I have been busy on the rocking chair, just not busy posting updates. I’ve made 8 back braces two at a time on the glue up form. The back braces are walnut, ash, ash, walnut (4 layers) and are sequenced; the braces will have lams 1-8 of the same billet visable left to right as you look at the chair. From the back it will be that way as well. Here’s the glue up:
The rockers are glued up one at a time, with an ash lam in the #4 position of 9 total lams. The lams are sequenced so that the left and right rockers will match; they should look like they have a book mach when theyt are carved into final shape.
Two items not clear in the instructions are the need for cauls; after cutting out all the billets and steping through the process there is a note to use an 11-lam caul for the rockers, and a thinner one for the back braces. Would have been nice to know that up front so I could have purchased materials and done the cuts at the same time.
I used johnsons paste wax on the surface of the forms to prevent the glue from sticking. Even thought the forms are MDF, the wax worked fine and the lam’s popped right off.
Out of the forms:
I had some clamp issues; I over tightened a H.F. clamp turing it into a corkscrew, and snapped an old taiwan made clamp in two. I guess I have to ease up on the spinach!
I cut out the notches and routed the rabits in the seat:
I used the rear notch cut outs clamped to the edge of the seat to prevent tear out when routing. In the video, Hal doesn’t do this, but I’m glad I did.
Next up: Headrest!