Taylor Rocking Chair #7

[Richard Dragin]

Here is my seventh Rocking Chair in Walnut. It is the Hal Taylor design (plans are available online). All comments and questions are welcome!

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[Brian Kent]

Good morning Richard. Congratulations on #7. I am curious how long this took compared to #1 or #2?

I really like the arms. Hal Taylor chairs can look blocky at the end. Your flow is very pleasing.
Is the arch in the slat design your addition or a part of the plans. It really works well visually and I would guess it fully supports a body shape.
The headrest grain is very well blended. It is looks like a single piece.
Everything appears to be strong, wonderful flow between all parts, and beautiful wood choice.

Great job!

Brian

[Jeff Heath]

I'd say practice makes perfect. Your stock selection for the piece is very appealing to the eye.

Is it comfortable to sit in? If so, I'd say you hit it out of the park.

Jeff

[Michael Peet]

Beautiful work, Richard. Chairs strike me as one of the more difficult things to build, along with musical instruments. No square joints! :eek:

Are the back slats steam bent?

Mike

[Mike Henderson]

Nice job. I especially like the vertical grain on the crest rail - it flows well with the rest of the chair.

Mike

[Van Huskey]

Gorgeous! I agree with Mike on the crest rail grain it REALLY looks perfect!

[Dan Barber1]

Richard:

I intend to start my first rocker in a few months. Any advice to a beginning chair maker after seven chairs?

[glenn bradley]

Beautifully done. Are the asymmetrical back slat top profiles a Taylor feature or your own take on the design?

[Richard Dragin]

Thanks for the nice words. I wish I could take credit for the design details but it is true to Hal's design. The back slats do conform to your lumbar and it's the first thing people comment on when they sit down. They are bent laminations from four layers and they are not glued in. Great pains are taken to ensure the slats stay at the correct orientation with elongated openings to reduce stress when they flex. The ends of the slats are boiled in Paraffin wax so they won't squeak!

The crest rail is coopered from six blocks to match the grain as opposed to a Maloof chair which uses a single piece in a horizontal grain orientation. It allows for the grain to flow the same as the seat for a repetition of form that is obviously pleasing to the eye. Repetition of form is carried throughout the chair in matching the 6 degree cant of the legs front and back, the cut outs in the tops of the back slats, the matching of grain in every portion of the chair and so on. It's a subtle design element that makes any form more pleasing to the eye and carries over to any furniture that we build. Hal talks about it extensively throughout the build.


Brian,
I have seen other Taylor chairs that look "blocky" and I think it comes from a hesitancy of making a mistake on the band saw or with the grinder. It's easier to make a straight cut than pushing AND turning and you can't really make a curve on the band saw with a slow feed rate, you just have to go for it. The alternative is to spend more time with the grinder but the best curves are done when you get it with the band saw first.

Thanks again and feel free to ask any other questions.

[Richard Wolf]

Beautiful work and fine looking wood. Because I'm nosy, what are you doing with all of them. Really nice gifts or have you found a market for them? I know what they are worth in time and materiasl and have wondered if there are enough people in the market place that appreciate really high quality materials and workmanship. Not just for Maloff style rockers, but items of this nature, like Krenov style cabinets, etc. I guess it's all about marketing, which is how Moser made so much money, not that his furniture isn't of the highest quality and the materials are also, but the price tag can scare a lot of people away very quickly.

[Richard Dragin]

Sam Maloof's shop built 20-30 chairs per month at $20,000+ and had a five year waiting period so I think there is a market for my work at a fraction of the cost. The problem is getting your work in front of those people and establishing a name for yourself. I am fortunate to have one or two dealers in town who are supportive of my efforts. If I could build and sell full time I would.

[Prashun Patel]

Wow, Richard I'm surprised you've only done seven. Some of yr "earlier" work was inspiration for me.