and then she traces it out. Once you've determined a good curve, measure where the curve stick intersects the curve termination mark and then mark a symmetrical mark on the opposite side of the stick.










This will help achieve a symmetrical curve. I clamped a piece of wood at the back of the blank to provide a place to oppose the curve stick and flatten out the curve in that section. I used a similar procedure on the front curve without the flattening step.

*Drilling Leg Holes with a Compound Angle Drilling Jig*
The leg holes must be precisely located since they intersect the rockers. The back legs are located to create a 5 degree splay angle between the front and the back legs and also rest in the curve formed when shaping the seat blank. I'm trying a 15 degree splay angle to achieve the desired width for stability on these shorter than normal legs (they're shorter because they terminate in the rocker versus resting directly on the floor.) The front legs are angled 7 degrees forward. The back legs are angled 30 degrees back.










I mark the leg hole locations with a compass. This provides a better means of aiming the drill press to the correct location than a center point or even a cross marking. *Tip:* it's much easier to position the seat blank accurately on the jig if the blank is square when drilling the holes.










I use a home-built compound angle drilling jig to drill these 1" diameter holes on my drill press. Old-school Windsor chair builders might do this by eye with a bit brace…not me! I previously used a jig fixed at 10 degrees. However, I needed a 7 degree splay on my bar stools this past summer and decided to build an adjustable jig that work for any future projects. I rip a piece of MDF the correct width to obtain the angle I need and then label it for future use. This piece is inserted in a slot, opposite the hinged side, and raises the table to the correct angle. Gravity keeps everything in place.










I clamp the jig to the drill press and the seat blank to the jig while drilling each leg hole. There's too much torque, when using a 1" Forstner bit, to not take this precaution.

*Note:* When drilling the left rear leg, the 30 degree angle may put the seat blank too close to the drill press handles. I removed them and used a screw driver inserted in the holes to plunge the bit.

*Shaping the Seat with an Arbortech Turboplane*

*Note:* It may make more sense to shape the seat first and then drill the leg holes. It is possible that, in the process of grinding the blank, the seat could splinter at the leg hole. It did not splinter on my pine blank. However, I may run a test piece of cherry before committing to this order of shaping with the 8/4 cherry seat blank.










I used to use a King Arthur chainsaw shaping disk mounted to my angle grinder. I would then clean up those marks with a carbide grinder as pictured.










I recently purchased an Arbortech Turboplane grinding disk. This disk cuts with more of a planing action, rather than grinding. It worked quite well with the pine blank. However, knots seemed to draw it off course more than the carbide disk.










The final surface was much cleaner than previous disks produced. I was able to easily clean up the Arbortech's marks with a 50-grit sanding disk.










This disk seems safer than the Lancelot as the cutting depth is limited by the projection of the three cutters through the disk profile. Once the seat is taken down to the final depth, it is much easier to plane a flat section with this disk. I'm impressed with its quality of cut, safety, and ease of use.

*Next Steps*
I'll turn the four legs and build the prototype rockers to fit them in. This will provide a stable base from which to fit the spindles and the back crest.


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## GrandpaLen (Mar 6, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Modeling a Seat Blank from Pine*
> 
> *Necessity of a Model*
> 
> ...


Mark,

Great Blog/Tutorial.

I have been wanting to make a Rocking Chair for my Great-Granddaughter and you have demystified most of my concerns with attempting that project. I really like your Drilling Jig.

I am adding your Blog to my 'watch list' for more tips and techniques as you progress through your build.

I think I may commit to building her one this winter.

Thanks for the informative post.

Work Safely and have Fun. - Grandpa Len.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Modeling a Seat Blank from Pine*
> 
> *Necessity of a Model*
> 
> ...


Grandpa Len,

Thanks, I'm glad that my blog is proving helpful. Chair building is a particular challenge since nothing meets at 90 degree angles. I guess that's what makes it so satisfying as well. The jig helps a lot with drilling consistent compound angle holes.

I need to build a fluting jig for my new, larger swing lathe so that I can route an accurate groove in the rear legs to receive the laminated brace. I'm hoping that I can use my old bending form from my bow-back chairs for the laminated brace.

It will get interesting as I fit 14 spindles into the head piece. I'm enjoying this project at a leisurely pace. I don't have a deadline and that is freeing.

Mark


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Modeling a Seat Blank from Pine*
> 
> *Necessity of a Model*
> 
> ...


Everything seems very well thought out Mark. I like your angle drilling jig on the drill press. I was thinking that you might be able to solve warping problems for you prototype seats by using a couple of battens across the back either datoed in or proud of the seat surface. I know you are way past that stage now, so just a thought for future projects.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Modeling a Seat Blank from Pine*
> 
> *Necessity of a Model*
> 
> ...


Mike:

I think the best way to deal with warping construction wood would be to not profile the seat. It stayed stable at a consistent 1 1/2" thickness. However, it wasn't a total waste of time since I was able to play around with the new Arbortech surfacer before using it on the cherry.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

DustyMark said:


> *Modeling a Seat Blank from Pine*
> 
> *Necessity of a Model*
> 
> ...


Nice work ,I like my Arbortech too.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Modeling a Seat Blank from Pine*
> 
> *Necessity of a Model*
> 
> ...


Ah. I though it warped before you shaped it. I guess the warping comes from having thin and thick surfaces together in one glued up piece.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Modeling a Seat Blank from Pine*
> 
> *Necessity of a Model*
> 
> ...


With construction wood that isn't completely dry, shaping it on one end dries that newly exposed wood and causes severe warping. That's never happened to me on kiln-dried cherry.


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## ctregan (May 1, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Modeling a Seat Blank from Pine*
> 
> *Necessity of a Model*
> 
> ...


What did you find for the dimensions of the seat blank? I found a version of this chair in the sketchup library but the dimensions might be off?

I'm going to continue with the rest of you posts, Thanks for doing this!


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Modeling a Seat Blank from Pine*
> 
> *Necessity of a Model*
> 
> ...


My seat blanks are 21 1/4" wide, 19 1/4" deep, and 1 1/2" thick. Those dimensions should fit most people. I adjusted the angles of the arm spindles for two different arm spreads that produced a "his" and "hers" fit.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Mistakes So Far...*

It's been a while since I posted an update on my rocking chair project. I got busy with life and didn't work on it for a while. However, I'm back at it full speed. Before I move forward with a full post, I figured that I'd show you a few of the mistakes I've made so far!

*1. Don't Use Construction Lumber for a Seat Blank Prototype*

I thought that it made sense to use construction grade lumber for my seat blank prototype, but that was a bad idea since it cupped like crazy after I shaped the seat and made it thinner by 50% on one side. I experimented with pushing the cup out of it and it snapped.










My solution was to glue up some 8/4 cherry and derive the angles for the 20 spindle holes very carefully on the final seat blank.










At this point I also decided to make two rocking chairs in a batch production mode. I made jig templates for drilling the seat blank spindle holes and also for the top crest. I used the first seat blank to make the jig and successfully copied the holes in the second seat blank. More on that in a subsequent post.

*2. Don't Use 3/8" Tenons on Base Spindles for Chair Backs*

I turned out 14 spindles from ash for the back of the rocking chair. They were a perfect tension and had nice, even tapers. However, I used 3/8" tenons that transitioned abruptly to an 11/16" diameter at the base of the spindle. This created a sharp point which caused the spindles to break at the base when I flexed them as I experimented with various angles of entry into the head crest.










This was a frustrating setback as I now have to turn 14 long, narrow spindles over again. I had already drilled 3/8" holes in the first seat blank. Thankfully, I was successful at re-boring these holes to 1/2" by working my way through some fractional bits. I was able to at least salvage the seat blank that way.










I will turn the spindles with 1/2" base tenons that transition gently to a 5/8" spindle diameter at the base. The set of weak spindles were still handy to experiment with the proper angles for the head crest. They give a good view of what the final chair might look like.

*3. Be Sure You Have the Correct Prototype Piece When Making a Jig/Template*

I used my final prototype for the top crest to build a jig that guides the drill bit for accurate, repeatable spindle holes in the crest. This picture tells the story well…










The technique is to drill through the top of the prototype crest into a piece of hardwood scrap. That scrap becomes the jig/template when you clamp it to the bottom of the final piece and drill from the bottom up into the piece. It perfectly duplicates the compound angle of the prototype crest. The mistake I made is that the final prototype was still connected to the spindles and I was using a bad prototype to make my jig! That only wasted a piece of scrap cherry.

I'll try to catch up my blog posts to my project progress in the coming week…


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

DustyMark said:


> *Mistakes So Far...*
> 
> It's been a while since I posted an update on my rocking chair project. I got busy with life and didn't work on it for a while. However, I'm back at it full speed. Before I move forward with a full post, I figured that I'd show you a few of the mistakes I've made so far!
> 
> ...


Looks like a good start.


