Free Furniture-

Making Tips
 Basic trestle design. Size
and details may vary, but the
trestle form almost always
features two upright ends with
a stretcher between them.

Design a
Trestle Table BY GRAHAM BLACKBURN

Choose your own styles and techniques:

simple, advanced, or somewhere in-between.

I
n furniture, the term trestle Today, however, the term trestle
historically referred to a pair of table usually implies something
diverging legs wide enough to be more sophisticated than the original
self-supporting, and joined at their design, and most commonly describes
upper end, sometimes by hinges. Two a table that is supported not by a pair
or more such trestles that support a of trestles, nor by the usual arrange-
wide board form a table, which can be ment of four corner legs, but by two
easily folded up and moved. pieces connected by a horizontal beam
The trestle table has a long history. or stretcher, often secured in place by
Six hundred years ago in Europe, when wedged mortises. That base assembly
only the rich had valuable furniture and supports the actual tabletop.
carried it around with them from one In this article I discuss two different
castle to the next, portability was trestle table designs one small
of prime importance. Large and and very basic; the other large and
relatively immobile tables would more advanced. The rst could
have been out of the question. serve well as a side or entry table.
Times may be more secure now, The larger would make a tting
but given the rate at which many dining table or, if outtted with
people change addresses, an eas- drawers, a desk. As you design
ily disassembled and transported and build your own, feel free to
table remains an idea whose day mix and match the two to design
is far from over. a table that suits your needs.

POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2013 TOP PHOTO & ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR; BOTTOM PHOTO BY WOODY PACKARD

50_1304_PWM_Trestle_RL.indd 50 1/23/13 3:41 PM

 Great things are not done by im-
pulse, but a series of small things
brought together.
Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890),
Dutch post-Impressionist painter

Build a Basic Trestle Table

The trestle table form is adaptable for The uprights consist
tables from small to large. All that is of three parts. The cen- BASIC TRESTLE
really necessary are two uprights, a tral part is gently tapered SIDE TABLE
stretcher and a tabletop. The uprights toward the top, where it is ten-
must, of course, be tall enough to sup- oned into a 11 2"-wide piece cut a
port the tabletop at the required height, little shorter than the width of the
broad enough at the base to provide top. The bottom end of the upright is
sufcient stability for the size desired similarly tenoned into a curved foot
and wide enough at the top to provide piece, which is also a little narrower
adequate connection for the tabletop. than the width of the top.
If you wish to preserve the knock- Join the two uprights with a stretch-
down function of a true trestle table, er that has a tenon cut at each end.
the stretcher connecting the two sup- This will be sturdier if the joint is a
ports should be removable, but xed through-mortise-and-tenon, with
stretchers such as described in this rst wedges driven from the outside of
example are by no means uncommon. the uprights.
On any table it is important to attach
Build From the Top Down the top so that it will remain at while
This top can be made from a single allowing it to shrink or expand across
board or from several pieces glued its width with any changes in ambient
together with edge joints. The gently moisture content otherwise, checks
curved ends of the top shown above at and cracks will surely result. All that
Start simple. Though you may shape them
right echo the curved shape of the foot is needed with this simple design are to your liking, the basic from of the trestle
part of the uprights. Because the mate- screws secured through slots cut at is nothing more that three boards joined
rial used for this table is 11 4" thick, the each end of both top crossmembers together.
lower edge of the top has been beveled and into the underside of the tabletop
to leave a 3 4"-thick face all around in (as shown in the illustration below).
order to lighten the look.

Lighten the top. Though the

top is made from thick stock,
underbeveling the edges helps Build a strong joint. It is easiest to cut the
to lighten the overall appear- mortise-and-tenon joinery on the ends while
ance of the table. the stock is rectilinear.

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50_1304_PWM_Trestle_RL.indd 51 1/23/13 3:41 PM

 Build a More Advanced Model
dining table for facing diners, should
be at least 30" wide.

