How We Build a Rocking Chair — Rockers

The rockers on a Weeks Rocking Chair are bent laminations of 1/4" thick strips.  Tennis rackets, skis, and other curved items subject to bending stress were commonly built this way in the recent past before space age composites.  They were built this way so that the grain of the wood would follow the curve and so that any weakness in one layer would be reinforced by another.  We build the rockers this way so that we can use a much stronger as well as a visually lighter section for the piece.

We saw the strips for laminating on the table saw.  We use an extended fence, an extended table, a wooden tool for holding and guiding, and a special saw blade with a stiffener.  This set up and system produces smooth, clean surfaces on strips of dependable thickness  (#1).

We spread glue evenly on the strips and clamp them to a form  (#2).  They remain clamped overnight.  When the clamps are removed the curve remains.  In order for the rocker to straighten out, the strips would have to slide along one another.  Well glued, they can't.

Unless I show them, or unless they are experience woodworkers, people do not know that the rockers are laminated.  Most patrons don't know even after years of rocking.

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