Taking a Course on Building a Maloof Rocker

[fRED mCnEILL]

I am considering taking a course on building a Maloof inspired rocking chair. In doing research I see there are a number of different people who give these courses. Most, if not all of them, are in classroom style situations where there are multiple people taking the course at the same time(usually to a max. of 5 people) The course I am looking at is one on one with the instructor in his own shop. There are a number of reasons why I think this is better than multiple people.
Has anyone taken one of these courses and what are your opinions of them. Anyone done one on one.

As well as learning how to do the rocker itself I also think there is the opportunity to learn a lot of techniques that I don't have a clue about currently.

Looking forward to multiple opinions from those who have actually taken such a course.

Regards

Fred Mc.

[Thomas Hotchkin]

Fred
I am in the same boat as you are. I just order Hal Taylor plans. I got to sit in one of his style chairs, I liked it better the the Maloof made rocker that I sat in years ago. Here is a link from Sawmill Creek, of a Maloof chair build. With some good info. Tom http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?124002-Maloof-Inspired-Rocker-Plans&highlight=maloof+rocker+plans

[BobW Robinson]

Hi Fred. I purchased the Charles Brock plans and DVD. These, in conjunction with a bit of research on the internet was enough to get me through to the end. The only down side to one-on-one tuition is the there is a lot of shaping with these chairs - which means time. You would be paying for someone to watch you do all this crafting. This time could be reduced if the majority of shaping was done with power carvers/grinders, but you will still have to finish manually. Just my little input. Good luck with the chair. It is a very satisfying project.

[marty shultz]

I now someone who took Hal's class and really enjoyed it. I bought his DVD's and Plans. Made two chairs. You can call/email Hal with questions too.

I prefer his chair design over the hard back pure Maloof style because it contours to my back well.

[Doug Herzberg]

If you haven't done it yet, you might consider a visit to Sam's home and shop. I was there about a year after he died (darn). If you tell them you're a woodworker and they have the time, they'll let you tour the shop. The crew was still there when I visited, finishing up the chairs Sam cut out before he passed. It looked like they had quite a lot of work to do. Also, the FWW video is a nice insight into Sam's methods and philosophy.

I'm guessing you're beyond this stage, Fred, or you wouldn't be looking at plans or classes, but for those who haven't done this, I would recommend that you do it while you can, assuming you still can. Bob, Sam wasn't one to use hand tools when a power tool would do. He ran a production shop and was all about turning out quality efficiently.

My hat is off to all of you who have attempted this. It looks like a lot of fun, but I don't think I have the skills yet.

[Jim Barstow]

In the early 80's I took a day long class from Sam when he came up to Berkeley. He was incredibly nice and patient. During the class he showed us how he created various parts of his chairs. At one point, after a disclaimer that it was unsafe, he picked up a chair part in one hand and a router (sans base) in the other and proceeded to use the router to shape the piece. He had a lot more muscular arms than I and I can't imagine doing it that way. It certainly made short work of the job though.

At another point, he eyeballed a complicated cut, marked it with a pencil, then made the cut. It fit perfectly.

The man was unique.