Okay. Read a bit of history about wooden chairs, whilst we make the one mentioned before

Wooden rocking chairs

Rocking chairs, invented in the early 18th century, were invented in wood. It was not until much later that any material other than wood was used to make a rocking chair. Wood itself is naturally beautiful, and its history of dominance in furniture-making has raised woodworking to the level of art. As such, designing in wooden rocking chairs has flourished, and their beauty and popularity has only increased over the centuries.

There is a great variety in woods used for making rocking chairs. Hardwoods – from trees that flower seasonally – such as elm, oak, mahogany, maple, and teak, and softwoods – from evergreen trees – such as pine, fir, and cedar, are both used for making rocking chairs. Though their names are not derived from their toughness, hardwood rocking chairs are more expensive than softwood ones. Rocking chairs made with a combination of the two are also available.

Wooden rocking chairs meant for outdoor usage have to be treated first so that they can resist the natural elements. Wooden rocking chairs in general can also be finished with paint or varnish to suit home décor. They require care just like other furniture. Clean indoor rocking chairs with a mild cleaning solution or polish, while the outdoor ones can be done with soapy water. They will also require refinishing once every few years.

Inventions and developments have kept diversifying and enhancing the aesthetic quality and popularity of wooden rocking chairs. Introduction of bentwood manufacturing – a process of steaming wood to bend it into flowing curved forms – in the 1800s brought a new level of sophistication and beauty to wooden rocking chair design. In the middle of the 20th century, Sam Maloof, a great woodworker, designed a rocking chair with ski-shaped rockers made of seven laminated strips of wood, rendering striking exquisiteness and toughness to the chair. Whatever you crave, you will be able to find in wooden rocking chairs – simple rusticness of shaker rocking chairs or the elaborate curvature of bentwood rocking chairs, or one of the myriad designs inspired from historical and contemporary art.

Progress on the pink chair

Good morning all!

Yes finally getting the hang of this blogging thing! You may have noticed the template has now changed to something more attractive. For those of you that are thinking about getting a blog, they are actually free so there is no hosting or technical challenges.

This is really a continuation from last nights post, wherein I said I was making a rocking chair for a customer. We had actually made one before so thought I would share a picture of it. The only difference with the one we are currently hand making is that, the child's name will also be engraved on the back of the chair.

Please note this is not actually a chair that we make but one that sell. The above is made from pine wood whereas the custom chair will be crafted from oak.

On average the chair will take 4 days to make. That includes cutting, preparing the wood etc. Although some might find then chairs a bit pricey they do last forever and we also offer a 5 year warranty on them.

Working on a wooden chair for a birthday present

Today I got an order from a customer who had actually bought an 'off the shelf' rocking chair a couple of years back. The customer actually came back and asked if I would make a chair for his daughters 10 birthday, as she loves nothing more than to site in the chair and read a book.

First off all, I was quite suprised to hear of hte discipline of the young girl ( yes I know that is rather sterotypical) but I also have a beautiful daughter and little boy, so do find it quite odd to hear this!

Anyway, as it was a present for my customers daughter and also the fact she was a similar age ot my little girl, I offered to make the chair as a good will gesture on the understanding that I could also take some photos of the chair with his daughter to add ot my brochure and window front.

Natuarally the customer was very happy with my suggestion. I shall also be posting a pic of the chair once made to my new blog ( once I figure out how to upload it!), only joking :)

The choice of colour is sky pink, which is a very subtle colour and looks really good on oak wood.  I will also be engraving her name on the back of the chair but have yet to decide if this will be coloured or left plain.

Wooden rocking Chairs

By far the most popular type of rocking chair has to be the traditional wooden type. As someone who actually sells and also makes rocking chairs, I still personally think they offer overall best value.

Although the intial investment may actually be a lot more, than the pastic or premade wooden chairs, over the long run, the strenght of a hand made wooden chair cannot be beaten. Just take a look at antiques made from wood.

As you can see, it is not uncommon for people to pick up a 100 year old chair for personal use ( I know as I also restore them).

Recently it has also become a trend, wherin parents have purchased baby rocking chairs for their children. I do find this complete round circle rather odd, as if you consider, the chairs had actually been introduced to help cater for the elderly market.

What is even more surpising is that they do actually offer a high level of comfort, as a simply rocking motion, can actually ease the pressure on the lower back and help excerise the feet and calve muscles.

What is a reasonable price and what should I be looking for? Well these are the two main questions that anyone visiting my workshop asks. Well in answer to the price, that really depends on the type of chair as well as style and wood used.

It is no different to buying any other type of chair in that regard. For example a dressing table for a bedroom. How do you price that, considering they are available off the shelf from most chain stores?

Regarding advice on what to look for. Well I will be covering this topic in much more detail in a seperate post, but in essesence, you need to actually measure your hight and weight. When sitting on the chair, your feet should ideally not rest flat on the ground but hover slightly. Why? Well this allows for a much smoother and painfree rocking motin.

Rocking Chair Fanatic!

Hello all,

This is my first attempt at blogging so please bear with me. I do actually have a lot to write about, as I actually make rocking chairs for a living. So hopefully you will be able to learn something from me.