More Shaping

My second rocker came out just like the first.  No spring back, and they look like mirror-images.  I’m setting them both aside for now.

If you didn’t happen to catch it, Fine Woodworking had several segments on the Martha Stewart show.  One of the segments included Martha Stewart’s brother who also made a Maloof style rocker using Charles Brock’s plans.  Chuck was on the show demonstrating how to shape a spindle.  You can see all of the episodes online by following this link.

Today I did some more work on shaping the back legs into the seat.  This went much faster thanks to a new tool I bought from Woodcraft.  The tool is a Microplane.  There are several types, but the one I bought is 8” long, round, and has coarse teeth.  It works great for shaping curves.  My rasps are too big for the radius I want, and my rat tail files are tapered so I don’t get a consistent profile.  The Microplane is straight and the radius seems to be just right.  The teeth are very sharp and it cuts moderately fast.  It works much like a cheese grater.  The nice thing is the finish is smooth (unlike a file or rasp).  The Microplane was only about $17 and well worth it because it certainly reduced my work time. The metal is strong, but thin.  You have to resist the temptation to put a lot of pressure on it to take more material because the metal can bend.  You just have to let the tool do the work and take more strokes.

I added a bit more curve to the left leg joint and then finished the right leg joint.  I consider this an intermediate fit since the final smoothing will happen after the pieces get glued into place.

Once the leg joints were done, I moved onto the headrest.  This took more time since there are some tricky lines.  This project is not a “follow the pattern” project.  Much of the work (especially the shaping) has been left as an exercise for the student.  It requires more artistry than technical skill.  I just keep working on it until I like the way it looks.  I was able to finish one side of the headrest today.  I hope to do the other side tomorrow.  It’s beginning to look like the chair I want.  I just need to keep plugging away.