Rocking Chair

[Cody Colston]

This is the 5th Hal Taylor rocker I've built and I made some modifications to the design on this one. I extended the tops of the back legs by three inches for "horns" above the head rest. I also put a negative sweep on the head rest and reversed the profile on the tops of the back braces to compliment that shape. I'm pleased with the look. The primary wood is Black Walnut that I harvested and milled myself with my manual band sawmill and dried to 8% MC in my solar kiln. I used Ash for the middle laminations on the back braces and also for an accent strip on the rockers. I finished it with two coats of Danish Oil, applied 24 hours apart. After another 24 hours, I went over it with a 500 grit Abralon pad and then waxed it with neutral Briwax. Thanks for looking and C&C welcomed. 271149 271150 271151 271152

[Pat Barry]

Gorgeous job Cody. I wish I was sitting in that right now as a matter of fact. How does it ride?

[Cody Colston]

Thanks, Pat. It rocks great. No bumps. :)

[Yonak Hawkins]

That's a beautiful piece of furniture, Cody. I love the grain of the seat and the headrest. The back braces are distinctively graceful. You rock, Cody.

[Prashun Patel]

Awesome all the way around. I love the modifications.

I'm impressed you did this with your own harvest.

[Mel Fulks]

Yeah! I particularly like the modifications, its got an unusual blurry almost melting look.

[Brett Robson]

That's a sweet chair! You did a fantastic job on it! How long did it take to build?

[Joe Cowan]

I built a Maloof style rocker two years ago. Definitely a labor of love with all the hand work involved. I made it for my daughter but cannot part with it yet and it still is in my living room.

[Stew Hagerty]

Now that's a nice chair!!! It's truly gorgeous. Great job!

[Brian Kent]

Wonderful job and I think all of your modifications are improvements on the design. Way to go!

[Tom Scott]

Beautiful chair, excellent craftsmanship and gorgeous wood. I'd call it a winner.

[Jim Tobias]

WOW! What a great looking rocker! Congratulations on a fantastic job on a beautiful rocking chair.

Jim

[Bryce Adams]

Really nice work on the rocker. That seat has some beautiful grain.

[Mark Valsi]

Wow, that is an amazing piece of work !! Congrats, sir !

[Cody Colston]

You guys are too, kind. Thanks for all the nice comments. Brett, I didn't track the time on this chair but from previous builds, I expect it took about 50 hours to complete the woodworking. Also, the Walnut trees I harvested were all standing dead on a friend's farm. No living trees were cut down. Thanks again for the comments.

[Gus Dundon]

That is very well made, designed and executed. I can see the patience, an eye of detail and discipline. Pretty classy and neat work!

[Mac Cambra]

Hi Cody,

I am assuming the 50 hour estimate excludes the creating the templates that are required for the build. I just watched the Hal Taylor video series on this chair, I am contemplating making an attempt at one. I was blown away by Hal's presentation, the only disappointment I had was he does his seat sculpting using a CNC, but otherwise he is a gifted woodworker.

Any words of wisdom or pitfalls that you would point out that should be avoided. You said you've done 5 of these now you must have adapted your process along the way.

Thanks

[Cody Colston]

Hi Cody,


Any words of wisdom or pitfalls that you would point out that should be avoided. You said you've done 5 of these now you must have adapted your process along the way.Thanks Yes, I already had the jigs and fixtures needed for the build. Hal recommends a 3/8" bandsaw blade and that is fine for cutting out the various pieces but when making the cuts to the saw kerf around the leg-to-set joints and for cutting the profile on the back braces, I change to a 1/4" blade. The more precise those cuts are, the less clean-up required. Read the instructions for each step and make sure you clearly understand them before putting a saw to the wood. Hal puts a lot of extraneous commentary in with the step-by-step instructions and it's easy to overlook an important detail. After building 5 chairs, I don't always follow his build sequence exactly but for a first time, I suggest you do. On my first build, there were a couple of times that I was about ready to toss the thing on the burn pile and call it a failure but I kept at it and it eventually turned out very nice. Have extra stock on hand as you may have to re-cut a part(s). Sand everything to 220 grit as you go. When it comes time for final sanding, take one component at a time and make sure it is completely sanded to 320 grit. Even then, you will find areas that need attention when you sand/burnish with the Abralon pad. For carving the seat, the coarse Kutzall works well to get it roughed out. For all the other sculpting, I use a 40 grit flap sander from Home Depot. I forget the brand but it works really well and can also hog off a lot of material if needed. Finally, you will probably think that you will never complete all the steps but it will happen. Be patient and don't get frustrated at a seeming lack of progress. (sorry for running all the words together but for some reason, the return key doesn't work on this site. This is the only place I have that problem)

[Mac Cambra]

Thanks for the commentary I think it is about what I expected. I spent big bucks a couple years ago on Hal's DVD set that shows the process. I think it's on the order of 10 hours of video showing what he does. It really is excellent, and Hal being a former engineer really shows his geeky side ( I am an engineer and I can say that with affection), he really approached his design as though its was a scientific project. Anyway if you have a chance to see it by all means watch it, I am by no means as good with my bandsaw as he is. That's an area where I could use some skills development and this chair certainly provides that opportunity.

Anyway, I need to stop procrastinating and jump into that project and do it.

Thanks

[Jim Tabor]

Very, very nice! You say 50 hours? Is that the norm or are you a fast worker? I've made six rockers using the Charles Brock plans and they have all taken a minimum of 120 hours. I must be getting older and slower than I realized. (well, I knew I was getting old). Jim

[Yonak Hawkins]

Jim, would you mind posting a picture of your avatar rocker ? It looks very interesting from what I can see. What are the seat and back made of ?

[Cody Colston]

Very, very nice! You say 50 hours? Is that the norm or are you a fast worker? I've made six rockers using the Charles Brock plans and they have all taken a minimum of 120 hours. I must be getting older and slower than I realized. (well, I knew I was getting old). Jim

The first rocker took 80 hours including building all the jigs and fixtures. Subsequent builds have all been in the 45-50 hour range for the woodworking. About a fourth of that time is spent sanding.