Assemble the Trestle

The rest of the table consists of two
ends, a stretcher held in the ends by
removable wedges and an additional
substructure framework connecting
the tops of the two ends. This is a shal-
low framework holding three drawers.
The drawers may be omitted, but the
ADVANCED basic framework of the substructure
(MODULAR) TRESTLE TABLE is the key to the tables integrity and
rigidity when assembled.
Make the ends rst. Each end con-
sists of three pieces: a top horizontal
piece, a bottom horizontal piece and a
Trestle tables may be thought of as should be around 29"-30" high if it is vertical piece. The idea is to make the
modular, and as such may be built with to be used for dining or writing, and a top piece a couple of inches or so shorter
differently sized parts to t different few inches lower if a keyboard is to be than the width of the top, thereby pro-
areas. The same trestle may be used accommodated. viding the support necessary to keep
to support tops of different sizes, and Any construction attached to the the top at. The bottom piece should be
parts of the trestle may be built to dif- underside of the top should allow suf- an inch or so wider than the top cross-
ferent measurements depending on cient knee room for someone sitting member to preserve the proportions of
your needs. on an average 18"-high chair, which the ends and guarantee stability.
A table is, of course, subject to cer- means a lower limit of around 24". And Prepare the joints for the end pieces,
tain functional limitations: The top the width of the top, if intended as a and after a dry assembly of both ends,
trace the nished shape from a template
START WITH THE TOP made of cardboard, Masonite or paper
to produce the required prole.

I n lieu of other givens and require-

ments, the top is a good place to start
your design because it is the most visible.
Cut the traced outline with bowsaw
or band saw, and smooth the resul-
tant curves with les and spokeshaves,
It is also the part most easily varied. A rounding all arrises except those that
straight-sided top can have advantages if will abut the underside of the top.
the piece is to be placed against a wall,
but there is no reason why some other A Stretcher Spans the Trestle
shape might not be used. The lower stretcher is a single piece,
To give the top a fatter look, nish the with a long tenon on both ends that ts
edges with an upward-facing bevel. If, on
the other hand, the top looks too thick, a
downward-facing bevel will achieve the
opposite effect, making it appear thin-
ner. If the top is just right, consider other
edge treatments, from perfectly square to
rounded over or moulded into quarter-
rounds, thumbnails or ogees. GB

A shapely top. Size and materials may obviously

vary, but choosing a particular shape for the top
is another easy way to give the table a different
look. Shape the ends. Make a single template from
a stiff material such as Masonite and use it to
cut the trestle ends to identical shapes.

POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2012

50_1304_PWM_Trestle_RL.indd 52 1/24/13 9:08 AM

 Span the gap. A single stretcher runs between
the two trestle ends and is locked into place
using tusk tenons. Solid substructure. The central member of
the framework is dovetailed at each end.
Screws placed on either side of the dovetail
attach the framework to the ends.

Simple drawer framework. A

Wedge the stretcher. The tenoned stretcher solid substructure can be left
runs all the way through the trestle ends and open on one or both sides to
is mortised to accept an angled wedge. Note house drawers. For clarity, only
that the inside edge of the wedge mortise is two runners (unattached at far
inside the outside face of the end. The joint left, and attached at far right)
tightens as the wedge is tapped into place. and a single drawer are shown.

through mortises in the end pieces. Af- (the substructure) to Standard dovetailed
ter assembly of the stretcher and ends, m atch. The overall drawers should be made to
mark the location of the wedge mortises length of this framework must t in ush with the ends of
on the stretchers tenons. equal the distance between the tenon the crossmembers, to which
A few tips are worth bearing in shoulders on the stretcher. The frame- runners of 1 2"-square maple or
mind. First, the location of the stretcher work is shallow, no more than 3" deep, some other hardwood should be tted,
must be carefully considered. If it is too and narrower than the width of the top. ush with their bottom edges. PWM
low, it is liable to get in the way of your In addition to being xed through
feet when sitting at the table; too high, slot-screw mortises in the upper parts Graham is the author and illustrator of numer-
and it will be uncomfortable to rest your of the end pieces, the tabletop is also ous books of ction, furnituremaking and general
woodworking; visit blackburnbooks.com for more
feet on. The lower the stretcher, the secured by three screws inserted up information. Graham writes in the south of France,
greater stability it provides but make through the central member. This has dances in Buenos Aires and maintains a shop in
sure the stretcher doesnt interfere with the advantage of ensuring that the sub- Woodstock, N.Y.

the joints that connect the upright and structure cannot sag should it be tted
bottom parts of the ends. with heavily loaded drawers.
The inner edge of the wedge mortise The illustrated version has three
(the at face) must be slightly behind drawers that t ush with the front
ONLINE EXTRAS
For links to all online extras, go to:
the outer face of the trestle. Once the of the framework. These are carefully
popularwoodworking.com/apr13
wedge is driven, this creates a clamping made to slide on small runners xed
VIDEO: See a free preview and purchase
effect that holds the stretcher rmly to the sides of the four main front-to-
issues of Graham Blackburns video maga-
in place to the ends, even if the wood back members of the substructure. At zine, Woodworking in Action.
should shrink. the back of the framework, x a single
TO BUY Download step-by-step instructions
piece to cover the backs of the drawer for an American trestle table.
The Substructure Framework compartments. When viewed from the
Our products are available online at:
When the lower part of the trestle as- backside, the table will appear to have ShopWoodworking.com
sembly is complete, make the top part a normal skirt.

