# Morris style glider



## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Design and adapting to fit onto glider base*

My wife and I have recently found out we are expecting. Once I knew, I just had to make something for my wife and soon to be child. I know it is great to have a rocking chair in the baby's room to rock them to sleep. I have always liked the look and movement of glider rockers. I figured it was the perfect opportunity to build one.

I got the core plans from Wood magazine's issue 112. I followed the plans for the chair pretty much exactly. Due to the low profile of the chair I had two options to make the clearance for the glider base. The first was to extend the sides of the chair downward 6". Since I love the original proportions of the chair, I did not want to fiddle with that. My second option was to add a second tier below the side rails. I tried to replicate the aesthetic of the chair and make sure it didn't look slapped on.

I am still in the design and planning stages. This will be quite an undertaking for myself, as I have never done a project project this complicated. My thought is to use walnut and maybe an a different material for the laminated arms and trying to book match them to make it symmetrical.

I would love any feedback or constructive criticism. I hope to keep posting my updates and progress.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

Orange008 said:


> *Design and adapting to fit onto glider base*
> 
> My wife and I have recently found out we are expecting. Once I knew, I just had to make something for my wife and soon to be child. I know it is great to have a rocking chair in the baby's room to rock them to sleep. I have always liked the look and movement of glider rockers. I figured it was the perfect opportunity to build one.
> 
> ...


What a great adaption and I bet it will be around for a long time and even passed down


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*The cut list*

I am getting anxious to start on this project. I have the cut list (below) all ready. Unfortunately the lumber yard I am purchasing the material from is only open on the weekdays during my work hours. I finally have a Thursday/Friday off next week, so off to the lumber supplier!

I would love to do this in walnut, but cost drives me to white or red oak. I may decide that this is a once in a lifetime piece and end up with walnut.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

Orange008 said:


> *The cut list*
> 
> I am getting anxious to start on this project. I have the cut list (below) all ready. Unfortunately the lumber yard I am purchasing the material from is only open on the weekdays during my work hours. I finally have a Thursday/Friday off next week, so off to the lumber supplier!
> 
> I would love to do this in walnut, but cost drives me to white or red oak. I may decide that this is a once in a lifetime piece and end up with walnut.


This will be a great build and an opportunity to develop skills


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## John_G (Jan 12, 2011)

Orange008 said:


> *The cut list*
> 
> I am getting anxious to start on this project. I have the cut list (below) all ready. Unfortunately the lumber yard I am purchasing the material from is only open on the weekdays during my work hours. I finally have a Thursday/Friday off next week, so off to the lumber supplier!
> 
> I would love to do this in walnut, but cost drives me to white or red oak. I may decide that this is a once in a lifetime piece and end up with walnut.


i'll def be watching this build, a Morris chair is something I've always wanted to make.


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

Orange008 said:


> *The cut list*
> 
> I am getting anxious to start on this project. I have the cut list (below) all ready. Unfortunately the lumber yard I am purchasing the material from is only open on the weekdays during my work hours. I finally have a Thursday/Friday off next week, so off to the lumber supplier!
> 
> I would love to do this in walnut, but cost drives me to white or red oak. I may decide that this is a once in a lifetime piece and end up with walnut.





> This will be a great build and an opportunity to develop skills
> 
> - NormG


This is my first big 'fine furniture' build, so I am hoping that it ends up being 'usable'. I have another 6 months until the baby comes to get this finished, so I plan to work on it bit by bit to get it right.


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

Orange008 said:


> *The cut list*
> 
> I am getting anxious to start on this project. I have the cut list (below) all ready. Unfortunately the lumber yard I am purchasing the material from is only open on the weekdays during my work hours. I finally have a Thursday/Friday off next week, so off to the lumber supplier!
> 
> I would love to do this in walnut, but cost drives me to white or red oak. I may decide that this is a once in a lifetime piece and end up with walnut.





> i ll def be watching this build, a Morris chair is something I ve always wanted to make.
> 
> - John_G


Great to hear! You can view my mistakes and learn from them!  I do love that Mission style furniture and hope to do it justice.


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Cutlist 2.0*

After putting together my cutlist, I called up the lumber yard that I am getting the material from. They emailed me the latest price list for all their products.

