Sculpted rocker plans

oops...

Dean Lapinel

>Meant to post this in the general messages.

No mistake *LINK*

Ted Owen, Pittsburgh

>The bulk of the work at the Marc Adams School rocking chair course is done by hand.

The book on Sam Maloof's work shows different styles of rocking chair components. Rockler is one of the places that sells it.

Best, Ted


Furniture of Sam Maloof

Re: No mistake

thomd

>I have that book, and the Kandosha one and the video tape, and FWW 25. Always wondered with all the knockoffs and already existing stuff, why there aren't some plans.

The chair joint requires a 1.25" rebate bit and a 5/8" roundover. The rear leg requires a similar configuration, but with a pair of custom made bits that cut at a 3 degree angle with appropriate offset. Another thing that never seems to have made the tool catalogues. A 5/8" radisu incannel gounge might be just the ticket.

Maloof makes heavy use of power tools: roughs the chair seat saddling out on the bandsaw, and well as most of the carved elements, uses the table saw to joint the chair seat; uses sanders and die grinders extensively. Must help that he lives in a warm climate where air doesn't have such a high price tag. I think he said that he used #2 comon walnut, bought in quality, for his furniture, the idea being to get a more attractive mix of colours.

Many of these processes could be done more effectively in the home shop by hand, at least by those already set up for chairmaking with drawknives and compass planes, etc...

Re: Sculpted rocker plans *LINK*

Wendell @ Murphy, Tx

>I like Robert Hensarling's Mesquite rocking chairs. He sells a set of plans on his website. He even has some sample pages too.

Wendell


Hensarling Rocker Plans

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

Dean Lapinel

>Thanks Wendell,

Robert's plans seem to avoid using screws. The use of screws was my least favorite component of Maloof style furniture.

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

thomd

>I know what you mean about screws. It's one of those things that was important to me when I first heard about it. There was a time when I couldn't beleive you could hold wood together with glue. Now that I pretty much see all sides of it, to screw or not to screw, in the right place, just seems like a design issue. Using screws because one lacks the skill or discernment to do it any other way is one thing (which is probably my beef on the feel of his stitched screws in casework). Not using screws because one lack the skill or knowledge to use them when needed is another. And a third thing is if they need to be there, is it better to hide them or show signs of them.

I don't know what Hensarling is doing, but using screws/pins so they don't show from any angle is certainly an option, and I know just how to do it.

Wow, those plan prices are out of sight. I mean if they were the originators or something...

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

Wendell @ Murphy, Tx

>Actually I am pretty sure the plans do use screws. We had a guy that learned to build rockers under Hensarling demo at our woodworking club. He used screws but covered them up with nice square ebony plugs. As a side note, the guy had a nice little retirement business going. I think he made about 14 chairs (might have been more )a year at around $3000 a pop and was never lacking for orders.

Oddly, I think the price of the plans has decreased. I recall looking a couple of years ago and I swear Ron was selling his for $500. The Hal Taylor plans are $275 but I personally don't like the arms of his chairs. Interestingly, neither of the fellows appears to use any traditional chair making tools. It all power tools and sand paper.

Wendell

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

Dean Lapinel

>A quick e-mail from Robert states "no screws". Not sure how the joinery is done though.

The thing about screws and plugs is completely a personal "thing" with me. In other words I don't look down my ample nose at people that work in this fashion.

I might just try my own design...thinking of a pinned tenon with an outside wedge.

Regarding the grinder versus gouges etc... I think some people (Maloof) do their sculpting very well, more so at an artistic level. I think hand tools provide the time for making aesthetic decisions on the fly.

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

rodwolfy

>Boy, I've tried posting links a couple of times with no luck. Sorry if they all come up later...

I took a class. IMHO, I think it was more true to the Maloof form than the Marc Adams class (back legs splayed more). I don't think that I could have done the chair without taking the class as the jointery was so complex...

Go to Yahoo groups and look up rocking chairs.

Rod

http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/rocking_chair_group/photos/view/e803?b=19

Re: Sculpted rocker plans *LINK*

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>I built th rocker below at Homestead, and agree that the joinery is complex due to the angles induced by a narrower back than front. However, once you've done it, it's pretty easy to do it again. The trick I was taught is to draw the schematic and layout the pieces on the schematic. If you plan on making more than one, good idea to draw the schematic on plywood or some such.