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## Woodbridge (Oct 12, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Mistakes So Far...*
> 
> It's been a while since I posted an update on my rocking chair project. I got busy with life and didn't work on it for a while. However, I'm back at it full speed. Before I move forward with a full post, I figured that I'd show you a few of the mistakes I've made so far!
> 
> ...


very interesting blog. Your learning experiences are very helpful.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Mistakes So Far...*
> 
> It's been a while since I posted an update on my rocking chair project. I got busy with life and didn't work on it for a while. However, I'm back at it full speed. Before I move forward with a full post, I figured that I'd show you a few of the mistakes I've made so far!
> 
> ...


The most painful but best remembered way to avoid future mistakes! I sometimes think I use more time and materials on my mistakes than on my projects.


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## phtaylor36 (Jun 13, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Mistakes So Far...*
> 
> It's been a while since I posted an update on my rocking chair project. I got busy with life and didn't work on it for a while. However, I'm back at it full speed. Before I move forward with a full post, I figured that I'd show you a few of the mistakes I've made so far!
> 
> ...


I made a chair out of construction lumber, carved it and had the same result. Of course I was using the chair as a ladder at the time hehe…

Your jig is genius though.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Mistakes So Far...*
> 
> It's been a while since I posted an update on my rocking chair project. I got busy with life and didn't work on it for a while. However, I'm back at it full speed. Before I move forward with a full post, I figured that I'd show you a few of the mistakes I've made so far!
> 
> ...


Philip:

Oops! I had my Shaker two-step stool crack while I was on it, but it didn't completely fail. It was an early project and I likely used to much clamping pressure and glue-starved the joint…

Thanks, drilling compound holes from underneath a top crest leaves a lot of room for drilling in the wrong direction. That's what motivated me to build a jig like this. It's almost foolproof and allows quick, repeatable joinery…a little bit of production technique in a hobby shop.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Drilling Spindle Holes*

Determining the correct angles for the spindle holes in the seat blank and the top crest is an important step that impacts the aesthetics, comfort, and strength of the rocking chair. I plan to make a total of 14 (a pair for each of my kids and stepkids) of these rocking chairs over the years and production repeatability is another goal.

*Seat Blank*

I used a diagram from the Thos. Moser web site to get an idea of the possible angles of the holes in the seat blank. I made a scrap top crest with the deisred curve. I then enlisted my wife's help and held some spindles in place to confirm the angles. I then committed and drilled the middle six holes in the blank and the scrap top crest. This provided a means to hold the top crest in place while I fiddled with the more complex outer holes. At this point, I felt confident that I had the correct angles for the seat blank holes and drilled them (with a drill press) in the first seat blank. I then used that blank to build my seat template.










Trace the outline of the seat blank onto some scrap plywood. Screw some scrap 8/4 hardwood onto the plywood around its perimeter. (The harder the wood the better since you will use this as a drilling guide for future projects.) Clamp the bottom of this assembly to the top of the first seat blank. Use the holes of the original seat blank as a guide and drill through them, from the bottom, into the template. After drilling all 20 holes, you have a jig/template that will exactly duplicate the holes in your original seat blank.










Trace and cut out a second seat blank. Clamp the drilling template to the top of the seat blank and a scrap piece of plywood to the bottom. The scrap of plywood will minimize slintering as your drill bit passes through the bottom of the new seat blank. Label your drilling template in some way to ensure you always orient the contact face of the jig correctly to the top of the new seat blank. All holes are drilled through the top of the jig/template into the top of the seat blank.










Two of the spindle holes land near the rear leg hole. Use a piece of tape to stop the hole prior to entering the rear leg hole.










Here is the second seat blank with 20 spindle holes drilled accurately with only a hand drill and a clever jig! Many of these holes are compound angles. It is easy to get these angles drilled backwards when using the drill press on the original blank. It's real mind bender! However, when the jig is clamped to the blank correctly, subsequent seat blanks are flawless and capable of being drilled in 10 minutes!

*Top Crest*

The procedure to drill the top crest holes is very similar to the seat blank. I used 2×4 scrap for experimental top crests. I determined the correct spindle hole angles on the fourth prototype. I tried different approaches and finally was able to visualize good compound angles for the outermost spindles.










The spindle holes in the top crest don't pass all the way through. Therefore, the holes are drilled from the bottom of the crest. The jig/template is created by clamping the bottom of the prototype to the top of the jig/template and drilling from the top of the prototype into the top of the jig.










Drilling through the prototype top crest into the jig/template. For final cuts into the top crest, the top of the jig will contact the bottom of the top crest. I label that surface "contact" on the jig to avoid confusion. I will tape the drill bit since all of the holes are stopped. The three outside holes are compound angles and if drilled too far, will penetrate the back of the top crest.










Here's how the spindles lay in a well-fit top crest.










Here's a rough idea of how the spindles fit together from the seat blank to the top crest. Please note that the bottom spindles in this picture have undersized 3/8" tenons sitting in 1/2" holes. The final product will have more tension and curves in the outer spindles. Forcing slight curvature in the outer spindles creates tension in the assembly and keeps the back from flexing excessively. This tension is created by slightly misaligning the spindle holes between the seat blank and the top crest. The tension and the resulting curves in the spindles don't appear in this photo since the undersized tenons allow the base of the tenons to straighten out a bit. I must turn new spindles with 1/2" base tenons to see the final result!


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Laminating a Curved Leg Brace*

*Advantages of a Laminated Chair Brace*

Thos. Moser makes good use of laminated leg braces in his chair designs in lieu of chair rungs between the legs. The final product has much cleaner lines and is quite strong. The beauty of this approach is that the legs are allowed to flex on uneven floors. I have a set of six chairs that I made in 1993 that used laminated braces. Not one leg joint has loosened after almost 20 years of constant use.










Here's a photo of a brace on an Eastward bench that I built in 1998. These benches often hold three adults as we sit down in our dining room.

*Ripping Laminate Strips*

The curve for the back leg is pretty tight. The laminating strips must be less than 1/10" in order to not split as they're clampled to the form. Most planers won't plane down to less than 1/10", so the best option is to rip the strips on a tablesaw. *Caution: * Don't set the fence 1/10" from your saw blade. It will pinch and burn. Rather adjust your rip fence for each cut and let the piece fall away to the outside of the blade. A zero clearance insert will keep that thin piece from falling into and wedging between the insert and the blade. I use 8/4 stock and laminate the brace wide enough to create two braces simultaneously. I then rip the braces on the tablesaw.

*Laminating Using a Bending Form*

Determine the curve and build a bending form by stacking plywood together to the proper height. Cut the stacked plywood to the correct shape. Sand the new form to smooth out the curve. Apply packing tape to the face of the bending form so that that brace doesn't become a permanent part of the form! Apply plastic to the plywood base to prevent the same thing.

I used to use Weldwood resincorcal glue for laminating. It dried real hard and the lamination didn't creep. That is no longer available. Unibond makes a good laminating glue, but it's sold in one gallon quantities, costs over $50, and has a limited shelf life. For small batches of braces, I decided to try Gorilla glue. It dries hard and there was neglible springback or creep in the week since pulling the braces off the bending form.










Gorilla glue works best if one side of the glue-up is wetted. Here I'm using a fine mist from an old hair spray bottle.










Stack the laminate as you apply glue to each layer.










Apply a liberal layer of glue.










Spread the glue with a putty knife.










Begin clamping at the center. Notice the flat spot cut into the inside of the form for more secure clamping.










Apply clamps outward.










Here is the final clamping configuration. Leave the brace clamped for at least 24 hours to allow the glue to cure.

*Final Product*










Scrape off the excess glue and rip two 1/2" braces from the 1 1/2" wide brace. I won't show a picture of that process. My tablesaw's cutting guard was in the way of cutting this curve, so I made the cut with a push stick and a feather board.

Next, the rear legs need a mortise to receive the laminated brace…


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Laminating a Curved Leg Brace*
> 
> *Advantages of a Laminated Chair Brace*
> 
> ...


Great stuff Mark. You are an excellent teacher.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Laminating a Curved Leg Brace*
> 
> *Advantages of a Laminated Chair Brace*
> 
> ...


Mike:

Thanks! Writing this blog is a lot like writing a chair building instructional book a chapter at a time. It's a lot of work, but I've enjoyed the challenge. I used to be a C-130 instructor pilot in the Air Force and enjoy teaching complex tasks…


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

DustyMark said:


> *Laminating a Curved Leg Brace*
> 
> *Advantages of a Laminated Chair Brace*
> 
> ...


Very interesting blog.Thanks for sharing this build with us.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Plunging a Mortise in a Turned Leg*

To use a laminated brace, there must be a 1/2" wide mortise in the leg. This is a simple process if you have the proper jig.

*Mortising Jig*










This is the jig that I used to make mortises for all of my mortise and tenon joints prior to purchasing a mortiser. I simply added some plywood to the base to raise it to the swing of my new lathe. I added a strip of plywood on the bottom to register it between the bed ways of the lathe. It is then secured by a scrap of hardwood that clamps under the bed ways by fastening a bolt through to a threaded fastener in the base of the jig.

