What can be more brilliant than knowing how to build a rocking chair from scratch? Rocking chairs are known for their relaxing feature. Therefore, learning how to make one is like making a place to find your best comfort!
If you want to know how to do this, you better keep reading this article as we guide you how!
Materials You Need
Building a rocking chair can be challenging for you, especially since it requires a lot of materials and effort. The following are the things that you need to have to make your rocking chair.
- Wood (any kind you prefer)
- Saw (band saw, hand saw, or table saw)
- Hand plane
- Drill and drill bits
- Sandpaper
- Wood glue
- Callipers
- Vice grip
- Mallet
- Dowels
- Pencil and tape measure
How Do You Build A Rocking Chair From Scratch?
Step #1. Make the seat
Using cardboard or paper, draw the shape of the wood that you prefer for the seat. After that, cut the cardboard and place it on top of the wood. Trace the shape and cut the wood using a band saw.
Next, mark the back of the seat to where you will drill the holes for your spindles and legs. Ensure that there is at least 2 1⁄4 inches distance between each hole. Do not put holes in the middle because the spindle will press the spine of the person who will sit on it.
Aside from drilling the holes for the spindles, drill holes for the legs also. There should be two front and back holes. The rear hole should be five inches from the center, while the front hole should be 4 inches from the front part of the seat.
After doing so, you can bevel and sand the seat for a clean look.
Step #2. Create the spindles and the legs
Initially, cut pieces of wood for the legs. These should be two inches wide and thick.
The front legs should be 16 inches, and the rear legs should be 13 inches. After that, shape them onto cylinders in the lathe and taper them, ensuring equal thickness.
In the spindles, you need to cut 16 pieces of wood 1 inch wide and thick. There should be ten spindles for the back (29 inches in length each), two for the front arms (9 inches), two for the center arm (10 inches), and two for the back arm (12 inches). Use a plane when shaping the spindles because using a lathe can break them.
After that, cut slots on the untapered part of the legs. Ensure that the sizes of the slots are fit to the rocker of the chair.
Step #3. Work with the arms and the backrest
After the legs and the spindles, start working with your arms and back crest. Cut planks of wood in a curve shape, matching the curve of your seat.
In the back crest, drill its bottom in a way where the spindles would fit in it. On the other hand, in the arms, drill the back holes to match the back spindles. You can use a vice grip to hold and stabilize your wood.
Step #4. Put them together
Wood glue would help a lot when it comes to putting the parts together. Fit the spindles onto the holes and apply wood glue to them.
You can also tap them using a mallet to secure them into place. After waiting for the glue to become dry, cut off the excess spindles and use sandpaper to smoothen the wood.
Step #5. Wrap it up with the rocker
Lastly, make the rocker. Trace a curvy shape on your wood (36 inches in length and 4 inches in height) and start cutting it. You should ensure that both of the rockers are of the same size. You can use a clamp to hold them together so that you can cut them evenly.
Once you have cut the planks of wood, glue them on the slots of the legs. After that, drill holes through the rockers and the legs. Putting a dowel on it can improve the sturdiness of the legs of your rocking chair.
Why Should You Have A Rocking Chair?
A rocking chair is one of the best chairs for relaxation. It gives off a gentle motion in which whoever sits on it will feel comfortable. It also has an armrest where you can put your arms while you are sitting on it.
Looking into it, having a rocking chair is very convenient. You can either sit or even sleep on it without worrying about back pain.
It can improve your mood, reduce your stress, and lessens the risk of having anxiety or depression. Moreover, it also improves balance and the circulation of your blood.
Conclusion
Knowing how to build a rocking chair from scratch helps you to gain experience and knowledge that you can pass to your family. You can make one for your elders or even gift someone with this. Since you have already read this article, you can now start working on your rocking chair!