Rocking chair made of plywood, design features, main stages and nuances of do-it-yourself manufacturing

A rocking chair can become a favorite relaxation spot and a cozy addition to any interior, terrace or garden. If you are thinking about making this comfortable furniture, but do not have practical skills, a rocking chair made of plywood is suitable as your first experience. We figure out what types of furniture exist, how to choose material, how to properly design and assemble furniture.

Rocking chair in the living room interior Source yandex.net

Variety of models

Before making a rocking chair, it is useful to study the existing types of this furniture. Several concepts for manufacturing rocking chairs on runners have been developed. Based on your habits and tastes, you can choose the appropriate option or use it as the basis for your own design and design. The following models of chairs are available for sale:

With radius runners. Rocking chairs on simple curved skis were the first to appear in everyday use. Despite their long history, they still remain a stylish element of classic and modern interiors today. Their main advantage is their simple design, which requires self-production.
With runners of variable curvature. The main advantage of the model is its safety, since changing the curvature of the runners prevents the chair from swinging above a certain point. The design prevents accidental tipping and is suitable for people of all ages and body types.
With a cradle. A variation of the previous version, as it is equipped with runners of variable curvature. Instead of a seat, there is a comfortable sleeping place for a baby; the chair rocks gently, without jerking.

A modern version with runners of variable curvature Source roomester.ru

Rocking chair-nirvana (on ellipses). There are home and garden models of rocking chairs on ellipses (the latter with an awning). Elliptical runners provide smooth, relaxing rocking. But you shouldn’t get carried away: with a strong amplitude of movement, the structure can topple. The problem can be solved by installing bump stops.
Nirvana on springs. A complicated version of the previous model, soft to sway, but quite difficult to implement on your own. For manufacturing you need high-quality wood (boxwood, teak); the work surface is finished with a rubberized strip of spring steel to protect the floor from damage.
On arches with smooth bends (“3 in 1”). A multifunctional model (mainly produced for babies), capable of changing position. If desired, the chair turns into a lounger without losing the ability to swing. The downside is its large dimensions; it is difficult for it to find a place in a small room.

Garden rocking chair on elliptical runners Source userapi.com

Pendulum (on bearings). The seat with supports is fixed on a fixed stand; rocking occurs not on skis, but on pendulum rods. The advantage of the design is that it operates silently and does not damage the floor. The downside is that a complex and bulky chair made of a profile pipe (or other metal) will not fit into every interior.

Rocking chair made of profiled metal pipe

Such a design can be made if there is a special installation for bending metal pipes. Despite the apparent difficulty, it is actually not that difficult to make such furniture; moreover, it is heavy and at the same time stable.

Manufacturing steps:

Metal pipes are taken and bent on a special machine by rolling the element between three rotating rollers.
Then two pipes are welded to the two skids, which form the base and form a kind of triangle with one rounded side.
There is also a semicircular element in the middle, which is welded to the support elements. This is done to increase sustainability.
Then the transverse elements are assembled in accordance with the drawing.
After this, the armrests and back of the chair are completed. They are fixed with self-tapping screws and adhesive.
At the final stage, everything is complemented with soft elements in the form of pillows or special upholstery with foam parts.

How to make the structure safe and comfortable

On specialized websites and forums you can find a variety of rocking chair designs. But, regardless of whether you use a ready-made solution or make your own drawing, you need to think through several points on which safe and comfortable use is based.

The main thing: the structure must be ensured to be safe when swinging. You don’t have to dive into the physics of the process; It is important to understand that the chair is designed for a certain (average) weight of a person. During movement, it is in unstable equilibrium and does not turn over until the displacement of the common center of gravity (rocking chair and person) does not exceed the permissible norm for this product.

The length of the runners affects the safety of the rocking chair Source wfcdn.com

To avoid tipping over, different strategies are used, for example, making runners with a closing horizontal arc (at the back). There are other ways to make a rocking chair safe and comfortable to use. To do this, the following design elements are adjusted:

The length and shape of the runners. You can lengthen the runners or make them closed; this will be enough to avoid capsizing. This measure is necessary if there are children in the house, because they like to swing and do not feel the need to restrain themselves.
The height of the center of gravity. To reduce the risk of rollover, it is recommended to have a lower center of gravity (low seating position). It is important to understand that then comfort will suffer: you will sit low, and additional effort will be required to get up. And this may be inconvenient for people with problems with the musculoskeletal system.
Width of handles. The wider the handles (within reasonable limits), the more convenient it is to lean on them when sitting down and getting up from the chair.
The width of the runners. The wider the runners, the more stable the chair, and the fewer marks it will leave on the floor covering (the load is distributed over a larger area).

A chair with minimal risk of tipping over Source behance.net

Type of seat. If it is hard (for example, made of wicker), then pillows will be required (to prevent them from slipping, choose products equipped with a hard padding on the back side).