*Plunging the Mortise*










Fasten the seat tenon of the leg securely in a lathe chuch and lock the indexer to prevent the drive end of the lathe from turning. Drill a hole in the center of the leg bottom. This is what registers the tail stock in the correct location. The plunge cut is 1/2" deep at the bottom side of the leg. The router is centered in the jig using an adjustable router fence. I mark the start and stop points of the plunge cut directly on the leg.










Here is what the 1/2" wide plunge cut looks like while still attached between centers.










Here are two pairs of rear legs routed and ready for squaring with a mortising chisel.

*Next Step:*










The next step will be trimming the braces to fit the mortises…


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Plunging a Mortise in a Turned Leg*
> 
> To use a laminated brace, there must be a 1/2" wide mortise in the leg. This is a simple process if you have the proper jig.
> 
> ...


I was very happy to learn about this brace method as opposed to stretchers.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Plunging a Mortise in a Turned Leg*
> 
> To use a laminated brace, there must be a 1/2" wide mortise in the leg. This is a simple process if you have the proper jig.
> 
> ...


Mike:

I haven't seen braces used on other than Moser furniture. Once you have the bending forms built, they aren't that difficult to work with and they do lighten up the design. I worked with my first set of stretchers when building a pair of bar stools last summer. It was a challenge to get all of the holes drilled at the correct angle…


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

DustyMark said:


> *Plunging a Mortise in a Turned Leg*
> 
> To use a laminated brace, there must be a 1/2" wide mortise in the leg. This is a simple process if you have the proper jig.
> 
> ...


Good progress,keep on trucking.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Fitting a Laminated Leg Brace*

With the mortises plunged in the legs, the braces need to be fitted to the leg and seat. This involves some tight tolerances and compound angles, but is quite acheivable when approached systematically. Trace your laminated brace onto some scrap plywood. Do most of your fitting with these plywood models. It would be a shame to waste a good brace!

*Square the Mortise*










The bottom side of the routed mortise must be squared to receive the brace. Ash is quite hard, so I honed my 1/2" mortising chisel before making the cuts.

*Plane the Brace*










The laminated brace had some waves in it from the clamping pressure. The brace must be flat where it contacts the bottom of the seat. These are planed flat with a sharp smoothing plane.










I ripped the braces about 1/32" oversize to allow for precise fitting to the mortise. The holdfast stabilizes the brace as I plane the brace to final thickness.

*Determine Angle of Brace in Mortise*

The legs holes are drilled at a compound angle through the seat. That makes determining the contact angle of the brace to the leg mortise a challenge.










Put the brace into the mortise and sight the twist angle of the leg that results in the leg brace landing flat on the bottom of the seat. Keep the leg in this position and use a protractor to find the angle that tracks down the center of the leg. Transfer this angle to the contact surface of the brace.










Here the brace-leg mortise contact surface is trimmed to that angle. You need to do a good job of estimating how long the brace needs to be. The brace needs to be 1/2" tall at that end. If you make the angled cut line too deep into the curve, you will not have the required 1/2" thickness at the end of the brace and it will land below the surface of the leg at the bottom of the mortise.

*Extend Mortise to Provide Clearance for Brace*

The brace form I used is one I recycled from previous projects. The resulting brace contacts the leg on this rocker high on the leg. I believe that my rear legs are angled too far back and will likely bring them about 5-10 degrees more upright on subsequent rocking chairs.










This photo shows the brace not making contact with the existing mortise. I determined that I needed to extend the mortise higher on the leg to provide clearance for the brace. I remounted the leg to the lathe and extended the mortise at a shallow depth with a plunge router.










I then chopped the mortise extension at a shallow angle to remove the minimum amount of wood from the leg.










Another view of the mortise.










The brace has adequate clearance in the leg mortise.

*Cut Brace to Length*










Use your plywood template to determine the final cut on the brace that will rest at the bottom of the leg mortise. I sneak up to this cut in 1/16" increments and test fit between cuts. If you cut the final brace too short, you'll have to glue in a spacer at the bottom of the tenon, or laminate a new brace…ouch! I've done this in the past.

*Final Fit*










Here's the final fit on one of the rocking chairs. Two screws and glue hold the brace at each contact point on the seat and the leg. I'll drill holes to receive round washer head screws and plug the holes with cherry buttons during assembly.

My next step is to cut wedges and saw kerfs in the upper and lower leg tenons. I'm getting close to assembling the bottom half of the rocking chairs!


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Fitting a Laminated Leg Brace*
> 
> With the mortises plunged in the legs, the braces need to be fitted to the leg and seat. This involves some tight tolerances and compound angles, but is quite acheivable when approached systematically. Trace your laminated brace onto some scrap plywood. Do most of your fitting with these plywood models. It would be a shame to waste a good brace!
> 
> ...


I found it interesting that you found the back leg angle of 30 deg. to be a bit too much, as I thought about 19 to 23 deg. was the norm. But who knows? Maybe the 30deg angle will work out ok in the end.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Fitting a Laminated Leg Brace*
> 
> With the mortises plunged in the legs, the braces need to be fitted to the leg and seat. This involves some tight tolerances and compound angles, but is quite acheivable when approached systematically. Trace your laminated brace onto some scrap plywood. Do most of your fitting with these plywood models. It would be a shame to waste a good brace!
> 
> ...


Mike:

After seeing the lower half assembled, I'm beginning to think that the angle might be close after all.


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## phtaylor36 (Jun 13, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Fitting a Laminated Leg Brace*
> 
> With the mortises plunged in the legs, the braces need to be fitted to the leg and seat. This involves some tight tolerances and compound angles, but is quite acheivable when approached systematically. Trace your laminated brace onto some scrap plywood. Do most of your fitting with these plywood models. It would be a shame to waste a good brace!
> 
> ...


Fantastic blog. Should have seen this before I attempted my rocking chair. What book do you have on your bench?


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Fitting a Laminated Leg Brace*
> 
> With the mortises plunged in the legs, the braces need to be fitted to the leg and seat. This involves some tight tolerances and compound angles, but is quite acheivable when approached systematically. Trace your laminated brace onto some scrap plywood. Do most of your fitting with these plywood models. It would be a shame to waste a good brace!
> 
> ...


Philip:

Thanks! The book is Measured Shop Drawings of American Furniture by Thos. Moser. It has a lot of great details about his construction methods. It's no longer in print, but can be found used on the web. He has an updated version, but it has less detail on chair construction.


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## EM3D (Jul 24, 2014)

DustyMark said:


> *Fitting a Laminated Leg Brace*
> 
> With the mortises plunged in the legs, the braces need to be fitted to the leg and seat. This involves some tight tolerances and compound angles, but is quite acheivable when approached systematically. Trace your laminated brace onto some scrap plywood. Do most of your fitting with these plywood models. It would be a shame to waste a good brace!
> 
> ...


Hi Mark, 
I have been a fan of Thos Moser's work for sometime as well. Can you please tell me what the publication date &/version / isbn is for that book version you have? I have found a 1985 hardcover, but don't know if that is too early - being that I don't know if he has added plans in later publications. thanks!


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Fitting a Laminated Leg Brace*
> 
> With the mortises plunged in the legs, the braces need to be fitted to the leg and seat. This involves some tight tolerances and compound angles, but is quite acheivable when approached systematically. Trace your laminated brace onto some scrap plywood. Do most of your fitting with these plywood models. It would be a shame to waste a good brace!
> 
> ...


Yes, the older book I used was "Measured Shop Drawings for American Furniture" is 1985. Paperback ISBN= 0-8069-6792-7. Hardcover ISBN= 0-8069-5712-3.

The newer book is "How to Build Shaker Furniture: The Completely Updated and Improved Classic" is a 2011 version. ISBN-13: 978-1-4403-1304-2. ISBN-10: 1-4403-1304-0.

I think there was an older version of "How to Build Shaker Furniture", but I don't have it. Hope this helps.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Producing Wedges and Sawing Kerfs*

Wedges provide a bit of extra security in a leg joint. If the glue ever fails, the mechanical power of the wedge will hold the chair together longer.

*Producing Wedges*

I prefer a wedge with 4 degrees of taper. This shallow taper has a lot of power. However, you must get the thickness at the entry of the wedge close to the right thickness. If it is too thin, the wedge will bottom out in the joint before reaching its proper tightness.

Begin the process by surfacing wood to the thickness of the width of the tenon. A 1" tenon rquires 1" thick stock. Wedges need to be cut with the grain to remain strong. Crosscut a piece of wood to the final length of the wedge. This wood is then ripped on the tablesaw using the miter guage with an auxiliary fence.










Set the miter guage to 2 degrees. Make the first cut and throw the wedge away.










Flip the wood over.










Make another cut. Make a mark on the auxiliary fence to reproduce wedges with the same thickness.










Here's what the wedge looks like right off the saw.










This stack of wedges will hold the the seat tenons in place on two rocking chairs.

*Marking Kerfs*

The wedges need to run perpendicular to the grain. If they run parallel to the grain, they will likely split the seat or the rocker.










Marking out the seat tenon.