Seeing that you are charged extra for boards wider than 8", I decided that going back to the cutlist to reorganize the pieces on 8" wide may benefit me. I had too much room left over on 9" wide pieces anyway, so fitting them onto 8" worked well (below), and I actually had less waste. I didn't even have to use more boards!

With some rough calculation I was able to see how much this saved me. Since I am still not sure which wood to go with (walnut or QS white oak) I calculated both. The difference between 9" wide and the new 8" in the oak was *$130+* savings. The walnut was over *$160*!

With only a $50 price difference between the final BF of oak and walnut, I am still undecided of which to choose. It may end up coming down to being in the lumber yard and seeing the wood in person. If anyone has made a similar chair or piece of furniture out of either white oak or walnut, I would love to hear your opinions.

I can't wait to go next week and pick up the material!


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Breakdown of wood*

I haven't posted in awhile. I have finally found some time to show my progress.

I purchased the lumber at the end of September and began to mark out on the wood where my cuts would be. I used a light blue chalk to show up well on the dark wood. I also marked a letter on each piece to correspond to my cutlist and assembly instructions with a grease pencil, so it would not smudge or rub off easily during the breakdown of the wood, but not stain as a marker would.

Some of the boards were resawn to make 3/8" or thinner pieces.


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Cutting to rough size*

After checking and rechecking my layout of the cuts, I nervously began to make my first cuts to bring all the pieces down to rough size. I made sure to oversize all the pieces by at least 1/4", so I could more carefully bring down to the final size on the planer, tablesaw and eventually some hand chiseling and planing.


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Gluing, cutting and adding mortises to the legs*

Here I glue up the rough cut legs. They are made of 3 separate pieces laminated together to make one very strong, thick legs. The ones that have some slight variation color between the layers will be the back legs and strategically turned so they still look like solid legs. I then ran them through the planer to bring them down to their final dimensions.

After carefully laying out the placement of the mortises, I drill most of the material out with a 1/2" forstner bit. I then came back and laboriously chiseled out the remaining wood. This was my first set of mortises, so they progressively got better and more easy as I learned from the previous one. Overall none of them look that terrible, especially when viewed from a normal furniture viewing distance.

The bottoms of the legs all received a 1/8" chamfer to prevent chipping when moving the chair (even though this is not necessary since it will never touch the ground since this will have a glider base, but like the look anyway) with a low-angle block plane.


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## BareFeet (Jun 20, 2011)

Orange008 said:


> *Gluing, cutting and adding mortises to the legs*
> 
> Here I glue up the rough cut legs. They are made of 3 separate pieces laminated together to make one very strong, thick legs. The ones that have some slight variation color between the layers will be the back legs and strategically turned so they still look like solid legs. I then ran them through the planer to bring them down to their final dimensions.
> 
> ...


Looking great so far! Nice choice on the walnut- I've always liked the look better than oak. Can't wait to see the rest of your build….good luck!


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Dry assembly of lower body*

Testing the fit of the tenons in the through mortises of the legs. A little tight, but some small chisel work will take care of that.


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## Luddite (Jan 4, 2015)

Orange008 said:


> *Dry assembly of lower body*
> 
> Testing the fit of the tenons in the through mortises of the legs. A little tight, but some small chisel work will take care of that.


Hi,

Very clean work. Better then mine. How are you doing your mortises?
I really love walnut and how it works as well as the aroma.


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

Orange008 said:


> *Dry assembly of lower body*
> 
> Testing the fit of the tenons in the through mortises of the legs. A little tight, but some small chisel work will take care of that.


Thanks! I have been drilling out the bulk of the material with a forstner bit and then coming back in with a chisel to clean out the rest.


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Gluing of laminated armrest*

Three thin pieces make up the lamination of one arm and are glued on a form. The form is made of scrap plywood and cut according to the dimensions in the plans. Each piece is slathered in glue and then bent around the form and clamped into place. After drying, the clamps are removed. One edge is trued up and flattened with a jack plane and then the curve laid out on the opposite side and cut on the bandsaw. More sanding and shaping need to be done as well as the mortises for the tenons on the top of the legs to protrude.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

Orange008 said:


> *Gluing of laminated armrest*
> 
> Three thin pieces make up the lamination of one arm and are glued on a form. The form is made of scrap plywood and cut according to the dimensions in the plans. Each piece is slathered in glue and then bent around the form and clamped into place. After drying, the clamps are removed. One edge is trued up and flattened with a jack plane and then the curve laid out on the opposite side and cut on the bandsaw. More sanding and shaping need to be done as well as the mortises for the tenons on the top of the legs to protrude.


