Maloof Rocker - Finally Finished!

I've been puttering along on the Maloof rocker as I've been working on some other projects lately and it is finally finished.  The last Post left off with the attachment of the rockers.  Since then I've shaped and faired the rockers at both ends and where they attach to the front and rear legs.  This was a pretty satisfying step as it really completed the final look of the rockers and tied them into the rest of the chair.  

Closeup of the Ends of the Rockers

Closeup of the Rear Leg to Rocker Joint

Closeup of the Front Leg to Rocker Joint

Upon completion of this I went over the chair and sanded out any scratches I could find and brought the chair from crest rail to rockers through 180, 220, and 320 grit.  This was a very tedious process as there are so many surfaces which had to be gone over and it is all done by hand.  That being said the slow and meticulous nature of the work is alright.  This project has taken a long time and bringing it to completion was quite nice.  

I rubbed down the entire chair with a microfiber cloth to remove all possible dust from the pores of the wood and clean it up as much as possible before finishing.  

I decided to apply Sam's traditional finishing technique to the chair.  I have not used this finishing process before but here it is.

There are two stages to the finish.

The first stage uses a mix of

1/3 Boiled Linseed Oil
1/3 Pure Tung Oil
1/3 Oil Based Varnish

Mix for Phase One

The second stage uses a mix of
1/2 Boiled Linseed Oil
1/2 Pure Tung Oil
Bees Wax to bring the mixture to the consistency of heavy cream.

Of course that recipe doesn't really say just how much bees wax that means.  So I measured the mix before and after the wax and did a little math.  Here's what I ended up using.  

7 parts Boiled Linseed Oil
7 parts Pure Tung Oil
2 parts Bees Wax

Mix for Phase Two

I shaved the beeswax using a carrot peeler and as this took quite a while to make progress tried making small chunks with a knife.  This seems to melt into the oil just as well.  I heated the mixture in a mason jar in the microwave on low for a minute at a time.  After three minutes the wax was completely melted into the oil and I just had to wait for the mixture to cool. 

Turns Out Small Chunks Cut With a Knife Work Well Too

Melting the Beeswax Into the Oil

The Cooled Wax Has a Tendency to Separate, a Quick Shake Solves the Problem

The first mix is applied by wiping it on liberally and covering the entire chair, waiting a couple minutes and then wiping off the excess.  This is done once a day for 4 days.  The second mix is applied using the same technique and is done once a day for 2 days.

Partway Through Applying the First Coat of Finish

Partway Through Applying the First Coat of Finish

After Applying the Third Coat

After Wiping Off the Excess of the Third Coat

Going forwards I think I will change the finishing process.  I would finish it with the first wiping mixture, completing 4 or 5 coats, and omit the second mixture (I found it quite sloppy) in favor of applying a simple paste wax or beeswax.  

The way I see it, the first mix is an application of oil and varnish; simplifying a bit, the oil seeps into the wood and the varnish builds on the surface.  After a few coats of this I am unsure how effectively the oil was still passing through the varnish and wonder how much of it I was just wiping off.  There was an accumulation of waxy residue from the second mix which I buffed to a smooth finish.  

After applying finish daily for a week I was anxious to get the chair out of the shop and have a sit; thankfully it is quite comfortable!  Following are a few shots of the rocker's first day out in the sun. 

Maloof Rocker - Continued - Again

The rockers for the chair are laminated from 10 layers which are 1/8" thick each.  This yields a rocker thickness of 1 1/4", the width of the rocker laminations is 1 1/2".  First the laminations are pressed against a form and let to cure.  When that is done an additional 7 layers are built up where the legs join to the rockers.  Once the rockers are completely laminated one of the edges is jointed and the rocker is thicknessed down to 1 1/4". 

Laminating the Rocker on the Form

Adding on the Extra Layers Where the Feet Join the Rocker

Jointing One Side of the Rocker

Thicknessing the Rocker

Thicknessed and Ready for Installation and Shaping

With the dimensions squared up at 1 1/4" a router with a 5/8" roundover bit is run over the edges so that the rockers are now a 1 1/4" diameter tube. This tube is lightly faired with sand paper and then installed using epoxy and dowels similar to how the front of the arm rests were installed. 

Rounding Over the Rockers

The Rocker Rounded and Ready for Installation

The location and angle to drill the dowel holes is done in two steps similar to the installation of the armrests.  The holes are then drilled on the drill press using a wooden screw clamp to provide extra support to the curved piece. 

Marking the Drilling Locations for the Dowels

Marking the Drilling Angle for the Dowels

Epoxying the Rockers in Place with Dowels

Once the holes in the rockers and legs are filled with epoxy a set of clamps is used and left overnight. 

I'm sorry that this project has taken so long to write up, it keeps getting interrupted.  My hope it to have one more post about the rocker and finish off the project.

Maloof Rocker - Continued

With the bulk of the construction done it is time to move on to the sculpting of the chair.  I won't go over everything, all over the chair, just a sample.  The bulk of the material removal was done with a grinder fitted with a carbide grinding wheel wheel.  I was absolutely amazed at how fast this tool was able to waste away wood.  Next, it was onto a 50 grit sanding wheel, and then on to finessing the sculptured joints by hand with rasps, files, and sand paper.  