The easiest to implement is considered to be a chair with radius runners. But it is not immune to capsizing when the swing limit is exceeded. The limit depends on the relative location of the two centers; the center of the circle forming the runners and the overall center of gravity. The greater the excess of the center of the circle over the center of gravity (it is always higher), the more stable the structure.

In general, when preparing a drawing for a homemade rocking chair “on radii”, you should adhere to the following principles:

Preference is given to models with a fairly low rise.
If you need to make a seat of normal height, there are options: increase the length of the runners (which does not always look aesthetically pleasing), provide them with a closing horizontal arc, or install bump stops. The downside of the last two options: when you reach the limit, you will feel a sharp jolt.

Model with moderate rocking ability Source dommino.ua

You can do without bumpers if you choose a rocking chair with runners of variable curvature. It can be designed for users of different body types and for any seating height (within acceptable limits, of course).

See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in garden furniture and storage systems

DIY simple swing from an old chair

This model of a hanging chair or swing chair is good because it uses that part of the old chair that usually remains from it, namely the seat with a back, because chair legs, as a rule, are the first to deteriorate and break; restoring them is quite problematic

Of course, we sand the old part of the chair, and for aesthetics and durability we cover it with paint or stain. The most “difficult” part of making this swing chair is to make two boards with two holes in each to place our chair on and tie ropes to below. It is important immediately before attaching to center the boards under the chair so that your fifth point is in the center of gravity when sitting on the chair in a suspended state

Plywood and other materials

For those who have no experience in making furniture, it is easier to start with using plywood. Plywood sheets are easy to process; it is easy to cut parts of any shape and size from them. For work, it is recommended to choose the following varieties:

Plywood FC. A grade of medium moisture resistance, obtained by gluing veneers with carbamide adhesives. The moisture-resistant qualities are low, so it is better not to place a chair made of FC plywood in the open air.
FSF plywood. It is characterized by high moisture resistance, mechanical strength and wear resistance due to the use of glue based on phenol-formaldehyde resins in the production. Considering the low environmental friendliness, it is better to leave such plywood for garden furniture.

A rocking chair model with a sophisticated design Source stroy-podskazka.ru
If the rocking chair is intended for home use, it is better to use birch plywood. If it will stand on a terrace or veranda, it is more logical to choose pine: coniferous wood is less susceptible to rotting. It is possible to make a rocking chair from other materials:

Wood. A significant part of rocking chairs are made from hardwood (oak, walnut, ash); the finished products are coated with a finishing protective compound. This is a classic version of furniture, characterized by a long service life and pleasant appearance.
Metal. Metal processing requires experience and certain skills; in addition, the metal product has significant inertia, which is why the rocking turns out to be sharp and uncomfortable.
Natural materials. A person with weaving skills can make a stylish designer product from wicker or rattan. The only difficulty is finding quality material. The wicker chair turns out to be lightweight, it is easy to move it from home to street and back.

Making a wicker rocking chair from wicker Source ytimg.com

From profile. A rocking chair made from a profile pipe is durable; Properly designed, it will last for many years. The only drawback is the weight, so it is preferable to make separate parts from the profile, connecting them by welding. For the frame, pipes with a cross-section in the shape of an ellipse are better suited.
Plastic pipes. The advantages of polypropylene are light weight, low cost and ease of processing. The furniture is light and practical for garden conditions. To increase the rigidity of the structure, it is designed and assembled from small parts. Minus: a chair made of plastic does not tolerate heavy loads.

Teak

Teak is one of the best woods for outdoor furniture, better than other woods such as pine, oak or bamboo.

Teak is durable and elastic because it produces its own oil. It is a hard wood, so it is not easy to dent or scratch it.
It is completely wind and water resistant, so it can stay outdoors all year round.
It is difficult to care for and needs to be treated regularly to avoid a 'silver patina'.
Teak is one of the more expensive options.

Nuances of choosing plywood

Plywood sheets are selected based on the specifics of the project. In this case, you can adhere to the following recommendations:

For large and visible (external) parts, elite grades of plywood that do not have visible flaws are suitable. Quality will guarantee that chips and cracks will not appear during cutting.
If you are going to laminate or paint the chair, the luxury material can be replaced with 1st grade plywood. There are a small number of pin-shaped, fused and/or falling knots on its surface; edge defects and closed cracks are possible.

A creative approach to the design of a rocking chair Source kayabaparts.ru

Build process

Let's start assembling the chair from PVC pipes. Let's divide the process into several stages

To begin with, we will select the necessary pipes - we pay special attention to the material parameters

If there are more elements than necessary, cut off the excess.

We assemble the structure using fittings and a soldering machine.