Marking out the rocker tenon.

*Sawing Kerfs*

I have cut the kerfs by hand on some previous projects. However, I like to cut them on the bandsaw with a V-block now.










Here's a view of the technique in action. The roller stand keeps the V-block steady. The v-block keeps the leg from rolling.










Sight the blade with your mark to ensure correct orientation.










Close-up of a cut. I make a slight wedge-shaped cut for the seat tenons and a simple kerf for rocker and spindle tenons.










A chair's-worth of legs kerfed and ready for assembly.

I need to complete the rockers next…


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Producing Wedges and Sawing Kerfs*
> 
> Wedges provide a bit of extra security in a leg joint. If the glue ever fails, the mechanical power of the wedge will hold the chair together longer.
> 
> ...


Mark,

I am just getting caught up. Wonderful blog and thanks for taking the time.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Producing Wedges and Sawing Kerfs*
> 
> Wedges provide a bit of extra security in a leg joint. If the glue ever fails, the mechanical power of the wedge will hold the chair together longer.
> 
> ...


Scott,

Thanks, it's fun documenting a challenging project like this rocking chair. I'm designing at the bench since I don't have a plan and I'll likely be making some changes in the next batch. I've got a few weeks off from my part-time job and I'm taking full advantage of it by spending quite a bit of time working on these rocking chairs. I'm ready to assemble the bottom half on Friday.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Producing Wedges and Sawing Kerfs*
> 
> Wedges provide a bit of extra security in a leg joint. If the glue ever fails, the mechanical power of the wedge will hold the chair together longer.
> 
> ...


One question Mark. Why did you choose straight tenons over tapered tenons? My reason for asking is that it seems to me that as tapered tenons dried out, that the weight from sitting on the chair would tend to tight the joints whereas the straight tenons would get no benefit from constantly sitting on the chair. Please don't take this as a criticism as I am not a chair builder, and I know from experience that what works is good. I just thought that I might gain some insight from someone with your experience. I do have a production pine rocking chair that was purchased about 25 years ago with straight tenons and it has held together tight as a drum.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Producing Wedges and Sawing Kerfs*
> 
> Wedges provide a bit of extra security in a leg joint. If the glue ever fails, the mechanical power of the wedge will hold the chair together longer.
> 
> ...


Mike:

I have a tapered tenon bit for my bit brace. I bought that and a set of spoon bits when I thought I was going to build a Windsor chair with green wood. You're right about the advantages of a tapered tenon for a seat tenon. To me, it's simpler to turn out a straight tenon and further secure it with the wedge and braces. Most of my bowback chairs will hit 20 years in 2013 and none of the joints have loosened. That gives me confidence in wedged straight tenons.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

DustyMark said:


> *Producing Wedges and Sawing Kerfs*
> 
> Wedges provide a bit of extra security in a leg joint. If the glue ever fails, the mechanical power of the wedge will hold the chair together longer.
> 
> ...


Just catching up on your blog ,I'm thoroughly enjoying each installment.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Designing and Cutting the Rocker*

*Designing the Rocker*

I'm working from a handful of photographs and a sketch from the Thos. Moser website to build this rocking chair. It's enough to follow, but a true plan would be more precise. Drawing a good rocker is particularly challenging without a detailed plan. I determined some critical intercept points for the rocker's curve from the profile drawing. With my wife's help, I drew a fair curve with a strip of scrap Formica.

After drawing the bottom curve, I inserted a set of legs in the seat blank and rested it against the drawing of the rocker. I determined accurate landing points for the leg tenons on the full-scale drawing. Establishing the centerline of the leg holes and the exact angle of the holes is critical for the legs to align properly between the seat blank and the rocker. I experimented with a pair of rockers from 2 X 6 scap. I confirmed my measurements and fit before cutting the "good" wood.










A rocker with the top profile cut out and the leg holes drilled. I draw the rocker in the exact same position on the blank each time. I can then drill the hole more accurately.

*Drilling the Leg Holes*

Having established the axis of the leg holes, I now determine the angle of the leg holes in relation to the bottom of the blank.










The front leg hole is drilled in a prepared blank. I previously planed the landing point smooth and true with a smooting plane.










Four rockers drilled and ready for some smoothing.

*Smoothing the Rocker*










Even with a fine blade, the bandsaw leaves marks that require smoothing. Sanding the marks is not the most effective method.










A freshly honed smoothing plane removes saw marks and trues up an outside curve at the same time.










A spoke shave works well inside the curve when a smoothing plane won't reach the wood. It's usually best to work downhill to stay with the grain.










A situation where going slightly uphill acutally runs with the grain.

*Further Shaping of the Rocker*

There is further shaping that should be done to the rocker before assembly.










Moser adds a nice visual detail in the rocker by tapering it in the last foot or so of the rear of the rocker to 3/4" thickness. I cut this curve on the bandsaw










Moser uses a different joinery method for his rockers that allows the legs to contact the rocker at the splay angle of the legs. This allows his rocker to make full contact with the floor across its entire width. I turn full tenons on the leg and run them straight through the rocker at a 90 degree angle. This puts only the edge of the rocker in contact with the floor. I use a 1/2" round-over bit the keep the rocker from damaging the floor. *Note:* With the leg holes already drilled, the pilot bearing of the router will follow the leg hole and remove too much material. Skip this portion when routing the rocker and blend it in with a file.

*Mark Out Cross Dowel*

To speed assembly, pre-mark the hole for a cross dowel that will pin the lower leg tenon to the rocker. Also pre-cut the dowel and taper it at one end for easy entry.

The next step is to assemble the lower half of the rocking chair.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Designing and Cutting the Rocker*
> 
> *Designing the Rocker*
> 
> ...


Mark, I have never done a full scale drawings. I'd really like to hear more about that and maybe see a picture. What kind of paper did you use? Do you ever use sketch up?


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Designing and Cutting the Rocker*
> 
> *Designing the Rocker*
> 
> ...


Scott,

I only drew the actual lower rocker part. I drew it directly onto a 2 X 6 prototype piece and then cut it out with the bandsaw. I like to use a flexible piece of wood or strip of Formica to draw fair curves. It's incredibly effective. I've never used sketch up before. As picky as I can be, I'll try things out on cheap wood and then roll with what looks best. I'm definitely not a draftsman or an artist…


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Assembling the Lower Half of the Rocking Chair*

*Watch This Video!*

Follow this link to a 13-minute, real-time video of the glue-up of one rocker assembly. *Note:* I made one mistake during the assembly. I clamped the legs after having tapped wedges in place. I should have applied clamp pressure before tapping the wedges in place. The tenons made good contact, so it didn't matter.

*Prepare to Assemble*

I use Gorilla Glue to perform complex chair assemblies. It's quite messy, but allows more time to align parts before the glue sets.










It's good to have all the parts organized before starting the glue-up. Pre-cut the dowels, wedges, and kerfs. Have the brace holes drilled and the proper screws handy. I use a Frisbee to hold the small parts!










Apply glue to the seat hole.










Apply glue to the rocker hole.










Spray some water on the tenon. This will help activate the glue. Polyurethane glue requires moisture to cure.










Apply glue to the tenon.

*Assemble Rocker*

It seems unlikely that one could assemble a front leg and back leg into a rocker simultaneously when the angles are about 20 degrees different, but it works…










Push the legs into the seat first. Insert the rear rocker tenon part way. Fit the front rocker tenon. This will put up some resistance, but the kerfs provide a little bit of play.










Push the rocker the rest of the way onto the tenons.

*Install Brace*










Polyurethane glue allows time to twist parts into place. With the rocker assembled. The rear leg is twisted into position to line up the brace with the screw holes.










Screw and glue the brace into the leg first.










Screw and glue the brace to the seat last.

*Wedges*

Wedges are used to further secure the leg tenons. Run them across grain so that they don't split the rocker.










Wedge positioned and ready to be tapped.










Tapping the wedge with a dead blow mallet.










Apply clamp pressure to ensure the shoulders of the tenons meet flush with the rockers.

*Cross Dowels*










Use a scrap piece of wood to ensure you don't drill through the rocker.










Hole drilled for cross dowel to secure lower leg tenon. Tap in the cross dowel.

*Seat Wedge*










A wedge further secures the seat tenon.

*Assembled*










The lower half of the seat is assembled! I'm quite pleased with the way it looks. However, I will hold off on assembling the second chair until I'm sure of the fit and comfort of the first chair.

Next, I will clean up the rocker by shaping the area where the legs meet the rocker…


----------



## kenn (Mar 19, 2008)

DustyMark said:


> *Assembling the Lower Half of the Rocking Chair*
> 
> *Watch This Video!*
> 
> ...


Nice job, but …..you forget to mention the minor cut. I also like to leave a little DNA for future furniture historians to discover.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

DustyMark said:


> *Assembling the Lower Half of the Rocking Chair*
> 
> *Watch This Video!*
> 
> ...


A interesting build.


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Assembling the Lower Half of the Rocking Chair*
> 
> *Watch This Video!*
> 
> ...


