# A Maloof Rocker



## racfurniture (Dec 28, 2010)

just curious.. has anyone here made a Maloof Rocker or Chair? it's what I cut my teeth on way back when..and has anyone made their version of one? you can view my off my website if you want..here's a link.. for the lowback chair

http://randallalanfurniture.squarespace.com/blog/2011/12/23/maloof-lowback-chair.html

and here's a link for the rocker..

http://randallalanfurniture.squarespace.com/blog/2011/10/4/maloof-rocking-chair.html

I would love to see what everyone's been making furniturewise..


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

While I'm not a chair / rocker builder I did want to say that yours look great. Very nice work, thanks for sharing the pictures!

~tom. ...GEAUX TIGERS!... ...GEAUX SAINTS!......


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## racfurniture (Dec 28, 2010)

thanks.. I was told that chairs are suppose to be the most difficult of all furniture pieces to make..yea..well..I got a sideboard build that I'm working on that begs to differ...

:laughing::laughing:


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

I can see how chairs would present challenges! I've never really considered building a one off so the prospect of me building 8-12 matching chairs is a no go. My attention span isn't long enough for that. I'll have to eventually build a few though just to say I did and learn the ins and outs :smile:

~tom. ...GEAUX TIGERS!... ...GEAUX SAINTS!......


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## SeanStuart (Nov 27, 2011)

Wow, Your chairs are beautiful. I love the smoothe lines. How many hours would you estimate goes into a rocker?


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## racfurniture (Dec 28, 2010)

thanks Sean..um..I would say i can build one in about a good solid 3 weeks..from start to finish..in the classes I teach on building them..I have a rocker for them to take home in 5 days.. they have most of the sculpting done but have to do all the hand sanding..the nice thing about my rockers is.. I have copies of Sam's original templates that he gave to me or better yet copied for me.. so the chairs are dead ringers for his..which is what I love..I just didn't have the $12,000 for his walnut rocker 25 years ago.. from my understanding..the tiger maple rockers were selling for $38,000 at the time of his death..


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## AmericanMaple (Oct 13, 2011)

i love the element that you did just as he did, like the banding on the legs and talking to the guys up there there still selling for around 40,000 a chair
- the high school woodworker


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## racfurniture (Dec 28, 2010)

I don't know why, but for some reason I thought the demand for the Maloof pieces would have tapered off and gone down a little in price with Sam having passed.. glad to hear I was wrong..


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## WillemJM (Aug 18, 2011)

Nice rocker!!!

Some very nice touches!!!

I enjoy building a chair myself, but when it comes to a number of the same chair I get bored with the routine repetition.


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## racfurniture (Dec 28, 2010)

Ha!! Willem.. that's probably why I never build a set of them at the same time..I would probably go nuts..lol


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## Familywoody (Jan 9, 2012)

racfurniture said:


> thanks Sean..um..I would say i can build one in about a good solid 3 weeks..from start to finish...


I'm in the sanding out stage of my Maloof style rocker and I would suggest the first-time go on this project is not a 3 week effort. I believe Sam Maloof is known to have said that his rockers took 200 or more hours.

Even with fifty years woodworking experience I'm guessing I will have about 400 hours in mine. What is deceptive is (a) there are no 90 degree angles, and (b) most of us make projects that do not involve rasps and these little devils leave scratches that all have to be sanded out, mostly by hand. Just working from 80 grit thru to 400 is a time consuming affair. Lucky for Sam he had helpers.


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## racfurniture (Dec 28, 2010)

Well Familywoody..I'm not sure what all to tell you..all I can say is that I was good friends with Sam himself, and I talked to his helpers frequently.. and they told me it takes them 3 weeks from start to finish.. I think technique and a well thought out system is what does it.. I have taught the rocker class and had 4 students all with zero experience building a chair.. and all 4 of them left with a completely built rocking chair.. my last student was an eye surgeon who also finished assembling his chair in 6 days.. as for someone attempting to take on this without experience..yes.. it would take a whole lot longer..but for me..it was a good 3 weeks.. the lowback chair took me 2 days to assemble and another 5 days to sculpt and sand and ready for finish..


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