Project by lobro4 | posted 04-15-2016 12:05 PM | 2190 views | 4 times favorited | 11 comments | ![]() |
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A sculpted rocker made especially for my daughter (and second of six children). She’s become a fine young woman and I’m quite proud of her. She’s a recent Honors Graduate from The University of Kansas, she’s getting married in a month and then this fall she’s starting medical school—overall a great kid and a great person.
There are inspirations from Marc Spagnuolo, Charles Brock, Scott Morrison, Hal Taylor and Mario Rodrigues in this rocker. The frame is from Scott Morrison. The back splats are bent lamination and are a bit over 1/2” thick. These are fashioned to look similar to what is found on Hal Taylor’s or Charles Brock’s chairs. To make the sculpted ends, I turned the splats on side and ran the ends over a dado blade to a stop block and then used a doweling tool to make the spindles. This a pretty cool little tool but a guy can wear out a wrist joint with the twisting it takes to make 12 spindles. The headrest is coppered as per Hal Taylor’s instructions. For the arms, I enlarged the pattern that came with the plans and sculpted the top and bottom surfaces using a horizontal crown molding bit. For the seat, I used Charles Brock’s “Big Smile Seat” construction—again using coopering. I sculpted the seat using a method demonstrated by Mario Rodriguez in August 2013 Popular Woodworking. I modified the technique a bit to allow for the scoop created by the Big Smile construction. The rockers are bent lamination.
The build is from Walnut. Everything sanded to 320. Color is provided by 4 coats of Watco Danish Oil Dark Walnut. The final bit of polish was affected with a hard hand buffing with 0000 steel wool.
My first build of this was in Mahogany and can be seen here:
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/224602
Thanks for looking.
Scott Morrison Fine Woodworking Montana Rocker
http://finewoodworker.com/montanarockingchair.html
Hal Taylor Rockers
http://www.haltaylor.com
Charles Brock Chairmaker
http://charlesbrockchairmaker.com
Lee Valley Dowel and Tenon Cutter
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=52401&cat=1,180,42288,52401
MLCS Horizontal Crown Molding Bit
http://finewoodworker.com/montanarockingchair.html
Chair Scooping by Mario Rodriguez
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SveP71RLs4
-- Rock Chalk Jayhawk Go KU!!
11 comments so far
Mr M's Woodshop
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426 posts in 4557 days
#1 posted 04-15-2016 02:43 PM
A fabulous piece. Congratulations on the accomplishment, and on making something that will make your daughter proud!
-- Henry Mowry, Santa Clarita, CA, http://www.MowryJournal.com
Monte Pittman
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30679 posts in 3828 days
#2 posted 04-15-2016 02:47 PM
Awesome job
-- Nature created it, I just assemble it.
Kyle Nelson
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#3 posted 04-15-2016 03:01 PM
Nice work! Thanks for posting the Mario Rodriguez video…that’s life-changing!
Ocelot
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3825 posts in 4128 days
#4 posted 04-15-2016 08:39 PM
Great chair for what sounds like an awesome daughter!
-- I intended to be a woodworker, but turned into a tool and lumber collector.
Mean_Dean
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7057 posts in 4637 days
#5 posted 04-15-2016 11:54 PM
Beautiful rocker! I’m sure she will spend my happy and contented hours in this beauty!
-- Dean -- "Don't give up the ship -- fight her 'till she sinks!" Capt James Lawrence USN
Woodbridge
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3755 posts in 3907 days
#6 posted 04-16-2016 12:44 AM
beautiful rocker
-- Peter, Woodbridge, Ontario
toolrn1
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#7 posted 04-16-2016 12:57 AM
Gorgeous piece of craftsmanship. I’m in total awe!!
oldwood
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#8 posted 04-16-2016 02:35 AM
Congratulations! Daughters like that are wonderful, I have two. And on the rocker also, I envy your design skills. Great build.
Sandra
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7207 posts in 3565 days
#9 posted 04-16-2016 08:20 AM
Absolutely stunning. Beautiful work and beautiful result.
-- No, I don't want to buy the pink hammer.
Ivan
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#10 posted 04-16-2016 10:25 AM
Realy astonish old school craftmanship. Details and joinery are realy impressive.
-- Ivan, Croatia, Wooddicted
oldrivers
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#11 posted 04-17-2016 02:14 AM
Mighty fine work, great rocker.
-- Soli Deo gloria!
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