I made a rocking chair, once.
With the emphasis on Once.
It was not a great success.
I think, in the end, somebody took to the seat with a saw, cut a hole big enough to take a large pot and turned it into a piece of "decorative garden art".
The chair, itself, was relatively easy to make; I had chairs from which I could take measurements, make a copy.
But the runners, the curved bits upon which it sits...
They were difficult, awkward, challenging...
It didn't help that I built it in a tiny tin shed, one of those that come as the afterthought add-on to a carport.
There'd be the smooth sweep sound of the plane on the timber, followed by a thud, as my elbow connected with the wall behind me, on the reverse stroke.
I've worked in some strange places, ha ha.
In the end it looked like a rocking chair, and it was quite solid, but when it came to rocking, well...
It wasn't one of my finer pieces, ha ha, but I can say that I can tick it off the list of "Manly things to do - make furniture", from that silly late 90's "Men's" magazine and the article written by people who wouldn't know furniture if they stubbed their toes on it.
I made a rocking bear. A hand sewn bear, fixed to runners (that at one point in their life had been wooden coat hangers).
Am I going to say no to a piece of wood that's the right size, and already curved, that only needs a little sanding?
After my earlier attempt, I think not, ha ha.
Making rocking furniture is best left to people who have the space, the time, and more than a passing idea of what they're doing.
That's my excuse for not making another rocking chair, ha ha.
🙂