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50_1304_PWM_Trestle_RL.indd 53 1/23/13 3:42 PM

 WOODWORKING ESSENTIALS BY ROBERT W. LANG

The Right Wood in the Right Spot

The end grain holds the secret to what stock to use where.

T
he single-most important factor
in the appearance of any wood-
working project is the selection
of the material. This isnt what species
to use or what color of nish; it is the
choice of which board goes where. The
wrong grain pattern in the wrong lo-
cation can make even the most nely
crafted piece look like junk.
While appearance is always subjec-
tive, there are traditional approaches to
grain placement and orientation that
are based on how wood behaves over
time. In the grand scheme of things,
these arrangements also appear har-
monious to our eyes.
This is similar to music. You may
want to write a non-traditional song,
but the best-sounding notes and chords
will be those that have evolved and
been used for centuries. Good furniture
design, regardless of style, calls for ar-
ranging the wood in ways that make
sense both visually and structurally.
The key to understanding how any
individual piece of wood will appear
and function stems from where that
piece of wood was when it was in the
tree. It is rather simple to discover that
by examining not the face, but the end
of an individual board.

Moisture Matters
A living tree contains a lot of water,
and when it is cut down and made into
lumber that water migrates into the
atmosphere. As the water leaves, the
Character. Every piece of wood is an individual, and its appearance is determined by where it
cells shrink rst as the water within
was located in the log.
the cells disperses. Then the cell walls
lose their moisture, and in the process
the cells get smaller and change shape. moisture in response to changes in the tural Woodworking Institutes Quality
This is what causes lumber to environment. Standards recommends keeping rela-
warp as it dries, and the vast majority Properly dried and conditioned tive humidity between 25 percent and
of warpage occurs during the initial wood wont likely change shape af- 55 percent to avoid problems.
drying process. Wood will always be ter milling, unless it is subjected to This includes the storage of lumber
in the process of releasing or absorbing extremes of humidity. The Architec- before milling, the conditions of the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE October 2012 PHOTOS & ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR

20_1210_PWM_WWE_Grain.indd 20 7/9/12 12:58 PM

 WOODWORKING ESSENTIALS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

shop during project fabrication and youre using material that is either not Wide pieces are often the most vis-
the environment where the nished yet dry, or in the process of reaching ible in a project, so you should take
piece will be placed. Extreme levels of equilibrium to a dramatic change in extra care in selecting the wood if you
relative humidity, less than 20 percent environment. If your wood is dry, at need to glue up a workpiece from nar-
or higher than 80 percent, are likely equilibrium with your shop environ- rower stock. The goal is to make the
to cause problems. If you work within ment, and conditions in the shop are glued-up piece look as much as possible
these guidelines, problems related to close to those of your house, there is no like a single board. Plan these glue-ups
wood movement arent likely to occur. good reason not to use wide boards for rst as you select your material. Often
Even so, it is essential to understand panels, case sides or tabletops. you can use two rift-sawn (or partially
what direction any piece of wood you Ripping wide boards and gluing rift-sawn) pieces on either side of a
use will move, and the consequences them back together, with or without plain-sawn piece (see Consider the
of that movement. Tradition is here to ipping them over (as you may have Source, below).
help you out, and if you follow tradition heard suggested), wont do a thing but Generally speaking, wood looks nic-
the chances of your nished project waste your time and make your project est if it is placed in furniture in the same
looking good are greatly increased. uglier than it ought to be. That tech- orientation that it had in the tree. On
nique entered the literature as a way plain-sawn pieces, orient the cathedrals
As Wide as You Can for factories to minimize the problems so that they all point up, and arrange
Much of what is written about using that come from using substandard and adjacent panels so that the upper peaks
wide pieces of lumber only applies if improperly dried material. are at about the same level.