Front Leg to Seat Joint Before Shaping

After Initial Shaping with Grinder

Arm Before Shaping

Arm After Initial Shaping With Grinder

Refining the Arm and Seat to Leg Joint with Rasps and Files

Starting to Look Decent

With the shaping completed I moved on to working on the headrest.  The locations of the spindles entry into the seat is marked and punched with an awl.  The locations of the spindles entering the headrest is marked as well and then the headrest is temporartily clamped into position so that the angles of the spindle's entry can be transfered to the headrest.  Once the lines have been transferred to the headrest, they can be sighted down for the angle of drilling into the seat.  

Sighting Down the Headrest Lines to Drill the Seat Spindle Holes

The headrest is then taken out of the chair to the drill press.  The lines drawn on the headrest are sighted as the drill bit is lowered to ensure the tilt on the drill press table matches the angle of the spindle hole. 

Sighting the Alignment of the Hole

With the holes drilled the shaping of the headrest can begin.  The headrest is clamped to the bench and  the usual routine of grinder through rasp and sandpaper was used to shape the portion of the headrest which will be inaccessible when the spindles are installed. 

Rounding Over the Headrest

With the headrest ready for installation it is time to finish preparing the spindles.  The spindles were roughed out on the bandsaw and the round over on the back formed with a router.  They were initially built overlong and are trimmed on an individual basis.  Both ends of the spindles go into 1/2" diameter holes so rasps are used to shape the ends of the spindles from roughly 1/2" by 1/2" square to circular; a test block with a 1/2" hole is used to check for fit. 

Shaping the Ends of the Spindles

The spindles are epoxied into place, to help with squeeze out the seat and headrest were taped.  The epoxy was mixed up with the addition of some sawdust to help it match the chair and allowed to cure for a day.  

Tape Protecting the Seat from Epoxy

Spindles in and Ready for Rockers

Maloof Rocker

Some time back I became enamored by the rocking chairs made by Sam Maloof.  Then. about two and a half years ago I decided to go for it and build one.  Many of the techniques were new to me, cutting the Maloof joint with splayed legs and the use of rasps to sculpt the joinery to name a few.  With so many new techniques to explore I decided I could use a little guidance; so I purchased a set of plans/DVD from Scott Morrison out of Montana.  I won't go into details on the plans themselves, suffice it to say that Scott was quite thorough and I'd definitely recommend his plans to anyone interested.

For some reason, this has been a project which has repeatedly been set aside as other deadlines and priorities loomed overhead.  Thus, the rocker developed in spurts and the photography along the way was inconsistent to say the least.  With that being said I'll show what I can and you'll just have to fill in some blanks or contact me with questions about the stuff I had to skip over.  There will be a few posts describing the process as I get the writeup for each stage completed.  

First step of course was to break out stock.  Using a set of full size templates and the bandsaw made it easy to mix and match to get the best use of materials.  

Breaking up Stock

All the Parts Broken Up

Unfortunately, here is a large gap in the project; and when I say large - I mean really large. 

So, by way of getting caught up on a few things.  The seats are glued up from 5 boards, there is a 3 degree slope cut on each of the seams to start creating the scooped shape of the seat.  Then, a grinder and sanders are used to waste away the bulk of the wood while creating the saddle.  The real fun was in cutting the joinery for the legs.  Notches were cut out of the sides up near the front and in the corners at the rear; then, rabbeting bits were used to recess the top and bottom surfaces and create the first half of the Maloof joint.  The joinery for the front legs to the seat was relatively simple.  A dado is cut to match the ledges on the seat left behind by the rabbets.  With that complete the legs are turned on the lath and the lower portion is brought to a diameter of 1-1/4", and the top portion to 1-3/8".  The tops of the front legs need to be cut on a slope down towards the back of the chair at 13 degrees to allow a flush surface for the arms to join with.

Trimming to Length and Slope

When joining the front legs to the seat I used two pipe clamps; one above and one below; which allowed me to adjust pressure and ensure that the legs are held parallel to each other and perpendicular to the seat. 

Gluing the Front Legs to the Seat

When joining the rear legs to the seat it is important to control the splay of the legs and ensure that they are symmetrical.  To make sure of this a mock headrest with 5 degree slopes on each end was used to align the legs.  Things are finally starting to look like a chair.  

Rear Legs Being Glued tot he Seat

With the rear legs glued into place it is time to attach the arms.  You may notice that the arms are not shaped at this point, that will be taken care of after installation.  The first step to install them is to trim the ends of the arms to match the slope of the joint with the rear legs. 

Trimming the Back of the Arm

The arms are installed with a screw through the rear leg and a dowel in the front leg. 

First, the joint with the front leg.  There is a 1/2" diameter hole in the top of the leg, a center finder is placed in it and then the arm is set into place and the dowel position is marked with the center-finder.  Once that is completed, the arm is held in position and a straightedge is used to sight down the leg and draw the slope at which the dowel will be inserted into the arm.  This is then drilled and a dowel is epoxied in place. 

Marking for Dowel Alignment

To make the joint with the rear leg the joint is held firm with a couple clamps.  Then, a stepped hole is drilled through the rear leg so that in addition to the glue in the joint,  a screw can draw the arm snug. 

Clamping the Arm in Place to Drill through the Rear Leg

Some of you may have noticed that some of the photos are of chair parts made of walnut, and some are made of cherry.  There is of course a reasonable / ridiculous reason for this.  I figured that as long as I was setting up angles for cuts on the table saw and such I might as well get the most out of all the setup; so I've been working on three chairs simultaneously.  Well, up to now anyways.  Now that the cutting and assembly is done, the next major phase is sculpting of the joints and I am now working on one chair to completion.  

Three Initial Assemblies all Glued up and Ready for Shaping