Kenn:

What's a project without a "sacrifice" of blood?

Jim:

This is definitely an interesting, challenging and fun build. Thanks!

My daughter was home this week from college and she took great pictures and video.


----------



## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Assembling the Lower Half of the Rocking Chair*
> 
> *Watch This Video!*
> 
> ...


This is a really good blog. Lots of detail and information. The only down side is that I'm find myself wanting to build one! My project list keeps growing …


----------



## Oldtool (May 27, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Assembling the Lower Half of the Rocking Chair*
> 
> *Watch This Video!*
> 
> ...


Wow, that is one nightmare of a glue-up. I'm sticking to cabinets and tables, which I seem to give me enough glue-up problems.
Is there any reason why you don't use a longer open time glue, like Elmer's wood glue, with w 20 to 30 minute set time?
Thanks for showing.


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Assembling the Lower Half of the Rocking Chair*
> 
> *Watch This Video!*
> 
> ...


White glue would be a real good alternative. Hide glue would allow easier repair if a part needed to be replaced. I've had parts seize on me during complex assemblies with yellow wood glue. I guess I "drank the Kool-Aid" when Gorilla glue came out, had good success with it, and never tired anything else. I like the concept of the glue expanding in the joint slightly to possibly fill any imperfections.

Gorilla mentions 10-15 minute open time on their instructions. I suppose that would apply to a tenon that might have glue pre-applied to it. I'm not sure how much time you have once the joint is together to twist or slightly reposition the pieces before risking joint failure. However, I've never had a problem running out of time on a complex assembly. The video shows me getting slowed down a bit by the 5/8" wedges being a little thick, but I still got the whole thing together in 13 minutes. It definitely helps to be organized before spreading the glue!


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Assembling the Lower Half of the Rocking Chair*
> 
> *Watch This Video!*
> 
> ...


sras:

Thanks, a growing project list = hobby security!


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Assembling the Lower Half of the Rocking Chair*
> 
> *Watch This Video!*
> 
> ...


I am feeling like SRAS, but I have no room for more furniture. Maybe as a gift perhaps. I used some of that polyurethane glue on some outdoor repairs and it seems to be quite tough stuff and holds well too. Squeeze out seems to be the bad thing about it, but that goes for other glue type too.


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Assembling the Lower Half of the Rocking Chair*
> 
> *Watch This Video!*
> 
> ...


Mike:

I've found that a sharp scraper works well to take off polyurethane glue squeeze out. I do less damage with the scraper than with sandpaper. It seems to scrape off better than yellow glue.


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Assembling the Lower Half of the Rocking Chair*
> 
> *Watch This Video!*
> 
> ...


I used liquid hide glue for the upper assembly and plan to use it when I assemble the lower assembly of the second chair. It gave me plenty of working time and clean-up is easier. It clings well to the sides of a tenon as you're applying glue to the tenon.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Flushing the Seat Tenon*

After assembling the lower half of the rocking chair, there is some clean-up work that needs to be done once the glue has cured.

*Seat Tenon Before*










The seat tenons and wedges stick out from above the surface of the seat. Ash is very hard and this is end grain that needs to be surfaced. These tenons come up through a curved area of the seat and eliminate the option of using a saw to flush the tenons.

*Flushing Tools*










These are the attachments that work on my angle grinder. I'm not sure that the shearing cut of the Arbortech would work well on end grain. I need to experiment with this on some scrap and not the real thing. I defaulted to the carbide disk pictured in the upper right of the photo. I've used this disk successfully on 40 seat tenons in the past. Newer carbide disks have cut-outs to give a better view of the progress of the grind. That would be a handy feature when trying to avoid damaging the seat.

To clean up the grinding marks, I use a 50-grit disk on my random orbit sander. I work my way up through the grits to keep removing sanding marks.

*Seat Tenons After 80-Grit Sanding*










The seat cleans up real nice when the tenons are ground and sanded flush.










Close-up of the front tenon. This the one where the wedge tilted to the side when driving it in as seen in my assembly video There is a 1/16" gap on the right side of the wedge which the glue filled.










Close-up of the rear tenon.

Next blog will cover the shaping of the rocker/leg joint…


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Flushing the Seat Tenon*
> 
> After assembling the lower half of the rocking chair, there is some clean-up work that needs to be done once the glue has cured.
> 
> ...


Great work Mark. The lack of stretchers really gives it a light look that adds a lot to the overall design. I love things that are built lightly but are designed to be very strong and durable.


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Shaping the Rocker/Leg Joint*

The joints where each leg meets the rocker need shaping to transition from a rectangular rocker to a round leg. I designed the rocker with built-up areas where each leg enters. This provided a means to make a more graceful transition.

*Shaping Tools*










I use two tools to shape this joint by hand. The Nicholson #49 Patternmaker's rasp and a fishtail gouge worked great for this task. The gouge worked well to remove wood close the leg and also for initial large removal of wood. The rasp worked well to round over the edges in the transitions.










I've owened this rasp for over 26 years. I read a blog post that the Nicholson rasps went down in quality when they moved production to Brazil. This old model has served me well for decades. Note the aggressive tooth pattern. This is called a second-cut rasp and leaves quite a smooth surface, yet removes wood quickly.

*Big Picture*










Transitions from the legs down into the rocker. Gradual curves are pleasing to the eye.










View from another angle.

*Front Leg*










Outside view of the front leg. I plan to keep square edges on the top of the rocker. The seat has square edges at the top and the top crest will also have square edges. This will tie in all of the elements. The edges transiton smoothly from round to square.










Inside view of the front leg.










Forward view of the front leg. The lower, inside edge of the rocker is profiled with a 1/2" roundover bit over its entire length. I routed the first inch or so of the lower outside edge of the rocker with the same bit and then transitioned the edge to square with the rasp. This keeps the rocker from having an unbalanced look with a rounded edge on one side and a square edge on the other.

*Rear Leg*










The rear leg has a similar transition to the front leg. Another consideration is the taper at the rear of the rocker. The top of the rocker, aft of the rear leg, is rounded instead of squared.

I still need to plug the screw holes in the leg braces. * Note:* When driving the plug into the forward portion of the brace, clamp the sides of the brace to keep the plug from blowing out the sides of the brace. (I learned this the hard way on a previous project!) The walls of the brace adjacent to the screw holes in the mortise are supported by the mortise.










View of the rear rocker taper.

Minor clean-up work remains over the entire lower assembly, but I'm most of the way there.

Next, I need to re-turn the 14 back spindles that I messed up earlier…


----------



## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Shaping the Rocker/Leg Joint*
> 
> The joints where each leg meets the rocker need shaping to transition from a rectangular rocker to a round leg. I designed the rocker with built-up areas where each leg enters. This provided a means to make a more graceful transition.
> 
> ...


I am no rasp expert but I understand the main objection to modern rasps is that they are machine stitched. This results in "burrs" that aligned in rows and leaves behind a rough surface. Hand stitched rasps have an irregular pattern, like the picture above, and this leaves a smooth surface.

Hand stitched rasps are available from Auriou of France. I recently bought one from Lie Nielsen.

Great blog.


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Shaping the Rocker/Leg Joint*
> 
> The joints where each leg meets the rocker need shaping to transition from a rectangular rocker to a round leg. I designed the rocker with built-up areas where each leg enters. This provided a means to make a more graceful transition.
> 
> ...


The site I ran across mentioned the rasps as a modern alternative to the Nicholson #49. Here's a link to that site. Here's a link to the blog that talks about the decrease in Nicholson quality. I think that I'll buy an Auriou riffler to try out on the second rocking chair. It would be great for shaping the transition joint from the leg to the rocker.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

DustyMark said:


> *Shaping the Rocker/Leg Joint*
> 
> The joints where each leg meets the rocker need shaping to transition from a rectangular rocker to a round leg. I designed the rocker with built-up areas where each leg enters. This provided a means to make a more graceful transition.
> 
> ...


It's coming along beautifully .


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Shaping the Rocker/Leg Joint*
> 
> The joints where each leg meets the rocker need shaping to transition from a rectangular rocker to a round leg. I designed the rocker with built-up areas where each leg enters. This provided a means to make a more graceful transition.
> 
> ...


Jim:

Thanks. I like the way the lines flow with the rocker and the brace.

I'm pausing the second rocking chair prior to assembling the lower part. I'll finish the first rocking chair and confirm final fit and comfort before beginning assembly of the second chair. I could still adjust the front leg height and/or redesign the rocker without experiencing too much of a setback on the second chair.


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Shaping the Rocker/Leg Joint*
> 
> The joints where each leg meets the rocker need shaping to transition from a rectangular rocker to a round leg. I designed the rocker with built-up areas where each leg enters. This provided a means to make a more graceful transition.
> 
> ...


The profile of the chair is fantastic and the transition work came out real good too. I can understand now why you like this style of chair so much. I have a small Auriou rasp and they are very good, but very expensive too. I guess the price doesn't matter when the quality and longevity are good.