CONSIDER THE SOURCE

T here are three main classications of lumber, based on the pattern of the
end grain on the board. These patterns are related to where the board was
in the log. As wood dries, most of the shrinkage is in the circumference of the
growth rings across the grain. Imagine the
rings as elastic bands that have been stretched Plain-sawn
out. As they contract, each ring gets smaller, End grain is between 0 and 45 to face.
Typical arched or cathedral grain pattern
and longer rings in a board inuence shorter
rings adjacent to them.
Plain-sawn lumber is most likely to warp,
twist and cup, because the concentric rings
are disproportionately dispersed through the
board. Trees are larger at the bottom than at
the top, so the ring patterns taper along the Plain-sawn Quartersawn
End grain is between 60 and 90 to
length of a board. When the at surface pro- face. Typical straight grain pattern,
duced by milling crosses the tapered rings, it ecked in some species
produces an arched pattern on the face, com-
monly called a cathedral.
Quartersawn and rift-sawn lumber are
more stable, both in initial drying and over
time because the arrangement of the rings is
more consistent throughout the board. The Quartersawn
trade-off is in appearance; quartersawn and
rift-sawn lumber exhibit straighter and tighter
grain lines than plain-sawn material.
Most boards will have a combination of Rift-sawn
grain patterns. Plain-sawn faces show quarter
sawn edges and vice versa. Rift-sawn boards
will have straight grain on both the faces and
edges. In many boards, the grain pattern will
Rift-sawn
change across the width, with a rift-sawn pat- End grain is between 45 and 60 to face.
tern on one side and a plain-sawn pattern on Typical straight grain pattern on both face
and edges
the other. RWL

POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE October 2012

20_1210_PWM_WWE_Grain.indd 22 7/9/12 12:58 PM

 For the outer elements of pieces, ori- Rift-sawn material is also the best
ent the grain with the widest spacing choice for legs or other square ele-
at the bottom; if the grain slants, make ments. The straight grain will look
each side slope toward the middle. This good from the front and the side. If
will give your furniture a solid stance; it you use quartersawn or plain-sawn
wont look as if it is leaning to one side. material in this circumstance, youll
have to choose between a nice front or
On the Straight & Narrow a nice side you cant have both. This
Door frames and other frames are the is especially important if the legs are
ideal place to use quartersawn or rift- carved or turned. The straight grain
sawn material. The narrower, straight will make those tasks easier, and the
grain wont detract visually from the nished appearance will be similar
panel, and the stability of this mate- when viewed from any angle. PWM
rial is good insurance to keep things
straight regardless of what happens Bob is the executive editor of this magazine. He can
environmentally. be reached at robert.lang@fwmedia.com.
Harmonious composition. Rift or quartered
lumber for the stiles and rails and a plain-
sawn panel make an attractive and stable
door. Even if glued from more than one piece,
panels look best with this grain pattern.

Plain-sawn. Growth rings that arch across the Rift-sawn. The growth rings slant across the
end of a board create cathedral shapes on end of rift-sawn lumber. The grain pattern on
the face of the board. While attractive, plain- the faces and edges is straight and this cut is
sawn lumber is most likely to cup or twist. stable.

Disturbing noise. Wild grain, or grain running

off the side of stiles and rails, detracts from
the panel and the overall look. Mismatched
panels should be avoided.

ONLINE EXTRAS
For links to all online extras, go to:
popularwoodworking.com/oct12

ARTICLE: Read Why Wood Warps, by Glen

D. Huey, from the Summer 2009 issue of
Woodworking Magazine.
MAGAZINE: For an in-depth look at Com-
posing With Wood Grain, read the Spring
Quartersawn. The growth rings in quarter- Lumber cant read. Most pieces of wood will 2009 issue of Woodworking Magazine.
sawn lumber are vertical, or nearly so. This have a combination of grain patterns, with a Our products are available online at:
type of wood will move more in thickness different appearance on one side of the face ShopWoodworking.com
than in width. than the other.

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20_1210_PWM_WWE_Grain.indd 23 7/9/12 12:58 PM

 Make a Chair That Rocks
BY JEFF MILLER

A little geometry and

a simple prototype
ensure a pleasant ride.