Love the grain pattern, great progress


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## Luddite (Jan 4, 2015)

Orange008 said:


> *Gluing of laminated armrest*
> 
> Three thin pieces make up the lamination of one arm and are glued on a form. The form is made of scrap plywood and cut according to the dimensions in the plans. Each piece is slathered in glue and then bent around the form and clamped into place. After drying, the clamps are removed. One edge is trued up and flattened with a jack plane and then the curve laid out on the opposite side and cut on the bandsaw. More sanding and shaping need to be done as well as the mortises for the tenons on the top of the legs to protrude.


Impressive work Orange008! I admire your work ethic.
I'll be interested in your final results.

Cheers Terry


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Layout of side assembly*

I have not posted in awhile. Turns out completing a fine furniture build of this magnitude and preparing for a first born child to arrive is a very large undertaking.

I have continued to cut all the pieces to the final size and planed and sanded them down to thickness. I also continue to work on the joinery.

I have dry fitted both side assemblies, the seat assembly and back assembly to make sure everything is lining up correctly. I have purchased a dado blade for my table saw to make the creation of the dadoes and tenons proceed much more quickly and accurately.

With the side assemblies dry fitted, I can also use the armrest to lay out the curve of the top rail that will sit just under the armrests.


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## Luddite (Jan 4, 2015)

Orange008 said:


> *Layout of side assembly*
> 
> I have not posted in awhile. Turns out completing a fine furniture build of this magnitude and preparing for a first born child to arrive is a very large undertaking.
> 
> ...


Wow! Nice job, very clean. 
Best of luck with this and your soon to be newborn.


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

Orange008 said:


> *Layout of side assembly*
> 
> I have not posted in awhile. Turns out completing a fine furniture build of this magnitude and preparing for a first born child to arrive is a very large undertaking.
> 
> ...





> Wow! Nice job, very clean.
> Best of luck with this and your soon to be newborn.
> 
> - Luddite


Thanks so much! Even though it is taking longer than I had hoped, I am really happy on how everything is coming together.


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Through tenons on armrests*

Since the arm shape is complete and the side assemblies are laid out, I decided to start work on the tenons on the top of each leg that will protrude slightly from the top of the armrests. This was not in the plans that I had purchased, but really like that look and why not add more complexity to an already drawn out project! If I am going to take this much time to build the chair, might as well make it detailed.

I completed one on a leg that will be in the back to practice my technique. I really liked how it came out and the bottom of the chamfer will line up with the surface of the armrest. Of course I couldn't resist putting a little oil on the top to get a real look at the grain and how the final piece will look!


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## Luddite (Jan 4, 2015)

Orange008 said:


> *Through tenons on armrests*
> 
> Since the arm shape is complete and the side assemblies are laid out, I decided to start work on the tenons on the top of each leg that will protrude slightly from the top of the armrests. This was not in the plans that I had purchased, but really like that look and why not add more complexity to an already drawn out project! If I am going to take this much time to build the chair, might as well make it detailed.
> 
> I completed one on a leg that will be in the back to practice my technique. I really liked how it came out and the bottom of the chamfer will line up with the surface of the armrest. Of course I couldn't resist putting a little oil on the top to get a real look at the grain and how the final piece will look!


Great. Instant heirloom?


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Update*

Woah… It has been more than 2 years since I have posted. Not where I wanted to be.

Basically the chair still sits at relatively the same stage as my last post. I did complete the other side of the chair (arm and leg assembly) and a few miscellaneous parts. I do plan to work more on the project in the near future and eventually complete. With a now almost 2.5 year old daughter, I find myself distracted more and more.

I am currently building a dust collector and soon a router lift. These are both projects that are to hopefully more efficiently (and cleanly) finish the chair.

I will finish the chair!


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## robscastle (May 13, 2012)

Orange008 said:


> *Update*
> 
> Woah… It has been more than 2 years since I have posted. Not where I wanted to be.
> 
> ...