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Shaping the Rocker/Leg Joint*
> 
> The joints where each leg meets the rocker need shaping to transition from a rectangular rocker to a round leg. I designed the rocker with built-up areas where each leg enters. This provided a means to make a more graceful transition.
> 
> ...


Mike:

I'm struggling over whether to buy the Chris Pye set of two Auriou rasps. The fact is, I got the transitions shaped without them, so I don't "need" them. However, I may buy them anyway!


----------



## phtaylor36 (Jun 13, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Shaping the Rocker/Leg Joint*
> 
> The joints where each leg meets the rocker need shaping to transition from a rectangular rocker to a round leg. I designed the rocker with built-up areas where each leg enters. This provided a means to make a more graceful transition.
> 
> ...


Coming along nicely.


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Evaluating the Prototype Top Crest*

*Ready to Cut Final Top Crest?*

I finished turning the 14 back spindles on the first rocking chair over the past three days. As I finished each spindle, I inserted it into the seat. Once I had the middle four spindles completed, I began inserting them into the top crest as well. The prototype top crest is only 1 1/2" tall. The final top crest is 2 5/8" tall and will be cut from some scraps of 12/4 cherry that I had saved since completing my pencil post bed almost 20 years ago. I made a ball and claw foot coffee table from the initial scraps. I used some more to make top crests for a pair of bar stools. I only have enough 12/4 remaining to make three top crests. With two rocking chairs in the works, I want to get this right the first time.

*Various Views*










This is the third prototype top crest and I think that the angles are sound. This picture gives an idea of how the ash spindles are forced to bend, based on the angles of the holes in the seat and the top crest. These forced curves are pleasing to the eye, but more importantly, provide strength and rigidity to the back assembly. The path of least resistance would be to drill holes that corresponded to straight entries from the seat to the top crest. However, this would yield a back assembly ill-equipped to resist the force of an adult leaning against these 25" long spindles. By forcing curves in the spindles, tension is created within the assembly that helps it flex a little and yet finally hold against the forces of an adult's upper body in the rocking chair.










This view from the top shows the relationship of the spindle holes as they come through the top crest. The outermost spindles are a compound angle and enter the crest at a 15 degree angle from vertical. As seen by the cut line, I must limit the depth of these holes to 3/4" or possibly 1" to avoid the spindle coming out the back of the top crest. The second outermost spindle enters at a 10 degree angle. The third outermost spindle enters at a 5 degree angle and the rest of the spindles are veritcal.










The spindles are all slanted back to acheive a comfortable reclined seating position. They are drilled at 90 degrees in the seat and then at various angles in the crest to form pleasing curves as viewed from the front.










As viewed from a slightly different angle. I'm very happy with the lines of this chair.










This spindle blank shows how much the spindle is forced into position. I'm surprised at how far ash will bend. I'm careful to keep the straight grain portion of the spindle to the inside and outside of the curve. If you oriented the wavy grain portion to the inside or outside, it might break during assembly or use.

*How Do I Assemble 14 Spindles Simultaneously???*

I'm able to insert one spindle at a time in the prototype by pushing the spindle up through the top crest and then dropping back down to the seat blank. All of the holes in the final top crest are stopped tenons. That means I'll need to assemble 14 spindles at the same time. I assembled 7 spindles in a similar top crest for my bar stools last summer and my wife and I were able to handle it.

The trick I used on the bar stools was to insert the spindles in the top crest first and then fit the assembly into the seat. I'm thinking that with three people, we might be able to accomplish the same thing. Here are some other steps I'll take:

1. Drill all of the top crest holes to specific depths and custom cut the mating spindles to the correct length. 
2. Predrill some cross dowel holes into the top crest and the seat to hold the assembly together as we finally get things into place. 
3. Use Gorilla glue since it allows easy repositioning and give quite a bit of assembly time.
4. Glue spindles into top crest first.
5. Use blue painters tape to minimize Gorilla glue mess. Tape seat blank and cut through spindle holes with Exacto knife. Do same to underside of top crest. Tape spindles outside joint line.
6. Considering drilling a number of the center spindle holes in the top crest deeper so that I can bring them down into the seat after getting more difficult spindles into place. That would leave less spindles to deal with at once. However, it would be a disaster if they stuck high and I couldn't get them back down to contact the seat.

I welcome any thoughts or suggestions on this…

*Next Steps *

Next steps are to cut the back spindles to length and make the final top crest…


----------



## tsangell (Jan 10, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Evaluating the Prototype Top Crest*
> 
> *Ready to Cut Final Top Crest?*
> 
> ...


Looks fantastic.

If I had to fight a long glue up that had potential for re-work, it would be liquid hide glue, all the way. And the more hands, the merrier.


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Evaluating the Prototype Top Crest*
> 
> *Ready to Cut Final Top Crest?*
> 
> ...


Thanks. I've been pondering using liquid hide glue for this particular glue-up. That would give me time to insert the wedges on the seat tenons and cross dowels during the one hour open time. I'm close to a Woodcraft store and will pick some up today.


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Rum's Brilliant Solution for Lining Up 14 Spindles for Glue-Up*

*Vexing Problem*

In my last blog, I wondered how I could possibly line up 14 spindles under tension and force them down into their corresponding seat holes. I posted the question to the forum and Rum came up with the following solution.

*Brilliant Solution*

Build an alignment jig that fits just below the final crest. Drill down from the top of the top crest prototype into another piece of wood. This ensures that the compound angle holes continued in perfect alignment from one piece to the other. Cut the lower piece in half right down the holes. Shim the resulting kerf with playing card shims folded into four layers. Reassemble the new piece with 5 screws. Redrill the spindle holes since the jig probably didn't mate perfectly. The alignment jig is ready for use.










The entire back is dry assembled through the alignment jig one spindle at a time. The spindles are popping through in perfect alignment to receive the actual top crest.










Here the top crest is postioned on top of the exposed spindles. Push down on the top crest to insert 14 spindles simultaneously into the top crest. This worked so well that I didn't even need to use the dead-blow mallet!










The top crest is in position. The alignment jig is unscrewed to remove it from the assembly.

*Evaluation*

Rum's alignment jig will remove the drama from assembling the upper half of the rocking chair. I could assemble it by myself now, but will ask my wife to help with handing the spindles to me in sequence and gluing the wedges. It seems that the easiest strategy during glue-up will be to use liquid hide glue and insert it in the spindle holes. That will allow me to keep a fast pace. That's really the only option for the top crest since the spindles are inserted simultaneously.


----------



## davidmoser (Mar 12, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Rum's Brilliant Solution for Lining Up 14 Spindles for Glue-Up*
> 
> *Vexing Problem*
> 
> ...


... looking forward to seeing the finished project!! Here you might leave a bit more space in the alignment rail which will enable you to coax the spindles into the crest. Here at the shop we place the spindles between pins so that we can access them from the front and fit them into the crest.


----------



## jap (Oct 10, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Rum's Brilliant Solution for Lining Up 14 Spindles for Glue-Up*
> 
> *Vexing Problem*
> 
> ...


very nice


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Rum's Brilliant Solution for Lining Up 14 Spindles for Glue-Up*
> 
> *Vexing Problem*
> 
> ...


Wow, what a great idea and learning point too. I think the hide glue is good idea. Very interesting and informative.


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Rum's Brilliant Solution for Lining Up 14 Spindles for Glue-Up*
> 
> *Vexing Problem*
> 
> ...


David:

I absolutely love your designs; especially your chairs. 20 years ago, I made my first attempt at executing your Bowback chair design. The first one wasn't quite right, but chairs 2 through 6 turned out great. The fact that your family was able to build a successful business making furniture with such sound joinery, timeless style, and the best raw materials is nothing short of amazing. I've grown a great respect for what you've acheived!


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Making the Final Top Crest*

With Rum's assembly jig complete, I was free to make the actual top crest. I realized that this particular piece of 12/4 cherry is from an old friend who had been a P-40 pilot in WWII. He officiated my promotion ceremony to Lt Col before he passed over a decade ago.

*Layout*










Holes are drilled and the curve is marked.

*Cutting*










Making the cut. I should have cut more to the outside the line on the inside curve. I dipped in with the cut at one point and by the time I cleaned it up, I was close to one of the spindle holes…oops!

*Smoothing*










I've got a shop full of power tools, but often the best tool for the job is a hand tool. I like to use a freshly sharpened smoothing plane to take out bandsaw marks on the outside of a curve. I use a sharp spoke shave on the inside of the curve. The spokeshave was just a little dull and wouldn't cut the difficult grain closest to me. A little work on the diamond stone and it cut even the difficult grain with only minimal chatter.










This shows some of the progress at truing up the curve and removing the bandsaw marks. Some sort of sander would work, but a blade keeps the surface truer.










Here's the final surface. I spokeshaved the bandsaw marks and then used the extra blade from my cabinet scraper to remove the spokeshave chatter marks. No sandpaper has touched this surface at this point.

