Glue ups, I have glue ups...

[steven c newman]

Some good, some not so good. hard to add clamps to round posts, and have they stay put.
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The right hand side ( as you are looking at it) was there to help in clamping this thing up....at least long enough to pin the joints
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But clamps wanted to slip and slide around. Even the clamp to pull things into square-ness wanted to move.....sooo, today, I made a bunch of these critters up
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These go between the clamps, and a post, or anything else round in shape( except my fingers..)
Cleared everything off the benchtop. Sat the ugly glue up on it's side. Glue on the tenons sticking up in the air, slam the other side down onto the tenons, and clamp away....
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Some neede the blocks , some didn't. While I had things like this, I drilled a few holes. Some for pins into the new joints, and two into the rear posts..
338460
Bit is 7/8", brace is a PEXTO 12" sweep. Good thing I am a bit on the tall side. I was adding a rung on the front and back..
338461
Have since pinned this at the "top", "bottom" is not a through hole. Once all the joints were pinned, and the glue had set long enough, I got the center of the seat's support fitted, and glued in place..
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It will get a pin through the side rail, and a screw from underneath. I tried a couple scrap slats, to see how it lined up..
338463

Center one sits a bit lower than the front, by design. Need to start sawing slats for the seat. And, work on the armrests......then, maybe a month or so of sand, fill, sand, seal, sand.....did I say sand? Awaiting a finish choice by the Boss...Witch's Brew, or painted.....we'll see.

[Robert Engel]

How about straps?

[steven c newman]

Don't have any on hand. Never really had much luck with them, when I did have a few....

[Mike Cherry]

That's looking real nice Steven!

[steven c newman]

Not too bad for my first try at building a rocker?

[Pat Barry]

Just about ready for a test ride!

[Phil Mueller]

Not too bad at all! Lots of credit for tackling a chair...well beyond my level at the moment. Just the thought of all those angles and curves makes my head hurt. Thanks for sharing. Look forward to seeing it all come together.

[steven c newman]

There will be a pause in this story..

Son has been admitted to the hospital, has "Double Pnuemonia" with a cyst in the bottom lobe of each lung. They will be doing some tests tomorrow, and have plenty of Antibiotics going in. Fever broke on the way, as he was transferred to the "big city" hospital via squad from the local one here. Will be going back up there tomorrow(again) to see how he is doing.....Money is going into the gas tank, rather than the Harbor Freight store a couple miles from that hospital..oh well...

[Cody Kemble]

Sorry to hear about your son. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.

[Stew Denton]

Steven,

I will be praying that he recovers well.

Stew

[Patrick Chase]

There will be a pause in this story..

Son has been admitted to the hospital, has "Double Pnuemonia" with a cyst in the bottom lobe of each lung. They will be doing some tests tomorrow, and have plenty of Antibiotics going in. Fever broke on the way, as he was transferred to the "big city" hospital via squad from the local one here. Will be going back up there tomorrow(again) to see how he is doing.....Money is going into the gas tank, rather than the Harbor Freight store a couple miles from that hospital..oh well...

Ouch, very sorry to hear that. I hope he recovers as quickly and completely

[steven c newman]

Left lung drained nicely...right lung not so nicely.....more x-rays, more tests. O2 and Morphine going in, in large amounts. Will know more tomorrow.

Besides all of this, there is a Brown Bat flying about hairtop level down in the Dungeon Shop...might have to call a halt to things for awhile..
338541
Didn't like the way the seat slats are turning out...will re-do them as 6 slats..

[steven c newman]

Ok, first things first...depending on how the meds and treatments go..Craig MIGHT be released Sunday, Monday at the latest. Breathing treatments and Antibiotics are going on, now.


As for that seat...it now has 7 slats, that I will need to level out to each other..
338610
As well as Lumbar Support for me aching back. Armrests have their through mortises done...
338611
And used a Forstner bit underneath the armrest to "house" the post. At the back, where the armrest goes into the back post..
338612
There is a mortise to house the end of the rest. Will counter-bore for a screw from the back side of the post, and into the armrest's end.

A lot of leveling of the seat parts to be done. Edges on everything need round over. Then, maybe. a finish of some sort. There are a flat spot or two on the rockers to be unflattened, and maybe a test dive?

