Thread: WIP - Maloof inspired rocker

Originally Posted by Enfield Guy

Andy, have you considered OSMO as an option for finishing the rocker? I would highly recommend the product. A true hard wax/oil finish that is very durable and easy to apply. You can get a variety of sheen levels including gloss, if you choose to go the gloss path. I'm a Satin sort of guy myself.

Cheers

I have considered it actually. I did some research on the osmo polyx a while back and still plan to buy and try it. Not sure if I'll use it on the rocker it all depends on how the test boards come up.

Give Ray a ring. Sometimes he can be kind enough to send you a sample sachet. 7ml but it does go a long way I think 26 m2 per litre. You must follow the instructions. The only variation I do is sand to 180 mostly but never higher than 240.

Whittles waxes do a similar product as well. price comparative but I've never used it.

I squeezed in almost 2 hours of shop time this morning before work. I worked on both arms at the same time so they can at least appear to look the same.

The pics are of both arms so the layout marks are in both red and black.

I started by grinding the 45 degree chamfer

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Then I created another 45 degree chamfer (not as deep though) on the other side and blended them in together with a rasp. The black pencil gives me reference marks of where I need to remove material.

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After blending in the two chamfers.

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Then I turned the arm over and began grinding the underside. I've again marked with a pencil the chamfers and I used a rasps to blend them in.

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Then I marked out around the dowel area where the front leg is attached. You can see in the next two photos how it looks after blending in the underside.

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And then grinded away as much material as I can. I'll then use a die grinder next to create a deeper curve and refine it with rasps.

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There is still plenty of work to do but I'm happy where it's at now. Next up will be refining the front with the die grinder and the galahad wheel. Then lots of work with rasps and plenty of sanding.

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Thanks!

Looking good. Don't know about you, but I find that working with pattern makers' rasps is one of the most satisfying jobs around. Also, once the raspings done, you can remove marks pretty quickly with a card scraper.

Originally Posted by AlexS

Looking good. Don't know about you, but I find that working with pattern makers' rasps is one of the most satisfying jobs around. Also, once the raspings done, you can remove marks pretty quickly with a card scraper.

I agree Alex it's very satisfying. They're very precise and gives you so much control when removing material.

Card scrapers are very handy also. I bought a number of small curved scrapers for this build and I know they will be super handy when the time comes.

I got a fair bit done in the last couple of days. I find myself working on different parts of the build every day which I'm finding very refreshing.

I just need to do refine the arms and blend in the transition from the top to the underside. But most of the work is done and I'll use rasps and scrapers to refine the finer details.

When it comes time to attach the arm to the leg I'll sculpt the two areas together. But at moment I'll leave it as it is.


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It's probably hard to notice but I also worked on the seat. The inner perimeter now has a more severe drop off and I've blended in and refined the pommel. When I get my rotex sander I'll sand the seat and further refine the curves.

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I also cut a 9 degree strip off the front and back of the legs. This will give a nice curve and will match the curve I cut at the back of the seat. You can see the headrest template and how the angle I've cut matches up.

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I can't really do anything else now expect work on the headrest. The legs can't be sculpted until the legs are glued which won't be happening until I've sanded the seat.

The headrest needs to be about 70mm thick so I glued up two pieces of walnut to give me the thickness. I was lucky to have Tony's clamps on hand for this glue up- thanks mate.

Once dry I'll start fitting the headrest to the arms. The inside of the legs splay out 6 degrees because of the 6 degree adder block I attached to the inside of the legs. So I'll cut that angle on each side of my headrest and it should be close. I'll then refine the cut and sneak up on hopefully a really nice fit.

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Cheers !

Im not sure if i missed this, am daft or just plain illiterate.... But those special router bits have you used them yet?

Originally Posted by lithro

Im not sure if i missed this, am daft or just plain illiterate.... But those special router bits have you used them yet?

I sure have. If you go to page 6 I posted a couple of pics. They are mainly used for the leg joinery but I'll be using the round over bit on other parts of the build.

Today I cut and fitted the headrest between the rear legs. The rear legs splay out at a 6 degree angle so I set my bevel gauge and used the drop saw to sneak up on the perfect fit. It took me a few goes but I ended up with a nice gap free fit.


I then used the headrest template and cut the waste away on the bandsaw.



This is only the beginning of the headrest construction but it's looking good so far.

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I now have to make a decision on the curve and shape of the headrest. It's a pretty significant decision as it can make or break the look of the rocker.

I made a 3mm template that is exactly half the size of the headrest. I'll use a combination of french curves and my limited design attributes to come up with a curve that I think looks appealing. I'll then cut it out on the template and use it to on my headrest.

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There's some lovely grain in that headrest - it might help you with your curve design decisions.

I'm really enjoying watching this build. It's a very complicated piece to make, and you're doing an excellent job.

Merry Christmas,

ajw

Originally Posted by ajw

There's some lovely grain in that headrest - it might help you with your curve design decisions.

I'm really enjoying watching this build. It's a very complicated piece to make, and you're doing an excellent job.

Merry Christmas,

ajw

Thanks mate- Merry Christmas to you too!

I'm really happy with the grain in the headrest. There was no doubt that I'd use this piece but I debated whether I would have it the other way around.



I've become a bit of a rocker nerd during the build and studied lots of different designs. All the rockers that I've really liked all had excellent grain continuity. I've done my best to choose the best grain possible along the way.

The only components I need to cut is the rockers then that's it. Then there is lots of sculpting with the Galahad wheel, die grinder, rotex sander, rasps, scrapers and sandpaper.......

Are you going to make the rockers using laminations? I imagine the formwork needed will take a while to build.

Can you tell me what kind of rasps you're using? I don't have any woodwork rasps yet. I'd like to get some.

ajw

Originally Posted by ajw

Are you going to make the rockers using laminations? I imagine the formwork needed will take a while to build.

Can you tell me what kind of rasps you're using? I don't have any woodwork rasps yet. I'd like to get some.

ajw

The rockers will be made from thin strips of walnut and one strip of Huon pine. I'll make a bending form which isn't too complicated and will be handy for future chair builds.

I'm using Liogier rasps which are made in France. I'm using a #9 and #12 half round cabinet, #6/#9 combo flat, #12 modellers (small and large). Brett loaned them to me but I'll be ordering some soon though. This is the first time I've used rasps so I can't compare them but I'm very impressed at the level of control and finish that they leave.