*Dry Assembly*

I dry assembled the upper assembly to make sure I had full contact with all of my spindles. I had marked the proper height of the all the spindles using my prototype top crest. I marked the outermost spindles on the top and the bottom since I hadn't decided if I was going to make them 1/4" shorter to keep them from pooping out the back side of the top crest. My intent was to use the bottom mark as a reference to measure up from for a final cut . I was explaining some nuance of woodworking while cutting one of those outer spindles. You guessed it, I cut at the bottom reference line! Oops, I had to turn another spindle to replace that one.

*Note:* I opted to swing the outside curve out an extra 1/8" to provide more room for the outermost spindles, which enter the top crest at 15 degrees.










Close up of front of top crest.










Close-up of back of top crest.










Dry assembled. This chair is really taking shape!










It not only looks good, it's also very comfortable. Even without glue or pins, I can lean most of my weight against the back without too much "creaking." The forced bends in the back spindles provide rigidity to the back assembly.

I've predrilled the holes for pinning the spindles and will cut some 3/16" dowels for the cross pins. Then it's on to gluing the upper assembly…


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Making the Final Top Crest*
> 
> With Rum's assembly jig complete, I was free to make the actual top crest. I realized that this particular piece of 12/4 cherry is from an old friend who had been a P-40 pilot in WWII. He officiated my promotion ceremony to Lt Col before he passed over a decade ago.
> 
> ...


It looks beautiful and comfortable as well. l'm really looking forward to see how the arms will look on it. I love the shape on the crest rail, it's very graceful and suitable to the overall design.


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Making the Final Top Crest*
> 
> With Rum's assembly jig complete, I was free to make the actual top crest. I realized that this particular piece of 12/4 cherry is from an old friend who had been a P-40 pilot in WWII. He officiated my promotion ceremony to Lt Col before he passed over a decade ago.
> 
> ...


So am I. If I start turning the arm spindles today, I could experiment with fitting the arm rests on Sunday after church!


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Glue the Upper Assembly*

Today we glued the upper assembly. Everything went smooth with the Rum's alignment jig and liquid hide glue. My wife helped with glue-up and photographed as well.










The spindles are lined up at their base. This photo shows the 1 5/8" spread in lengths from the outside to the inside spindles.










Applied glue to the seat holes with a syringe.










Applied glue to seat tenons with a brush.










Insert four center spindles.










Fit the alignment jig.










Add spindles by inserting into jig and then dropping into the seat.










All spindles inserted and ready to receive the top crest.










Top crest aligned to start on 14 spindles at compound angles simultaneously.










Work the jig and the top crest down.










Making some progress.










Measuring the progress. The spindle tenons are 1 1/4".










Remove alignment jig.










Outer half of alignment jig before removal.










Pound top crest the rest of the way with dead blow mallet. There is a balance between applying enough glue for good bond and too much glue that must find a way out of the joint. Clamp pressure usually has enough steady force to squeeze the glue out, but it would be a bit difficult to clamp this assembly. Perhaps a you could cut a relief groove in the top of the spindle with a carver's V-gouge. It went in, so I probably won't worry about that on the second chair.

Next, I pin the top crest spindles…


----------



## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Glue the Upper Assembly*
> 
> Today we glued the upper assembly. Everything went smooth with the Rum's alignment jig and liquid hide glue. My wife helped with glue-up and photographed as well.
> 
> ...


Good description of a somewhat complex process. I'm enjoying your blog…


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Glue the Upper Assembly*
> 
> Today we glued the upper assembly. Everything went smooth with the Rum's alignment jig and liquid hide glue. My wife helped with glue-up and photographed as well.
> 
> ...


Thanks, I'm in the home stretch at this point…


----------



## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Glue the Upper Assembly*
> 
> Today we glued the upper assembly. Everything went smooth with the Rum's alignment jig and liquid hide glue. My wife helped with glue-up and photographed as well.
> 
> ...


Great progess Mark.


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Pinning the Top Crest Spindles*

After confirming that the top crest was even, I pinned six of the 3/8" spindles with a 3/16" cross dowel. The upper assembly is under a great deal of tension. Pinning the spindles is a sensible precaution.










Drill the cross dowel hole with a stop. It would be very bad to drill through the front of this beautiful top crest.










Apply glue to the pin and drive it in.










Trim the excess.

Next, move on to wedging the spindles below the seat…


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Pinning the Top Crest Spindles*
> 
> After confirming that the top crest was even, I pinned six of the 3/8" spindles with a 3/16" cross dowel. The upper assembly is under a great deal of tension. Pinning the spindles is a sensible precaution.
> 
> ...


Is it a little scary trying to drill into the center of the spindle or do you have some failsafe way to do it?


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Pinning the Top Crest Spindles*
> 
> After confirming that the top crest was even, I pinned six of the 3/8" spindles with a 3/16" cross dowel. The upper assembly is under a great deal of tension. Pinning the spindles is a sensible precaution.
> 
> ...


I lined a ruler up with the spindle before assembly to determine where I'd hit the spindle. I predrilled everything the night before into the spindle hole with a 3/16" brad point bit. I then drilled all the way through after assembly with a 13/64" bit. The previous hole guided the bit nicely. I nailed the center on all of the spindles this way.


----------



## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Wedging Spindles Below the Seat*

*Watch This Video*

With the spindles locked in place in the top crest with cross dowels, it's time to quickly move on to wedging the spindles below the seat. Clink this link to watch a short video of me inserting a wedge. These wedges supply an extra bit of security to the joint in case the glue fails. Plus they look real cool!

*Preparation*

Prior to assembly, I cut 4 degree wedges for the 1/2" seat tenons on my tablesaw and sawed kerfs by hand in the tenons. I sawed an extra width at the very beginning of the kerf to ensure I could start the wedge even if the tenon was pinched during assembly.

*Insert Wedge*










Apply glue to the kerfs.










Apply glue to the wedge and line up with kerf.










Tap the wedge into the spindle kerf.










All of the wedges driven.

Next step is to pin the seat tenons…


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Wedging Spindles Below the Seat*
> 
> *Watch This Video*
> 
> ...


I like your idea using the syringe.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Wedging Spindles Below the Seat*
> 
> *Watch This Video*
> 
> ...


The syringe with the liquid hide glue was a great combination. The glue clung to the walls of the holes and allowed me the time to glue everything ahead of time and then have a quick assembly. The syringe also was great for getting some glue down into the wedge kerf.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Pinning the Seat Tenons*

With the seat tenons wedged, it's time to pin the tenons. I wedged the tenons first so that the cross dowel wouldn't potentially prevent full travel of the wedge. I chose to pin 8 of the 14 seat tenons.

*Pin the Seat Tenons*










Drill the pins in 1 1/4". This secures the tenon without going too far into the seat.










My dowels were closer to 13/64" than 3/16", so I had to use a metal bit to drill the holes. Chips don't eject as well from metal bit. Compounding this problem, the glue was still wet and formed a strong mix with the drill dust. This plugged up the bit pretty bad and caused a couple of the holes to smoke. I could have caught my chair on fire!










Tap the pins in place and chair assembly is done for the day. Liquid hide glue takes a full 24 hours to cure. There are no clamps since everything is held in place by pins and wedges. I'll have to wait until after church tomorrow to sit on it.

*Plug the Brace Holes*










With the chair already positioned, I finally plugged the brace holes. I can't resist the urge to tap these in place, so I clamp the unsupported sides to prevent a blow-out.

Next, turn six spindles for the arms…


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Pinning the Seat Tenons*
> 
> With the seat tenons wedged, it's time to pin the tenons. I wedged the tenons first so that the cross dowel wouldn't potentially prevent full travel of the wedge. I chose to pin 8 of the 14 seat tenons.
> 
> ...


Great idea with the clamps Mark. Those little tricks can sure save a lot of grief and I'm sure you don't want any either at this stage. Have a great Sunday at church and with your chair!


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Pinning the Seat Tenons*
> 
> With the seat tenons wedged, it's time to pin the tenons. I wedged the tenons first so that the cross dowel wouldn't potentially prevent full travel of the wedge. I chose to pin 8 of the 14 seat tenons.
> 
> ...


After following along, I want to sit in it too.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Pinning the Seat Tenons*
> 
> With the seat tenons wedged, it's time to pin the tenons. I wedged the tenons first so that the cross dowel wouldn't potentially prevent full travel of the wedge. I chose to pin 8 of the 14 seat tenons.
> 
> ...


It's taking willpower not to sit in it before tomorrow afternoon. I want to feel the final flex of the back assembly. This is a very interesting chair design and my most challenging project to date. My ball and claw coffee table took a lot of effort in carving technique, but this chair has been a true "mind-boggler" at times.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

DustyMark said:


> *Pinning the Seat Tenons*
> 
> With the seat tenons wedged, it's time to pin the tenons. I wedged the tenons first so that the cross dowel wouldn't potentially prevent full travel of the wedge. I chose to pin 8 of the 14 seat tenons.
> 
> ...