Arrr what!! ripped off where are the pictures?

of you know who


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

Orange008 said:


> *Update*
> 
> Woah… It has been more than 2 years since I have posted. Not where I wanted to be.
> 
> ...





> Arrr what!! ripped off where are the pictures?
> 
> of you know who
> 
> - robscastle


How could I forget!? This is the cause of my massive delay!


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## robscastle (May 13, 2012)

Orange008 said:


> *Update*
> 
> Woah… It has been more than 2 years since I have posted. Not where I wanted to be.
> 
> ...


Very nice!! you must be very proud.


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Back at it... again*

OK, this is a little embarrassing… It has been nearly 4.5 years since my first post on this chair. I was originally going to make this chair prior to my daughter's birth in March of 2015 for rocking and feeding her. She is turning 4 in just a couple of months and I am only halfway done. Luckily I get a second chance! My second daughter is due at the end of April. It's go time.

I have moved since my last post and now live in Charlotte, NC. This allows for more comfortable working in the garage shop in the winter months. So, I have set up my shop sufficiently in the past year, made some smaller projects to get some skills developed and have begun once again to tackle this beast.

Working the past couple of weekends figuring out where I left off and sorting through the (luckily well labeled) parts of the chair. I managed to finish the left side of the chair assembly and finally glued up the two armrest sub-assemblies into one larger monster (didn't appreciate the size of this until this was done) with the front and back "rails".

The seat and back will hopefully seem a bit of a breeze compared to the rest without the through tenons aplenty on the armrest assemblies!


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## Snipes (Apr 3, 2012)

Orange008 said:


> *Back at it... again*
> 
> OK, this is a little embarrassing… It has been nearly 4.5 years since my first post on this chair. I was originally going to make this chair prior to my daughter's birth in March of 2015 for rocking and feeding her. She is turning 4 in just a couple of months and I am only halfway done. Luckily I get a second chance! My second daughter is due at the end of April. It's go time.
> 
> ...


Looking really nice.. my type of progress:-} now get busy. good luck


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Seat*

Quick update. Glued up the seat frame and set into place. Still have to add spacers in between the slats and do some final sanding. I did not, however, let this opportunity go to waste and got to sit down in the chair for the first time! I have to imagine that it will be much more comfortable with cushions and a back, but exciting none the less to be able to sit in it for the first time. Progress is being made and can see the light at the end of the tunnel!


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Chair back*

The chair back is assembled and temporarily put in place. The holes were drilled for the removable dowel that allows adjustment of the back. Some sanding still required for the back assembly and then on to the glider mechanism! The end is near… I can taste it!

Well, except for the cushions. Have had the fabric for about 3.5 years. Need to purchase the seat foam (FYI, Home Depot seems to carry the cheapest upholstery foam…). The wife, who is a hobbyist sewist will be helping with those.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Orange008 said:


> *Chair back*
> 
> The chair back is assembled and temporarily put in place. The holes were drilled for the removable dowel that allows adjustment of the back. Some sanding still required for the back assembly and then on to the glider mechanism! The end is near… I can taste it!
> 
> Well, except for the cushions. Have had the fabric for about 3.5 years. Need to purchase the seat foam (FYI, Home Depot seems to carry the cheapest upholstery foam…). The wife, who is a hobbyist sewist will be helping with those.


Looks like an excellent build.


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## Kelster58 (Dec 2, 2016)

Orange008 said:


> *Chair back*
> 
> The chair back is assembled and temporarily put in place. The holes were drilled for the removable dowel that allows adjustment of the back. Some sanding still required for the back assembly and then on to the glider mechanism! The end is near… I can taste it!
> 
> Well, except for the cushions. Have had the fabric for about 3.5 years. Need to purchase the seat foam (FYI, Home Depot seems to carry the cheapest upholstery foam…). The wife, who is a hobbyist sewist will be helping with those.


WOW, that is a cool build. Where did you get plans? (Just read all your blog posts…..should have done that first. I'm going to Wood Magazine archive now) I'm starting a glider chair build and I would love to have plans.

Looks like you are doing a GREAT job! Thanks for sharing!