For greater comfort, you can make an upholstered chair. To do this, take a piece of plywood and place a piece of foam rubber on it. Cover the resulting structure with fabric. Please note that the soft seat should have larger parameters than the plywood part. This is necessary so that the edges can be stapled together. The seat is attached to the frame with self-tapping screws.

Tools and materials

Before you make a rocking chair yourself, prepare your workplace. To work you will need the following tools:

Hand saw or (better) electric jigsaw.
Measuring tape, pencil, scissors.
Screws, self-tapping screws, thin nails.
Screwdriver or drill.
Sandpaper for sanding parts.

You also need to prepare materials:

Sheets of plywood of the required quality and thickness.
Thick cardboard for making patterns.
Wood glue.
For final processing: stain, paint, varnish.
Optional: upholstery material and filler (for example, foam rubber).

Mechanisms of transformation

The mechanism can be mechanical, sensory or electrical. There are also several of the most popular models of chairs, which differ not only in the materials used, but also in their parameters. These include:

standard glider model with a footrest, in which the bench can be pulled out in different ways;
a folding bed in which the footrest is a direct extension of the seat;
advertiser equipped with built-in support;
massage chairs.

Each model has its own characteristics and is also available in numerous colors and sizes.

With footrest Massage Folding

Drawing

A drawing of a future rocking chair is a necessary component for the manufacture of a reliable, functional and aesthetic piece of furniture. With its help, you will be able to control the process, eliminate errors and perform all procedures as quickly and accurately as possible.

Before making a rocking chair, prepare a drawing; it can be obtained in three ways:

Select a ready-made drawing from those offered on the Internet and, if necessary, modify it.
Draw your own version using a specialized application.

Overall dimensions of a low rocking chair Source pinimg.com

Draw a drawing by hand, calculate proportions and put down dimensions.

When choosing the design of your future rocking chair, give preference to models with a small number of parts. A plywood sheet is essentially a multi-layer gluing. If we compare plywood with solid materials, then dynamic loads affect it more strongly, and the destructive effect appears more strongly at the joints. Therefore, the fewer parts, the more reliable and long-lasting the operation.

Project of the future chair: drawings, diagrams

When making a rocking chair, the main thing is to calculate everything well, take careful measurements, and make the most accurate drawings based on them. If there are inconsistencies, the balance will be disrupted, the product will come out skewed, and will tip over on its side.

Usually master classes with ready-made drawings and templates are found on the Internet, but if there are people in the family with high body weight (more than 100 kg), the piece of furniture will have to be made in such a way that it can withstand them. To do this, up to 15-20% is added to the recommended thickness of the parts. The size of the child seat must correspond to the height of the child, otherwise the design is practically the same - if the seat is a little low, a pillow is placed on its seat.

If you wish, you can find or develop your own product equipped with directional light lamps, solar panels, connectors for charging a phone, massage elements, etc. A two-seater “structure” is more like a full-fledged sofa, especially if you throw a blanket over it and lay pillows.

Manufacturing stages

The rocking chair is assembled in the following order:

Patterns are being prepared. The details of the diagram are transferred onto cardboard (you can take graph paper) from the drawing, observing the dimensions and scale.
Mark the plywood. The patterns are laid out on a plywood sheet in such a way as to reduce waste to a minimum. You may have to try several options to find the best one.
Cut out the sheet. An electric jigsaw gives the best results. After it, you get a smooth and neat cut line, which cannot be said about working with a regular file. It leaves behind rough edges, which will take extra time to polish.

An electric jigsaw will help you cut plywood without chipping Source briobit.ro

Some general information

Whatever one may say, it is a rocking chair, especially one standing in the garden or near a lit fireplace, that many associate with comfort, a pleasant evening in a narrow family circle, peace and quiet. In such an environment you can have a great rest and relaxation by reading your favorite book or watching a good movie. The rhythmic rocking movements of the rocking chair will help you get ready for sleep and simply feel peace, which is so rare in modern life, filled with bustle and heavy thought processes.

Rocking movements increase concentration

It is still unknown exactly how and where the very first rocking chair came from. Usually many people associate it with old England, fireplaces and rugs. At the moment, there are two main versions of the history of the origin of this chair. According to one of them, the first rocking chair was invented by the Viennese furniture maker, experimenter and innovator, as well as a fan of bent wood, Michael Thoneta in the mid-19th century. However, there is one more fact that casts doubt on this version. Thus, at the end of the 18th century, the word “rocking chair” was added to the English dictionary, and since the 1800s, such chairs began to be produced by many English furniture manufacturers. But the fame and peak of popularity of rocking chairs came precisely in the 19th century. They were used mainly by rich and aristocratic people, as well as those involved in literary and artistic arts.