Keep on trucking Mark,I'm enjoying the ride.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Pinning the Seat Tenons*
> 
> With the seat tenons wedged, it's time to pin the tenons. I wedged the tenons first so that the cross dowel wouldn't potentially prevent full travel of the wedge. I chose to pin 8 of the 14 seat tenons.
> 
> ...


Thanks Jim. I'm sharpening my roughing gouge and then calling it a day.

I do most of the shaping of these tapered spindles with a roughing gouge…real turners would cringe! However, rolled on its side, it produces a smooth enough cut prior to the sanding block. I'll turn six short spindles and start work on the arm rests tomorrow! I'm hoping to assemble the arm rests on Monday.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Making the Arm Rests*

With the back assembled, I turned my attention to the arm rests. I turned six spindles with 1/2" diameter tenons and the length needed to support arm rests at a height of 9".

*Modeling the Arm Rest*

The arm rest spindles are splayed and slanted back at different angles. The arm rest also terminates close to the outermost back spindles. That posed challenges for drilling the holes correctly so that the rest will insert over the spindles.










The overall strategy is to mark the holes from the top and then drill down through the arm rest. Cardboard makes a good modedling material. Begin by drilling the front hole of the arm rest. Insert the front spindle into the hole. Position the rest approximately where it needs to fall. Trace the middle spindle where it hits and drill the hole. Finally, cut away material that rubs the back spindles, trace the third spindle location, and drill it. Draw the curves and you'll have a template like this.










Transfer the template info to the actual wood. Make notes that will ensure the holes are drilled at the correct angles. Position the chair with the arm spindles inserted to help visualize the correct direction to drill the compound angle spindle holes through the arm rests.

*Shape the Arm Rests*

The arm rests have a 1/4" lip cut into them. This is an intersting visual detail. This could be cut with a router if you built a template and used bushings to follow the template. I chose to use my Arbortech Turboplaner attachment in my angle grinder instead. Since the top of the spindles must be ground down after assembly, you might as well use the same cutter that was used to create the profile to trim the spindle protrusions. This cutter provides a great degree of control and worked well for this task. Click this link to watch a short video of me shaping the second arm rest.










Here's a photo of the original shape that I thought I cut on the video.










Two issues pushed me to slightly modify the profile. First, I split out part of the cove profile when driving the wedge in the back spindle. The damage went pretty deep and the arm rest was already glued. I reground it after the glue dried.










The second reason was that the arm rest looked "clunky" after assembly. I took some of the material off the back of the curve and ground the lip over the top of the last spindle. I was able to grind out the damage and the shape looked better as well.

Next, I assemble the arm rests.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Assembling the Arm Rests*

*Watch This Video*

The assembly of the arm rests is pretty straight forward. Click this link to watch a real-time video of me assembling the second arm rest.

*Definition*

*Custom-made : 1 a.* The freedom to take a perfectly designed piece of furniture, make your own modifications, and mess it up. *synonyms* see Dusty Mark.

While making decisons on my rocking chair build, I thought it was good to spread the arm rests out considerably further than Moser's design. With the chair completely assembled, I realize that was a bad idea. The wider spread is comfortable for a man, but it is not comfortable for a woman. I will have to build the second chair with the normal spread. Unfortunately, I already drilled the holes in the second seat blank for a splay that put the arms out wider. I'll need to glue up a second seat blank.










This front view shows the breadth of the arm rests. I think the lines of the chair are hurt a bit by the wide span of the arm rests when viewed from the front.










The lines of the chair still look good from views other than head on. Other design issues I'm considering are the overall recline of the seat/back and the shape of the rockers. I lost some curve to my rockers when I leaned them over to 15 degrees. I may need to rocker them more to compensate. All of these are very minor details that I will only pursue because I'm extremely picky about chair comfort.

Next, I need to sand and finish this beautiful chair. I plan to try Minwax Wipe-On polyurethane for the finish.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Assembling the Arm Rests*
> 
> *Watch This Video*
> 
> ...


Great blog Mark. Thanks for the courage to star in your own video. That was a helpful demonstration.

Like the band-aids.

I am a bit confused on the technique used to drill the compound angles. Do you use a jig, angle gauge, or eye ball it?


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Assembling the Arm Rests*
> 
> *Watch This Video*
> 
> ...


Thanks Scott.

The band-aids were stocking stuffers. I kept slipping with my back saw when I was sawing the kerfs in the spindles. I messed up my fingers pretty good. I should have put a glove on that hand.

The angles in the arm rests are the same as in the seat. I use the drill press with my compound angle table attachment to drill the arm rest holes. The challenge is figuring out where those holes should be located in the arm rest. That's where the cardboard template comes in handy. By tracing the landing point of the top of each spindle onto the cardboard, I determine the locations easily. I then drill 1/2" holes in the cardboard. I use the cardboard to trace the actual holes onto the wood. I set the drill press to the correct angles and center the drill bit on the hole outline traced from the cardboard template.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

*Final Thoughts*

*Video*

Watch this video to see two completed rocking chairs as I share my final thoughts about this wonderful Thos. Moser design.










*Arm Modification*










The arm spread of the first chair was too wide for my wife. The back flexes slightly and ideally the arm is positioned to lightly brush against the side of the back spindle.










I had already drilled the holes on the second seat blank, so I plugged those holes and drilled new holes with less splay. Unfortunately, I failed to splay the inner most arm spindle hole enough to clear the outermost back spindle. This forced me to position the back of the arm directly against the front of the back spindle. There is a very slight chance of pinching with this configuration.










I designed two different arms for the modification. The right arm is straight on the inside edge. It provided the narrowest arm spread, but was not visually pleasing. The left arm was my choice. The blank is 1/2" wider and allowed for a slight curve on the inside edge.

*Detail Photos*










Close-up of the right arm. Notice the very slight radius cut at the end of the arm. This not only looks better, but is more comfortable to wrap your hand around while rocking. I missed this detail on the first chair. I'm considering cutting the radius and refinishing the arms on the first rocker since it's the one I use!










View of both arms.










View of top crest.










View of back.










View of side.










Close-up view of side.

*Finish*

I applied three coats of Minwax Wipe-On Polyurethane to both chairs. It provided good build-up without looking like plastic. I used a small cotton rag for application and this was perfect for all of the nooks and crannies in a project like this. I may apply wax after the finish has cured a bit longer.

*Glue*

Part of the way through the first chair, I began to experiment with Titebond's Liquid Hide Glue. Wow, I can't say enough about how much easier complex assemblies are when using this glue. Parts don't seize up and there is plenty of working time to twist a spindle here or there at your leisure. Excess glue clean-up is pretty easy as the glue scrapes and sands quite well. It doesn't leave a white spot under the finish like yellow glue does. Apparently, parts can be disassembled with the application of heat and moisture if repairs need to be done down the line.

*Final Thoughts*

We absolutely love these chairs. I'm building two small foot stools that will tuck under each chair. I also plan to build a shaker-style end table with tapered legs. This furniture is the first thing guests see when they walk through our front door. I like that!


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## JGM0658 (Aug 16, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Final Thoughts*
> 
> *Video*
> 
> ...


Isn't it amazing that he posts a spec sheet for most of his work in his web site?

Nice chairs, excellent work.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Final Thoughts*
> 
> *Video*
> 
> ...


Thanks. Yes, their on-line spec sheets are very helpful and their published books explain the finer details of construction. (I'm currently using their latest book to build the Dr. White's chest without the hidden compartment.) David Moser even offered me advice on how to align the 14 back spindles for insertion into the top crest of these rockers. A serious hobbyist isn't likely to buy somebody else's furniture and a small commercial shop probably couldn't compete with them. They've built a unique niche in the high-end furniture market. Kudos to the Moser family!


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## CanadianWoodWorks (Dec 29, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Final Thoughts*
> 
> *Video*
> 
> ...


Wicked job, I enjoyed all your posts. I love most of thos. moser pieces what a great company, good to see in this day and age.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Final Thoughts*
> 
> *Video*
> 
> ...


Paul:

Thanks! I checked out your website…wow you make awesome chairs. Works of art that I'm sure support and conform to you body like no other.

I had about 250 board of lumber delivered today for future projects. I invited the driver in to try out the rocker. He said it was a lot more comfortable than it looked. Your chairs flat out look comfortable.

Mark


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

DustyMark said:


> *Final Thoughts*
> 
> *Video*
> 
> ...


You did some wonderful work on these chairs Mark. Your blog was really interesting to follow. It will surely inspire others to take up making this style of chairs.


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## DustyMark (Sep 24, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Final Thoughts*
> 
> *Video*
> 
> ...


Mike:

Thanks, hopefully I've shared some useful tips that I've learned the hard way.


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## phtaylor36 (Jun 13, 2011)

DustyMark said:


> *Final Thoughts*
> 
> *Video*
> 
> ...


Amazing. Cograts on some fantastic looking chairs.


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## nicholasrhall (Aug 19, 2012)

DustyMark said:


> *Final Thoughts*
> 
> *Video*
> 
> ...


I'm not sure what I'm more impressed by, the blog or the chair. Both are simply fantastic. Bravo. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your work process!


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