a rocking good time

When our family lived in Auburn during the second and third year of our marriage I bought Ruth a rocking chair at an oak furniture store. It looked like a comfortable chair and was solidly made. But being it was made in China, it had some features that didn't belong.

The chair didn't really rock. It had a distinct bump-bump in the middle of its rocking motion that has kept us from sitting in it often. Not only was there the bumping but also the chair seemed to dive to the left as it rolled forward. So it has occupied space in our living quarters for several years now without being used.

A couple months ago I got a little block plane out to try to smooth away the bump. It was bad timing so the plane got put away and the chair went back in the boys' room.

Well now all the kids sleep in what was the boys room; the rocking chair now resides in our living room. It is comfortable to sit in as it has a cushion on the seat and a fleece blanket over the back.

Tonight I pulled the chair into the kitchen, whipped out my block plane and started planing the bottom of the rockers. It is an interesting process. A bump in the rocking is caused by a combination of a high spot and a low spot in the wood. As the chair moves along the arc of the rocker, it finds a low spot and the rocking motion slows or stops altogether. Then it passes across the high spot and an abrupt change in the motion occurs and is very noticeable for the person rocking. So all the high spots had to get planed down.

After everything was smoothed out I measured the rocker feet and found the front tips more than 1/8" different and the back 3/16" different in the opposite direction. So, I will have to get the belt sander or a planer to make them match.

Here are some pics of the mess I made in the kitchen.