Sam Maloof style rocking chair (June 2025)
Sam Maloof style rocking chair (June 2025)
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My first rocker - A very different kind of project. I've made a lot of things with 90 degree angles - tables, benches, etc but this is my first try at a sculpted piece and my first try at a rocking chair. Dozens of lessons learned about points of reference, bandsaw skills, chair ergonomics, angle grinder safety, etc. I was going for a Maloof feeling in that it's sculpted and I took the seat / rocker dimensions from there. I failed to make his leg joinery work so I did something simpler, as well as leaving out the 5 degree outward splay of the uprights.
Wood is Ash, the little racing stripes on the rockers is oak, the finish is Danish Oil (Ruskins).
Build images
Build images
Temporarily fixed the rockers so I could test drive it.
Solid ash finished with Danish oil. Mix of light and dark.
Side view. Rocker "stripes" are oak
Back slats - lots of bandsaw practise.
Front legs sketched for cutting
Back slat insert into seat
The key to "sculpting" is making the joints oversized to there is something to carve away.
Raw back legs after initial sculpting
Sanding all the slats exactly the same
Back slats on the seat
Inital cutout of the back leg
All the wood started as planks of ash 4cm thick.
Picking out wood
Creating a template for back legs
(I didn't use this shape eventually)
Lessons learned
Lessons learned
Had a mishap when shaping the seat. The grinding disk in the picture is a cheap one which was very grabby and unpredictable. It caught and tore the grinder out of my hands. It spinned it back on me and tore my finger up.
An ambulance ride to the hospital, a 3 week pause from the project and a big scar as a reminder to be more careful.
2.5 months later now, luckily no lasting damage, but it hurt like hell. I have now purchased quality grinding disks (company Cutzall) and a variable speed grinder. A much safer combination.
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