# Maloof - like rocker plans?



## ecologito (Jan 27, 2008)

I have seen on like a couple of places offering Sam Maloof-like rocker plans with full scale patterns and even an instructional DVD. 

They range from $30 to $80, has anyone tried this approach or experience with any of these products. Besides the building skills I am looking for feedback on this templates, are they worth? 

Thanks for the comments.


----------



## Old Skhool (Oct 31, 2009)

It would be worth something to me. You'll be spending many hours building the chair, or one like it. The way a chair has to fit the human body and conform properly to be comfotable, you need somewhere to start. You could go out an try out similar chairs, and measure the sizes and angles of similar chairs, at least similar in fit, but you'll spend a lot of time any money trying to get everything right. You may want to alter the size to accommodate the chair to the user, and make design changes to make it your own. I suppose the internet has a wealth of information and other plans that could be used.


----------



## billkappel (Jul 4, 2007)

Go to my web site at www.kappelusa.com and send me the code# and I will send you the FREE text on how to build this Sam Maloof style rocker. 
I might mention that it takes me some three to four weeks to build one of these rockers.


----------



## ibpdew (Nov 18, 2012)

I just completed a rocking chair with plans from Charles Brock (Highland Woodworking in Atlanta) that cost me about a $100 for full sizes plans, book, and two DVD's. I was pleased with the results. Although I did a lot of research before starting chair project (some said it would take 250 manhours to complete) I was still amazed at how long it took to complete. I believe I received plans about Sept 1 it took till about Dec. 1 to complete. Keep in mind that I only worked on it part time during that period. I did buy many of the tools Charles recommended but did not buy the big ticket items (see Higland Woodworking site). The really nice thing about my build is I used my own walnut that I sawed and kiln dried for my project. I've got pictures in the saw mill portion of this site labeled something like "log to furniture" if I remember correctly. Good luck.


----------



## Lola Ranch (Mar 22, 2010)

I understand why most woodworkers would like to use a set of plans to help them construct a piece such as a rocking chair. If you have not built one before, a set of plans allows you to benefit from the experience of someone else, you can see the finished product before its built, you will get it done much faster than starting from scratch and you take less of a risk of wasting costly materials in a trial and error approach. A chair also must be comfortable and purchasing plans from a reputable source should provide that without having to spend time and money building several mock ups or prototypes. There are quite a few chair makers that have fashioned a career around holding classes that teach hands on rocking chair building. I would assume that the average student would be retired with at least some discretionary income and has the luxury of both time and money because you could buy a completed chair for much less than the cost of building it yourself in a class you pay for. I've have built enough rocking chairs now that this once daunting and difficult task has become much easier and routine but still challenging enough to keep it fun. But a big part of the fun or pleasure of the construction was getting to this point more or less on my own by creating my chairs from scratch according to my own design. I say more or less because over thirty years ago, by pure luck, I stumbled into attending a two day rocking chair building seminar taught by Sam Maloof. Myself and 10 or so other woodworkers had the privilege of watching Sam build a walnut rocking chair by himself from scratch in a small wood shop. He had some simple patterns he used made from 1/4" plywood but did not have any plans. Inspired by this I built my first rocking chair from scratch without plans. It was a small chair made for my two preschool daughters. It is still a nice looking and sturdy chair that is currently in use by my grandchildren. I am not sure because its too small for me to sit in, but it looks comfortable. The point of all these words is to encourage you, if you have the time and some extra wood laying around, to consider attempting to create your own design. I have built some prototypes that were utter failures but through trial and error have reached a point where I can build a very comfortable and attractive (at least in my opinion) chair. It is impossible for me to say that my design was not influenced by Sam Maloof but I've intentionally made an effort to create chairs that are not copies of a Sam chair. Admittedly my chairs are simpler and easier to build but I can make them quickly and they are very sturdy. I admire the ability of someone to create a functional set of rocking chair plans. I've tried but because if the subtleties of the design which include a fair amount of hand cut joinery and nothing being square or planar, my plan making was a failure. Whether you start from scratch or use a set of plans, building a rocking chair can be a creatively rewarding experience.


Bret


----------



## billkappel (Jul 4, 2007)

I have never seen Charles Brock's products and no doubt they are good. 
You can get all you need like 'full text' 'patterns' and pictures for under $22 off my web site www.kappelusa.com. You can also get the FREE text on the same web site. This free text is complete and you can build a Maloof style rocker from them, I have pictures of the rockers other made using this text.

I will be posting #2 class in a few days. If you have doubts about which products to buy or buy at all just follow my 'Class' postings.


----------