I
recently set out to design and build
a new rocking chair. Ive designed
and built a handful of rockers, but
my past efforts didnt rock as well as I
would have liked. I have condence in
my ability to make a comfortable regu-
lar chair, but it seemed like I was deal-
ing with an entirely different problem
with a rocker. So I decided to look a bit
more carefully than before into what
makes a rocking chair work. I wanted
to understand the geometry of a rocking
chair in hopes that I could improve my
overall results.
A rocking chair has a lot of factors in
play. In addition to the usual require-
ments that a chair be structurally sound, Rest in peace. A rocking chair should take some of the weight off your spine and soothe you with
comfortable and look good (these are its rocking motion. The rockers and the center of gravity are key to the equation.
my requirements at least), the rocker
adds the challenge of dynamic motion.
Does the chair tip back too far, or stay an awful lot of opinion, lore and con- tations of what a rocking chair should
too upright? Does it rock back easily icting information. Everyone who has be seem to be somewhat personal. And
into a comfortable position, or does it made a rocker seems to have a strong second, each chair really does seem to
take work to push the chair back? Does opinion. Some people swear by a partic- generate its own set of requirements.
the rocking chair wander all over the ular relationship between the seat and
room as you rock back and forth? Does curve, or a special shape of curve for the What Makes a Rocking Chair Work
it rock quickly, or is the rhythm more rocker, only to be contradicted by the The most basic way to look at any rock-
relaxed? Is it easy to settle into the chair? next persons opinion. There was little ing chair is to see it as the relationship
Is it possible to get up out of the chair common ground in all the information. between the center of gravity of the
without a huge effort? I think there are two main reasons for chair (plus the person sitting in it) and
Adding to those complications, I also this. First, as I mentioned above, expec- the shape of the rockers. What is a cen-
noticed that, although the perceived ter of gravity? Its dened as the aver-
comfort of any given (static) chair tends age location of the weight of an object.
to be consistent for the majority of peo- It also can be seen as the balance point
ple, whats expected of a rocker seems
Arguments with furniture are of the entire object.
to be a little more personal. rarely productive. What it means in the case of a rock-
My book research was fascinating, Kehlog Albran (ctional author) ing chair is best explained with an
although not very enlightening. Theres The Prot: Albrans Serial (1973) example. Imagine a wheel standing on

POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE October 2011 PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR; ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROBERT W. LANG BASED ON THE AUTHORS DRAWINGS

