maple rocking chair

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

Agree with all the comments -- a real unique design and it looks fast . . .!! I have always admired you "designer" types! I'm still at the "copy-er" stage . . .

[Carl Babel]

That is very cool!

It Bugatti built a rocking chair that could morph into Santa's Sleigh, I bet it would look a lot like that.

[Shawn Pixley]

Speed rocking?

Seriously, it is very nice.

[Prashun Patel]

Bravo. Beautiful and well done. Would love to hear more aout your design proess and the decisions u made. I am sure a lot of thought went into each part, and id love to hear about it.

[Paul Gallian]

Reminds me of a large rack from a buck deer. Beautiful..

[Pete Lamberty]

Bravo. Beautiful and well done. Would love to hear more aout your design proess and the decisions u made. I am sure a lot of thought went into each part, and id love to hear about it.

Hi Prashun,
Well I can't say that I have any kind of really artistic process to designing. I have taken some college and graduate level architecture classes. So I learned something there, although I don't think my teachers would agree with me on that.
What I did on this chair and the previous one was this. I gave myself an assignment. I wanted to design a chair that was elegant, graceful, and unique. Then every once in a while I thought with my subconscious mind that I had an elegant, graceful and beautiful chair already made. I just really felt it as if it were real. After a couple of weeks of doing this, and I didn't do it that often, I had the urge to draw, so I took a yellow legal pad of paper and started sketching. All of my sketches are only an inch or two in size. I filled the page with them. I didn't even draw a seat or back in each sketch. I just sketched profiles. Just really simple, only three lines. A back leg, a front leg and a rocker. And I just homed in on the design that you see. After I chose this design I did have to do some editing. I wanted the back leg to kind of complete the arc that the top of the front leg makes with the back of the rocker. I guess I did a bit more refining but I am not sure of what it was.
Here is another rocker that I made. I posted one like this on the creek a few years ago. Don't know how to find it.

rsz_dsc00875.jpg

If you feel like it, sit down and sketch out the profiles of these two chairs. Maybe one at a time. You will see that you can do it with just three curving lines. Do one of them over and over and let your mind wander. Start changing the shapes of the lines as your subconscious mind suggests. See what happens. Then just put in a seat and a back. That is about all I can say.
If you or anyone has any questions or if you want to know something more specific, just let me know.
Thanks to everyone for your kind remarks. Pete

[John A. Callaway]

I love it. If you ever make a kit of DIY parts of this chair, look me up. I would love to own this chair, and I am no chair maker.... but I would rather build this than a maloof style rocker. This is a modern take on sweeping curves. And yes, like the Maloof rocker, it does look great empty.

[Jim Matthews]

It reminds me of the Maxell tape campaign from the 1980's...

[Chris Hartman]

Jim beat me to the punch, that's exactly what I was thinking. Lovely job.

[Pete Lamberty]

Ha Ha, that's funny.

[Pete Lamberty]

Hi John,
If you would like to make this chair, I would be more than happy to help you get it made. I have never done this before, and I don't know what it would entail, but let me know if you want to make one and I will do my best to see that it gets made. Pete

I love it. If you ever make a kit of DIY parts of this chair, look me up. I would love to own this chair, and I am no chair maker.... but I would rather build this than a maloof style rocker. This is a modern take on sweeping curves. And yes, like the Maloof rocker, it does look great empty.

[adam waldner]

really nice, a lot of bent pieces there, keeps the eyes going in circles on the design. i really do like it! if you ever feel like throwing it out, contact me first

[Gus Dundon]

The chair is magnificent! It is truly a masterpiece! Exquisite work!

[Jim Becker]

Wow...really kewel rocker! Nice...

[Josh Pelletier]

Holy.... that is gorgeous. Could you give some details on this like bd/ft and timeframe? Also, how long have you been doing bent-lam?