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

Orange008 said:


> *Chair back*
> 
> The chair back is assembled and temporarily put in place. The holes were drilled for the removable dowel that allows adjustment of the back. Some sanding still required for the back assembly and then on to the glider mechanism! The end is near… I can taste it!
> 
> Well, except for the cushions. Have had the fabric for about 3.5 years. Need to purchase the seat foam (FYI, Home Depot seems to carry the cheapest upholstery foam…). The wife, who is a hobbyist sewist will be helping with those.





> WOW, that is a cool build. Where did you get plans? (Just read all your blog posts…..should have done that first. I m going to Wood Magazine archive now) I m starting a glider chair build and I would love to have plans.
> 
> Looks like you are doing a GREAT job! Thanks for sharing!
> 
> - Kelster58


Hope you find it. If not, I downloaded the originals and can send them to your email. I made my own modifications based off of those plans. Good luck to your build and look forward to seeing it if you post!


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Backrest spacers*

Made a quick trip to the local Stickley store to do some ogling, I mean research. I am glad I did, since I was a little stuck on the pivot pins on the backrest. I found that they use wooden washers to keep the backrest centered on the chair, since it is slightly narrower than the chair frame. I was also keeping my pins for the pivot and the positioning snug, but found Stickley's quite loose making it much easier to reposition. It makes sense now that I think of it. The pins will never be subjected to much force that would cause them to pull out. They will only ever be pushed on in a shearing force.

Simple fix and I would suggest it to anyone making or want to add to their existing chair.


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Glider mechanism*

Working out the kinks of the glider mechanism. Purchased a hardware kit from Platte River Engineering for the glider part. It came with diagrams and instructions on how to make the wooden parts. I adjusted some of the parts to work with the dimensions of my chair as well as the integration into my chair. Didn't realize until I got to this point that the instructions aren't as clear as I would have liked them to be.

Come to find out that certain assemblies in the glider base aren't clear on the way they are to be fastened (glue?, screws?, magic?). With some trial and error (and more error), I found that a combo of the two were needed for both strength and assembly/disassembly reasons. Still a little weary of the overall longevity of the strength of some connections. With a chair weighing 80lbs+ and the addition of another 200 from a human… may require some maintenance in the future. Time will tell.


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Finally finishing!!*

Whew!
4.5 years since the start and I can finally start to bring out that beautiful wood grain! Have everything sanded to 220 and all the parts that can be disassembled laid out and cleaned off.

Started with all the parts upside down to apply the "under" parts first. Once dry, I will flip over. Rinse, repeat.

I went with danish oil as a finish. I am familiar with it and is hard to mess up. I also wanted to go with a finish that was protective, but didn't leave the surface feeling like plastic.

Have started to cut out the fabric and the foam for the cushions will be arriving Monday! This is where my wife will step in. She is more experienced with sewing clothing rather than upholstery, but her help will be invaluable. It also makes it a piece that we both had a hand in!


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## htl (Mar 24, 2015)

Orange008 said:


> *Finally finishing!!*
> 
> Whew!
> 4.5 years since the start and I can finally start to bring out that beautiful wood grain! Have everything sanded to 220 and all the parts that can be disassembled laid out and cleaned off.
> ...


Nice work and can't wait to see it on the projects page!


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## Orange008 (Aug 5, 2014)

*Done!*

Finally finished! My wife helped make the cushions, which really add to the comfort! Wasn't the best chair to sit in without them. I have been enjoying rocking in it and hope to for years to come. Feels so good to have it finally done after nearly 5 years…


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## lightweightladylefty (Mar 27, 2008)

Orange008 said:


> *Done!*
> 
> Finally finished! My wife helped make the cushions, which really add to the comfort! Wasn't the best chair to sit in without them. I have been enjoying rocking in it and hope to for years to come. Feels so good to have it finally done after nearly 5 years…


Ryan,

Five years is pretty quick (based on how long I take). It looks like it was well worth the wait!

L/W


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Orange008 said:


> *Done!*
> 
> Finally finished! My wife helped make the cushions, which really add to the comfort! Wasn't the best chair to sit in without them. I have been enjoying rocking in it and hope to for years to come. Feels so good to have it finally done after nearly 5 years…


Beautiful result and the 5 years won't be any time at all considering you can use it the rest of your life and maybe a few others as well.


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