How to ensure rockers work properly????

[Glenn Torbert]

Anyone out there have any tricks of the trade to ensure my bandsaw rockers work properly? Ie anyone have a foolproof way to make sure I don't have a flat point, I tried using a template with my router table and a 3 inch flush trim bit, but my quarter sawn oak doesn't work well on the router.....

[Rich Enders]

Glenn,

Template routing should be a good option. What problem are you experiencing with oak on a router table?

[Bill Huber]

I am not a rocker king but I have made a few sets.
I made a template out of MDF, then sanded it and got it to the shape I wanted.
I install one of those template pins from Rockler on the bandsaw. With double sided tape attach the template to my wood and cut it real close to the template. When I say close I am like 1/32" from the template.
Now I take it to the router table with a share cut straight pattern bit, works well for me.

[Mike Henderson]

If you're talking about rockers for a rocking chair, I laminate bend mine on a form. Never had a problem with flat spots.

Mike

[Larry Browning]

What the heck is a bandsaw rocker?

[glenn bradley]

Is your problem with the white oak and the router due to tearout? The standard rule of always routing 'downhill' is extra important when routing tearout prone materials like oak and ash. A template bit with an upper and lower bearing allows you to filp the work to avoid routing 'into' the grain direction. This can be done with the template mounted to the blank or with a loose template held in place along with the blank in a jig.

292351 292350 292352

[Curt Harms]

In addition to what Glenn recommends, I wonder if anyone makes a shear cut flush trim bit with bearings on both ends? If not, it'd be easy enough to add a second bearing and locking collar on the shaft. I'd think a shear cut or spiral bit would help with any tearout.

[lowell holmes]

I have the pattern routing capability, but I band saw my rocking chair rockers and smooth them with spoke shaves and card scrapers. I find it to be quicker and more dependable. It's difficult to recover from router bit tear out.

[Larry Browning]

..... ensure my bandsaw rockers work properly?.....

Once again.. ????What the heck is a bandsaw rocker????? Is it some sort of jig or fixture for a bandsaw? Or maybe as Bill implies, a part of a rocking chair? Or is this one of those threads where if I don't know what it is, I should just stay out of it? But I'd bet there are others reading this that don't know what what you are talking about either.

[Rich Enders]

Larry,

Glenn is not responding, so I will venture a guess that he meant bandsawn rocker instead of bandsaw rocker. He mentioned having trouble with template routing so he is trying to cut smooth rockers just using a bandsaw.

Just a guess, but we will never know unless he reappears.

[Roger Nair]

Glenn, I would avoid quarter sawn oak, if indeed we are referring to chair rockers in a short in height profile. Steam bending would result in superior strength with quarter sawn grain on the side of the rocker. Otherwise flat sawn should provide an easier to work and stronger product.

[lowell holmes]

292388


I've built 8 rocking chairs , all mortise and tenon chairs. They all had sawn rockers with the grain oriented lengthwise with the rocker. One is a quartersawn white oak chair. It is 8 years old and there have been no structural problems. I've made chairs from mesquite, cherry, white oak and curly maple. The qs white oak chair is shown.

[Glenn Torbert]

Thanks guys for the ideas, got the rockers to work great..... the quarter saw white oak did not work very well on the router table with flush bit, too much tear out, ended up using a small blade on the saw cutting within 1/32 of my template line and then sanding them out using a 48inch horizontal belt sander.

[Buck Williams]

Once again.. ????What the heck is a bandsaw rocker????? Is it some sort of jig or fixture for a bandsaw? Or maybe as Bill implies, a part of a rocking chair? Or is this one of those threads where if I don't know what it is, I should just stay out of it? But I'd bet there are others reading this that don't know what what you are talking about either.

Bill's post mentioned a bandsaw pin, I think he's talking about one of these

http://www.rockler.com/bandsaw-duplicating-pin

Doesn't look like a bad way to go.