Maple Sculpted Rocker


SeventyFix

Recommended Posts

I'm with Mike.  I'm not a fan of the strip, and if I were you I would go all curly maple but with ebony plugs.  I do think you need the contrasting species for the plugs, and there is no better choice than ebony.  Like Eric said, you won't need very much...a little goes a long way.  It will be a tiny fraction of the price of materials for this project.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not going to lie to you guys: I bought the 10/4 board but also added a couple of other pieces to my order that I couldn't pass up.  I have no immediate plans for the other pieces.  I figured that they wouldn't add much to the shipping cost so I might as well get them.  Does this make me a wood hoarder?  I've never purchased wood without having a specific purpose for it.

The first step is admitting that I have a problem.  I'm not there yet.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, SeventyFix said:

I'm not going to lie to you guys: I bought the 10/4 board but also added a couple of other pieces to my order that I couldn't pass up.  I have no immediate plans for the other pieces.  I figured that they wouldn't add much to the shipping cost so I might as well get them.  Does this make me a wood hoarder?  I've never purchased wood without having a specific purpose for it.

 

I did the same when I ordered from them.  They also threw in a few shorts free of charge that I have put aside for keepsake boxes :)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, SeventyFix said:

I'm not going to lie to you guys: I bought the 10/4 board but also added a couple of other pieces to my order that I couldn't pass up.  I have no immediate plans for the other pieces.  I figured that they wouldn't add much to the shipping cost so I might as well get them.  Does this make me a wood hoarder?  I've never purchased wood without having a specific purpose for it.

The first step is admitting that I have a problem.  I'm not there yet.

Dude..."a couple of other pieces" does not a wood hoarder make.  You should see my shed. LOL :unsure:

Until your lawn equipment is sitting out in the rain under tarps because you have nowhere to put it...you're a wood lover, not a wood hoarder.  I'm fairly certain that there will be a point in the not-so-distant future that I'll be forced to stash some wood under my bed for lack of storage elsewhere...I'm running out of room, for reals.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Llama said:

 

 

Not to keep teasing you, but I probably have the piece of ebony you need for the stripe. :)

 

 

I'm a low level hoarder. Eric has serious problems. That guy hoards poplar. ;)

 

Do not! :P

Although if I ever stumble upon a great batch of curly poplar, I will buy that and hoard it.  At some point there will be a COD begging for fine drawer sides and bottoms.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Eric. said:

Do not! :P

Although if I ever stumble upon a great batch of curly poplar, I will buy that and hoard it.  At some point there will be a COD begging for fine drawer sides and bottoms.

Or a good batch of curly MDF

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have been travelling for work lately.  I'm finally home.  All of the wood and tools have been delivered.

Here's the general process that I have used for past projects:

  1. Find out how much wood I need for a project.
  2. Order that wood, plus 20% extra.
  3. Start the project, make a few mistakes, discard some of the wood due to defects, etc.
  4. Run out of wood.
  5. Restart at step 1.

I really wouldn't recommend it.  This time I bought enough wood for 2-3 chairs.  I did this with the knowledge that I really love figured maple and I know that I'll use it in other projects.  I built a serious shed out in the yard last fall and have plenty of storage space.  I won't run out of wood on this project and I'll have a lot to choose from when selecting for grain direction and figure.  This is a figured chair - it kinda all has to go together.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a second piece of 10/4 big enough for both arms and the headrest.  I'm not sure how figured it is at this point as it's in a super rough state.  I was going to pass it across the jointer to see what I had.  But the piece is very twisted.  I think that the smart thing to do is to wait until I'm ready to cut the individual pieces and then straighten and plane the smaller boards.  Removing the large amount of twist from the larger board will remove significant thickness from the 10/4 board.

2017-05-19 (5).JPG

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a great place to work...those big windows and a view of a garden.  Jelly.

I think you'd find your bench considerably more versatile if you pulled it away from the window by about two feet (if possible).  I'm constantly working on the back side for some reason or another, and it's better for assemblies/glue-ups.  Something to consider...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am concerned about the templates - the lines are thick and somewhat rough.  The angle on the sides of the headrest template don't match each other.  I cut each side with the same setting on the Kapex (flipping the work piece over).

Input from someone who has used these plans is greatly appreciated.

IMG_6652.JPG

IMG_6659.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Eric. said:

What a great place to work...those big windows and a view of a garden.  Jelly.

I think you'd find your bench considerably more versatile if you pulled it away from the window by about two feet (if possible).  I'm constantly working on the back side for some reason or another, and it's better for assemblies/glue-ups.  Something to consider...

Eric: Yeah, I'd love to do that.  You're 100% right.  It's a small garage shop.  There's enough room to stand between the bench and a car parked beside it.  This area experiences damaging hail storms so I keep one car in the garage.  I've been seriously thinking of selling this car as I don't drive it much.  I really like the car and it's hard to let it go.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This was easier than I thought that it would be.  Notice the numbering system.  The first board contained an internal flaw that was only discovered during milling. I don't want this color streak to appear when the seat is carved out.  

2017-05-21 - Coopering The Seat (6).JPG

Grain pattern starting to appear.

2017-05-21 - Coopering The Seat (5).JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not a big fan of the router.  It's a violent tool with sudden consequences.  After watching the videos and some help from ShaneyMack, I developed the strategy.  I set the bit depth for the maximum that I wanted to achieve.  All of the boards are equal in thickness so they all receive the same depth of cut.  With my fore and aft scrap pieces in place, I routed at full depth, taking very shallow passes (think 1/8").  I kept taking passes until the bearing was riding on the tenon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the video series, the explanation given for the scrap wood at the end of the cut is to prevent tear out.  The wood fibers of the work piece are supported by the scrap wood block. It works perfectly.  I used an additional scrap block at the start of the cut to support the router base and guide the bearing on the router bit.  I have a tendency to hang on to the router with a grip of death as it spins at an ungodly RPM.  Occasionally, the guide bearing slips past the start of the cut and clips the corner.  See below.

DSCN4783 - Copy.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.