1110_PWM_48-51_RockingChair.indd48 48 7/13/11 3:45:05 PM

 edge that has a lead weight added to 42" range. Why am I talking about the
it somewhere between the center and height of the center of gravity and not
the edge. Depending on how heavy the the seat height? The shapes and angles
weight is in relation to the weight of the of rocker seats can be very different, and
rest of the wheel, the center of gravity Center its hard to dene a consistent reference
will shift a certain amount toward that point that is signicant from one chair
weight. What happens to the wheel? It to the next.
will roll so that the weight (the center This may all create a better under-
of gravity) eventually ends up closest standing of whats going on with a rock-
to the ground. If the wheel is shifted ing chair, but despite that, not much
away from that position, it will always practical information has emerged. You
return there. Center
should be getting a little clearer under-
Of course, it wont settle there all at of gravity standing of why that is, though. Each
As wheel slows, it will
once, but will overshoot (due to iner- swing back and forth, chair really is different, and other than
tia), then reverse and head back down, coming to rest with center some basic parameters, its difcult to
over and again until gravity and friction of gravity in lowest position apply any hard and fast rules to come
overcome the inertial forces and the up with a solution that works. In other
wheel stops with the weight at the low- GRAVITY ROCKS words, there is no foolproof way to cal-
est point. The relative distance between culate how all of the various factors will
the weight and the edge of the wheel come together.
will have a large effect on just how the opinions and no clear answers. Sugges-
wheel behaves, too. tions abound for arcs of a certain radius, Rocking Chair Goals
Locate the weight close to the edge or an elliptical shape, or a catenary curve Lets look at what we want out of a rock-
and it will settle there quickly. Locate (the curve you get by hanging a chain or ing chair, then at how we can get there.
it close to the center and the wheel will string between points), a cyma (which There are two main qualities that
rotate much more slowly, farther and it Sam Maloof called a cygnet curve due to I think set a rocking chair apart from
will take longer to settle down. its swans neck shape), or some magical other chairs. First, the chair should
Translating this back to an actual combination of the above. The essential tip you back to a position that takes
rocking chair, if you locate the center of fact is that very little of the rocker is pressure off your back. How does this
gravity close to the center of the circle, actually involved in rocking. happen? Sitting upright in a chair, your
youll get a pretty wild ride, tipping way A typical rocking motion only cov- muscles are primarily responsible for
back then far forward; if its too close to ers about 8" to 10" of the rocker. If you keeping you upright.
the rockers (the edge of the circle), you account for settling into the chair and As you tip back in a chair, your
will just sit there. for pushing it back pretty far, that might muscles dont need to work as hard to
This is the basic mechanism of the involve all of 14" of the rockers. This support your spine because the back
rocking chair. The location and orien- critical part of the curve is most likely of the chair, assisted by gravity, takes
tation of the seat and the person and very close to an arc of a circle, but slight over more of that job. Assuming that
therefore the center of gravity in rela- variations can change the feel of the the shape of the back is appropriate,
tion to the rockers control how it will rock a little. Outside of the critical area, this puts your spine in a relaxed and
rock. In reality, the exact location of variations in the curve are either cos- neutral position. And this feels good.
the center of gravity varies, however, metic or work to limit the possibility What you want is for the chair to natu-
due to body type, body position and the of tipping the chair over in an extreme rally tip you back to that neutral posi-
conguration of the chair itself. situation (such as a child standing up tion (somewhere around 25 behind
The chair inuences this location on the chair and leaning back). vertical seems to work well).
not just through the seat and back posi- Of course, the radius of the arc is The other important quality is the
tions, but also a little bit by the weight important in relation to the center of rocking motion the simple move-
distribution of its components. Just gravity. If the center of gravity is roughly ment into and out of that neutral posi-
where is the center of gravity? In gen- 25" or 26" off the oor (a typical rocking tion when you move farther forward
eral, the center of gravity of a person chair would put it there), you can see or back.
seated upright in a chair will be roughly that a rocker radius of only 30" would Why this rhythmic motion is so
an inch or so in front of the navel. But put the center of gravity close to the important is a little harder to explain. It
each chair is different, and not only is center of the circle. This would make seems to be naturally calming. It avoids
each person slightly different, but every for a very tippy chair (as well as a very the discomforts of sitting in a static posi-
sitting position (feet outstretched, feet odd-looking one). tion, works off nervous energy and is
tucked under, slouching, etc.) changes At the other extreme, a rocker with said to promote better blood ow. In
the location of the center of gravity. a radius of 80" would tend to just sit terms of rocking chair design, the goal
The shape of the rockers themselves there. A reasonable radius with this is simply to wind up with a rocking
is a subject with even more contrasting center of gravity would be in the 39" to motion that feels comfortable.

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1110_PWM_48-51_RockingChair.indd49 49 7/13/11 3:45:21 PM

 Prototype to the Rescue
To sort all of this out into useful design
information, I decided to do some
hands-on research and build and play
around with a functional prototype.
This is something I encourage you to do Rails screwed to sides
as well before tackling a new rocking
chair project. The prototype was fun to 3 4" plywood,
build, and extremely helpful. 21" x 40"
I laid out a potential shape for the
basic chair I wanted to build on two
pieces of 3 4" plywood, roughly 21" wide
x 40" long. I wasnt concerned with the
look of the chair; I just wanted to get
the positions of the seat and the back
right to start with, then start my experi-
ments with different shapes, sizes and
3 8"
locations for the rockers. holes for
3 8" dowels
holes for dowels
I made up a contoured seat by skin- these support the seat these position
ning a set of hardwood ribs with a piece the sides on
of 3 8" bending plywood. If you plan to 1" x 71 2" x 36"
the rockers
make a at seat, just use another piece of solid wood
plywood (you can attach it with cleats to
the sides). I also happened to have a cou-
ple laminated slats that were quite com-
fortable left over from an earlier chair
project. But for this purpose, its just as
good to cut some slats to shape.
A ROCKING CHAIR MOCK-UP
I placed the seat where I thought it
should go on one of the plywood sides,
then marked out the locations for a pair
of holes just below. I then put the two sure I got the rockers properly aligned. have that be somewhat separate from
plywood sides back together, drilled 3 8" Prior to separating the rockers I drilled the height of the seat, and also from the
holes on my marks and inserted dowels a series of 3 8" holes 51 4" down from the way the chair rocked. To change the seat
so the seat would register in exactly the top edge. Inserting dowels into the holes height I could either cut a little bit off the
same place on both sides. I put the seat on each side established a track so I bottoms of the plywood sides or re-drill
in place and screwed through the sides could slide the set of rockers back and the rockers with a new set of holes.
to attach it. I made up some cross pieces forth as needed along the bottom of the I found it most helpful to be able to
to hold the back slats, played around plywood sides. I just needed to measure slide the rockers back and forth with-
a little with the angle of the back slats from the ends an equal amount to line out having to think about leg lengths.
then screwed the rails in place. The them up, then screw them into place. Moving the rockers forward or back
rough chair was comfortable. Break When I needed to move the rockers up made predictable changes; the chair
time. I had to think a bit about adding and down, I simply drilled a new row rocked back more easily as the rockers
the rockers. of holes as necessary. moved forward, and vice versa. I knew
Its crucial on any rocking chair that I experimented. The plywood and I had come upon a good conguration
the two rockers be shaped exactly the rockers got more holes as I tried differ- when I fell asleep in the chair at lunch
same and aligned perfectly with each ent positions. I made up new rockers one day.
other. The end result should be as if they of different radii, and some different Playing with the shape of the rockers
were cut from the surface of a large cyl- shapes. I adjusted angles. Finally, I also was interesting, although I thought
inder. I started with two pieces of wood made up a second prototype so I could that rocker location was the more sig-
that were about 1" thick, 71 2" wide and compare two versions that seemed to nicant factor. I found the difference
36" long, and temporarily screwed them work well. between a 39" radius and a 40" radius
together face to face, with the edges very subtle. As I went larger or smaller,
aligned. Then I cut out and smoothed What Did I Discover? the differences were more noticeable.
a potential shape, leaving the tops of The prototype allowed me to isolate Smaller radii felt less stable; larger ones
the boards at. various elements of the design that I felt too unresponsive. And I did not
I used an approach similar to what had been having trouble with before. I notice huge differences with different
I had used for locating the seat to be could play around with seat angles and rocker shapes. This was not altogether

POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE October 2011

1110_PWM_48-51_RockingChair.indd50 50 7/13/11 3:45:36 PM

 Mock you to sleep. This mock-up of my rocker design allowed to me to quickly change variables and immediately feel the outcome.

unexpected, because it is hard to see the center of the circle that generates until I had a basic sketch to work with.
that much difference over the 8" to 10" the rocker arc. As I expected, this was A good eraser really helped with this!
of the rockers that actually come into not exactly the same when the chair was Then came the hard work of turning the
play. For this particular chair I settled empty as it was with a person seated in sketches into a real piece of furniture.
on a 39" radius. it, but it was remarkably close. The end results were very satisfying,
Interesting, although less useful, The nal version of the prototype although I did still have to do a little bit
was the realization that a perpendicular worked well for most people. I was pesky of functional tweaking on the actual
line drawn up from the point of contact about asking lots of students and visi- chair design. I was surprised to discover
between the rocker and the oor will tors to the shop to try it out, and most that at least with the design I came up
pass through the center of gravity and found it comfortable. I did learn that with those tweaks were minor, and
preferences in arm height vary over a the nished chair was actually quite
wide range, and that seemed to be the close to the prototype. PWM
most common complaint from my tes-
ters. I had simply cut the plywood sides Jeff is a Chicago furniture maker and woodworking
to a height that worked well for me. It teacher at J. Miller Handcrafted Furniture
(furnituremaking.com).
would certainly pay to make adjustable
arms if I were to do this again.
Turning the prototype into a real
design was an interesting process.
Somehow, I needed to pull all of the u Go Online FOR MORE
necessary information off the proto- For links to all these online extras, go to:
type. What I did wasnt anything fancy. u popularwoodworking.com/oct11
I pulled one side off my prototype and BLOG: Read Jeffs blog, which often deals
traced all of the important elements with chair design.
the rockers, the seat, the back and the ARTICLE: Read about a chair Jeff made
arms directly from the prototype to where the seat and back are all screws.
a piece of foam-core insulation that a WEB SITE: Visit greatchairdesign.com.

neighbor had discarded (1 4" plywood TO BUY: Chairmaking & Design by

is my usual choice). Jeff Miller.

I had an overall concept of the piece IN OUR STORE: 500 Chairs: Celebrating
Traditional and Innovative Designs.
with its branching components, and I
Where the action is. The 8" to 10" of curve
played around for a few hours lling Our products are available online at:
in details around the pre-determined uShopWoodworking.com
below the seat is one of the key variables in
the comfort of the rocker. seat, back, arm and rocker locations

popularwoodworking.com

1110_PWM_48-51_RockingChair.indd51 51 7/13/11 3:45:48 PM

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