Not too many years ago, a rocking chair could be found on almost every porch in the USA. Today, you can build your own porch rocking chair--it's the perfect place to sit and enjoy the cool air and gentle breezes while you sip a glass of lemonade or iced tea. You can customize your rocking chair to fit your height and body size. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Draw a diagram of the chair you will build. Include all of the dimensions for the width, height and depth of the entire chair. Show the dimensions for the seat, back, legs, rockers and arms of the chair on the diagram. Although you can customize the size of your chair, typical sizes are: 20 inches by 20 inches for the seat, 20 inches by 36 inches for the back, 21 inches (plus 3/4-inch to protrude into the rocker) for the front legs, 44 inches (plus 3/4-inch to protrude into the rocker) for the back legs, 40 inches long for each rocker and 20 inches long for each arm.
2. Create a template for the base rockers of the chair using the plywood. To do so, draw the rocker shape on the plywood and cut the template out of the plywood using the band saw. You will only create one template to use for both rockers--this ensures the rockers will be identical. The arc should follow a curve so that the bottom at each end of the rocker is 2 1/2 inches higher than the bottom at the middle of the rocker. For more rocking action, you can make the bottom ends 3 inches to 3 1/2 inches taller. The bottom arc should be 2 inches below the top arc, giving your finished rockers a 2-inch height.
3. Use the template to draw the pattern for the rockers on two pieces of wood at least 2 inches thick. Use the band saw to carefully cut along the pencil line on the wood.
4. Smooth out the rails with a plane and sandpaper. The rails should be as smooth as possible on the bottom, as this will provide a gentle rocking motion.
5. Drill holes straight down for the legs of the rocking chair. You will need two holes in each rocker to provide the support for the front of the chair and the back of the chair. Holes should be at least 3/4-inch wide and 3/4-inch deep. Place the front holes 2 1/2 inches from the end of the rockers and the back holes 22 1/2 inches from the front edge of the rockers.
6. Cut the front legs to length and shape them. On each leg, you will need to whittle down 3/4 inches of one end to create a plug that fits tightly into the holes you drilled in the rockers. Add wood glue to the hole and push the leg in, wiping away any excess glue with a clean cloth. Make sure the legs are turned in the proper direction before the glue sets.
7. Cut the rear legs to the length of the entire back of the chair (44 3/4 inches according to the standard height). Shape 3/4 inch at the bottom of each rear leg to fit into the holes in the rockers. Apply glue to the holes and set the rear supports.
8. Build the frame for the seat using four 2-by-2s. If you're using the standard chair dimensions, your 2-by-2s should be cut to 18 inches each, allowing you to build a rectangle that is 20 inches square. Attach the 2-by-2s at each corner two 3-inch wood screws. You may want to use a T-square to make sure you keep 90-degree angles.
9. Add the seat to the interior of the legs using 3-inch wood screws. Attach the front of the seat with the bottom 12 inches from the top of the rocker. The back of the seat connects with the back legs at 8 1/2 inches from the top of the rocker. Attach wood slats or a solid wood top to the seat frame with finishing nails. If you like, you can add a foam cushion to the chair now.
10. Attach the arm rests to the chair with wood screws 1/2 inch longer than the wood for the arm rests. The arm rests attach to the top of the front and rear legs so that they are parallel to the floor.
11. Add a 2-by-2 to the back of the chair with 2-inch wood screws, at the top of the rear legs and parallel to the seat. If you need additional support, add another 2-by-2 between the seat and top of the chairback. Finish the seat by attaching parallel slats of wood with finishing nails. You can also use a solid, sanded piece of wood cut to the exact size of the back of your chair.
12. Fill in the tops of all exposed screws with the wood putty to create a smooth finish.
13. Sand the entire chair to smooth out the rough surfaces. Add stain or paint (over primer) to finish off the chair, using at least 2 coats. Seal the chair with a coat of clear polyurethane if you've stained it.
Tags: inches from, wood screws, back chair, back legs, chair with, each rocker, inches inches