Plywood rocking chair

According to the second version, the rocking chair was invented by Benjamin Franklin. In terms of time, this was also the 19th century. But there are those who refute this version, believing that Franklin was just the one who became the first owner of the rocking chair.

In a word, we can say that the beginning of the history of the chair is the 18th-19th centuries. The sources are silent about the rest. And, nevertheless, rocking chairs still remain popular and in demand, and are primarily intended to create a special ambiance and comfortable environment in a certain place.

The rocking chair has its own story. Which plywood to use for a rocking chair?

Subtleties of balancing

A novice master is able to accurately reproduce the shape of a rocking chair; but making a dynamic design yourself comfortable the first time is not easy. If the resulting chair does not rock well and leans back too much when landing, then it needs additional balancing.

In order for the chair to swing well, they resort to weighting the rear overhang (the back of the runners). This can be done by connecting the rear ends of the arcs with a transverse part: a wooden beam or pipe with a load (a recess is made in the bottom of the beam for the load, the load is placed inside the pipe).

The size of the load cannot be guessed right away, so balancing is performed in several approaches. If the rocking chair falls backwards, the load is attached to the front overhangs, forming it in the form of a footrest.

Garden rocking chairs with soft seat Source thdstatic.com

Paint

While a wooden rocking chair has a natural style that can be very attractive, you can also make it even more cozy by painting it the right shade. A rich, warm color will help make the chair even more attractive for spending time with a good book.

If you want to use the chair in different rooms, then it is better to choose a neutral shade such as chocolate brown, which will go with most other colors.

But if you plan to keep the rocking chair in one place, then it is worth using a color that matches the surrounding decor. An earthy terracotta or brick shade is an ideal choice, but lighter colors such as gold and peach are also viable options.

Briefly about the main thing

A rocking chair is a good way to make the interior more comfortable, especially since many models are simple enough to assemble with your own hands. The easiest way for a novice craftsman to make a rocking chair with radius runners is from plywood. If the furniture is intended for indoor use, the FK brand is suitable, if for the garden, then FSF.

When choosing plywood, you need to pay attention not only to the brand, but also to the quality (grade) of the material. To work, you need a drawing, according to which the design patterns are prepared. After marking, parts are cut out from the sheet using an electric jigsaw. Assembly is carried out using glue, screws and self-tapping screws. If the rocking chair does not maintain balance, it is balanced using additional weights.

Kinds

In everyday practice, the following product options are very popular:

glider-type swinging chair;
rocking chair for the garden;
chair for nursing mothers;
rocking chairs with recliner.

Each model deserves to be part of the interior.

Glider

The modification of rocking chairs is an improved model, the prototype of which was invented back in the 20th century. Its basis is wooden runners, on which the pendulum swinging mechanism is rigidly fixed. At the same time, the chair continuously moves back and forth, which is accompanied by an additional rocking effect. You can stop the process using a special lever, through which the movement is completely blocked (stopped).

For nursing mothers

The devices are equipped with a swinging mechanism, which is optimal for caring for infants. The design includes an anatomical backrest that follows the contours of the body, as well as a mechanism for changing the angle of inclination, which completely relieves tension from the spinal muscle.

In addition to traditional armchairs, there are models equipped with a round-shaped pillow. They are mounted on a wooden frame and provide coziness and comfort to mothers. Products can be equipped not only with runners, but also with special spring mechanisms.

With advertiser

The devices provide maximum comfort to its user. Their name comes from the English recline, which means “thrown back.” The mechanism built into the chair allows you to transform it into a comfortable chaise lounge at the touch of a button. With its help, it is possible to ensure complete relaxation of the body in its various positions (lying, reclining and sitting).

Choosing a size

The dimensions of the rocking chair may vary depending on where you would like to use it. It is recommended to make garden ones a little wider than standard sizes; more compact ones will fit perfectly into your home interior. A standard chair based on an ordinary chair has the following dimensions:

height – 1020 cm;
width – 720 cm;
The length of the product in cross section is 1500 cm.

It is necessary to make a drawing of a square seat, about 60 cm in size. The thickness of the seat can be approximately one and a half centimeters. For the legs you will need bars with a height of about 110 cm; the height of the front legs is usually taken up to 60 cm. These parameters may vary according to your preferences.

Shape the seat slats

Making a rocking chair with your own hands is the stage of preparing the seat.

Cut out the seat strips (J) - 38x38x497 - 10 pcs. Glue the outline template to one of the blanks. Then adjust the drill press stop and install an additional stop block. Using a wood drill bit, drill 4mm through mounting holes centered on both ends of the pieces. Countersink the holes.

Seat Slat Template

Using a bandsaw, cut out the seat strip along the outline of the paper template. Using the strip as a template, trace the outline on the remaining pieces. Then cut them out and sand them.
Mill roundings with a radius of 3 mm on all edges of the seat slats. Sand the details.