[steven c newman]

Have the round-overs done, and sanded
338634
and a look at the "housing" for the post
338635
I used an old rail road spike through the hole, and into the dog hole, to help hold things still. I cut a kerf into the tops of the front posts..
338637
And drilled a through hole into the rear post. Then, went the armrest gets installed, a Wlanut wedge was driven in place
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And a screw was driven in from the back of the post, through a counter bored hole...
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With a bit of Elmer's spread around in each joint. Need to make a couple plugs...walnut, or Pine?
Need to trim the slats on the seat, as a couple ran wild a bit..
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I have the chair sitting upside down on the bench, because I am beltsanding out a few flat spots. Trying to "fair" the curve a bit, for a smoother rocking motion. Yes...I have taken a test ride.....that is why the sanding is being done.

[Stew Denton]

Hi Steven,

The chair is looking pretty good, and from the test drive it must set good too, since you are sanding and getting ready to paint.

Keep us up to date on how your son is doing.

Stew

[steven c newman]

They placed a drainage tube in the right side of the chest today......might be after Wednesday before they will let him go home.....

Harbor Freight today since it was on the way to the hospital....picked two 80 grit sanding belts.....$4.24 counting tax for the two. Maybe I'll give one of them a spin later....we'll see.

Antibiotics and Perkasecs going in, all kinds of junk coming out. Way too many tubes involved. Left side is cleared, right side is being...stubborn.

[steven c newman]

All sanded down. Brought it upstairs to await a rain-free day.
338708
Remember, this is my first time ever to build a rocker. Finish will be that Witch's Brew I use on pine.....then maybe a few coats of Poly since this will sit on the back porch.

Test ride showed it has a bit too much lean back, but a nice, comfy seat. learned a lot, just in case i ever decide to build another one of these....

[steven c newman]

pups wanted to chew on a rocker on the chair...sooo, outside it went, along with a brush and the can of Witch's Brew.....there is a LOT of surface to coat on this thing, but

Drum roll, if you please...
338734
The white rocker was the pattern I was using, or teying to use. Added a few touches of my own...
338735
Not sure IF it will get a set of cushions right now. There is one coat on it so far, might need a few more.
Again, this was my first attempt at building an adult sized rocking chair. It does look a wee bit better than the WalMart one beside it?

[Stew Denton]

Steven,

Looks good!

One thought, I am sure your witches brew finish will do fine, but you might give a thought to spar varnish. Spar is one of the most weather resistant finishes around. In my view it is better than polyurethane, and other finishes.

Stew

[steven c newman]

We'll see what there is for this chair.....was NOT going to paint it. Thinking MAYBE using the spray version of the Spar varnish, as there are a LOT of places to cover.

[Robby Tacheny]

I agree with Stew about Spar finish. We have a porch swing that I used it on that is nearing 12 years old and is on a covered porch year round. Its getting time for a recoat now, but it has held up very well.

I just used Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane and applied with disposable brushes. You rocker looks great! Enjoy it.

Robby

[Chris Hachet]

Very impressive!

[Patrick Chase]

Steven,

Looks good!

One thought, I am sure your witches brew finish will do fine, but you might give a thought to spar varnish. Spar is one of the most weather resistant finishes around. In my view it is better than polyurethane, and other finishes.

Stew

Marginally topical, but... Isn't most modern Spar Varnish just heavy-duty urethane varnish that's been optimized for UV resistance?

EDIT: A quick search shows that the higher-end ones use phenolic instead of urethane. Makes sense.

[steven c newman]

Spar Varnish is also "softer" than normal varnish. Allows it to flex without cracks forming. Sun heating it up, it expands. Then when things cool off, things shrink. Spar varnish can flex along with all of that...

[Jerry Olexa]

nice work and hope and pray your son gets better...

[steven c newman]

As far as I can remember....The Witch's Brew is a quart can, that at one time held polyshades colonial maple in it. have since added about every leftover scraps of stain. There is also about a pint of BLO in there, and maybe 1/2 a pint of Poly Gloss. Stirred well, to mix things better. Lately, it takes about a day to fully dry......will scuff things up a bit, and add a second coat.....if the weather happens to warm up a bit. Supposed to get up near 90 this coming weekend. Might pick a quart of spar varnish and a few "chip" brushes up, too.

Meds for the lung infections is affecting his kidneys......he needs to drink a lot more than he is right now.....taste buds are all messed up, as well. Just being stubborn right now, both him and the Pnuemonia.. "sugar" was way up, too. They may have that taken back down...four doctors treating him.....maybe too many cooks?

[steven c newman]

Nothing new from the Hospital today......seem to be just letting the meds work.....

MIGHT try to put a second coat of the Brew on the rocker today, after a few yard sales are looked over. Suppose to be a few BIG sale saturday......

[steven c newman]

2nd coat of the brew is now on...
338870
Seems to have found a home out there
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Pine being...Pine..
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Not too bad a project?