Shopsmith Forums

Does anyone know how to get the right curve on rocking chair rockers. I cut the rockers on the band saw,then sanded them. But my granddaughter tells me that the chair does not rock good.

Joe;
I make a bunch of doll cradles for the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program every Christmas.
I make the rockers on the bandsaw by using double sided tape and cutting both rockers as pairs. The next step is to sand the curves using the belt sander while the two pieces are still together. This yields two rockers that are identical.
Your rocker may have a different requirement because the rocking action is related to the position of the chair over the center of gravity. If the chair is too far forward then the person will feel that they are leaning forward and if too far back then the person will feel like they are leaning backward. The only way to get it right is "trial and terror". If the rocking action is the problem, then the rockers may not be identical in their curvature and will feel strange.
Bill V

I haven't made a rocker from scratch but I've repaired quite a few of them.
I make a pattern from the unbroken rocker, size it exactly then I use that to create the new rocker part. First I trace it onto the new rocker material and rough it out on the bandsaw to about 1/8" proud of the line. I doubleback tape it to the material I'm making the new one from and I use a shaper with a cutter and pilot bearing to trim it to size. Once done with that then it's on to drilling the usual holes for the legs. I tape the existing and new leg together, I mark the centerline of the hole. I slip a short piece of dowel into the holes of the existing leg and support them on the drillpress to drill the holes using a forstner bit.

If you're making something new, find a rocking chair you like and trace off the rockers to make your pattern.

Pretty much it. Hope that helps.