Pam


Homestead rocker

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

rodwolfy

>Looks like a nice craftsman type. Here's mine:

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>It's very comfortable, but I didn't intend to imply that I thought it was sculptured, even though many parts are indeed sculptured with spokeshaves, merely that with a couple of tricks the joinery becomes less complex. I like your rocker. Is it walnut? Looks like it would be right at home in the Black Forest.

Pam

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

Dean Lapinel

>Hi Rod,

What course did you take?

Dean

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

Dean Lapinel

>Hi Pam,

The Homestead site is interesting. I dug into the courses and found that they do offer a course for a sculpted rocker.

dean

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Yes, they do have the Brazos rocker class, and it's a beautiful rocker, sells for more than $3000 in their shop. Paul and Stan are wonderful teachers.

However, it's in Texas (aren't you in Canada?), and they have very firm rules about requiring you to take their foundation course before anything else furniture. I first took their finishing class, which doesn't have any prereqs, then wanted to take the rocker class, but they wouldn't allow it, even though I'd been using hand tools for several years. Maybe they were a bit put off by the Japanese tools, but mostly they want to be sure each student can handle a given class.

Finally, they decided to allow it, but I oculdn't take the regular class, had to take a tutorial at significant extra cost. This was fun, but I felt guilty that Stan was hanging around without much teaching to do (there was one other tutorial student that week), waiting for me to need help. We worked together great, I had a great time and learned a lot; but I somewhat resented that it cost me 50-60% more.

The other thing, which didn't bother me because it never came up in class (I didn't have to pray before every cut. :)), is that they're a religious community, Waco is chock full of these sects (remember the Branch Davidians?). This may or may not bother anyone else.

Pam

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

Dean Lapinel

>Thanks for the tips Pam. I can't believe that with your experience you still had to pay more...at least you didn't get recruited to a new religion :)

I'm from Idaho...I'll have to check my profile eh?

Dean

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Yeah, well they don't hang around online. I think they should devise a test that you could take to pass out of Foundation. I also didn't want to pay money or time to learn things I already knew, especially on blue chips and stanley.

Pam

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

rodwolfy

>Pam,

Yes it's walnut - with maple accents. I have about 125 hours into it so far and about 25 to go...Now the 'dirty work' - sanding.

Rod

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

rodwolfy

>Dean,

I went around to different sites and looked the schools over. Got a couple of recommendations from people that had attended. I narrowed it down to Marc Adams and William Ng. Ng advertises in Fine Woodworking: http://www.wnwoodworks.com/

I then looked over the photos on both sites and asked questions. I found that the design of the one that Ng teaches was more like Maloofs. Adams' course was 5 days. The seat is kind of square - the back legs don't splay out at the top as much or together as much at the bottom.

I contacted Ng and learned that I could take the class in Anaheim without taking any prerequisites. I'm a self taught woodworker, with about 8 years experience and had never taken a class. I found that I was able to do all the stuff in class without problems. But, the jointery is very complex. I drove down from north of Everett, Washington (20 hour drive). Class was 7 days, with most days being 10 to 11 hours. You had to have the wood presurfaced, the seat glued up and the lamination strips cut before class. I've discussed it in more detail at the Yahoo Group site...

If you're interested, I'd highly recommend it. As someone else told me, "It will take you not only to a different level of woodworking, but a different class of woodworker".

Rod

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

Dean Lapinel

>Looks like it would be sociable and fun. I'd rather just have the design so I don't have to figure out my own angles for proper balance points. The joinery is just math and logic.

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

rodwolfy

>Dean,

Contact Bill Kappel at: http://www.kappelusa.com/how_to_build.asp

for a free plan. I looked over his plan and I think you could figure it out from the instructions. But, I think his jointery is a bit different from Maloofs. As far as plans go, there is a guy in Australia that sells them too. Like $30 for a CD to be mailed.

The other thing that was important to me was that I was able to get templates at the school. You could probably find photos of a Maloof and make the chair from the drawings, like others at the Yahoo group have done. Like I said, you'll be able to get more info there w/ photos.

Rod

Re: Sculpted rocker plans

Dean Lapinel

>Thanks Rod!

I tried the yahoo registration for that group and I didn't get an e-mail. I'll try again.

Dean