Finding Joy in Rough Cuts: My Journey with S&S Woodworking Rocking Chairs
So, grab yourself a cup of coffee, and let me tell you about my little adventure with S&S Woodworking rocking chairs. You know, those classic, beautiful chairs that seem to hold stories in their very grain? Yeah, those. I had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while. You’d think it was a simple project, but I’m here to tell ya, it was anything but.
Now, I’m no woodworking pro. I took shop class back in high school and learned just enough to be dangerous. My dad always had a few tools hanging around in the garage, and I remember that special smell of sawdust mixed with the sweet aroma of freshly cut cedar. There’s something magical about that scent; it puts you in the zone, doesn’t it? Anyway, the first time I thought about making a rocking chair, I could almost feel that wood beneath my fingers, smell that cedar again. But boy, did reality hit hard.
The Great Wood Dilemma
I decided, somewhat ambitiously, to use oak. It’s sturdy, it’s classic—you get the idea. But here’s the thing: oak is a lot harder to work with than it looks. When I went to pick up my wood at the local lumber mill, the guy behind the counter told me some horror story about warped boards, and honestly, I kind of brushed it off. I mean, how bad could it be?
Well, let me tell ya, I bought a nice piece of quarter-sawn oak, which I thought would make for a beautiful rocking chair. But when I got home and started cutting, I quickly learned that oak has a mind of its own. One board was perfectly straight, and the next was so bowed I could have used it as a boomerang. I almost gave up after about an hour of wrestling with those boards. I kept eyeing my garage door, thinking, maybe I should just back this whole thing up and stick to, I don’t know, puzzles or something instead.
The Tools of Trade
But I decided to break it down into tiny victories. I pulled out my trusty Ryobi table saw, a real workhorse if you ask me. There’s something satisfying about that table saw’s roar; it’s like the heartbeat of the project. I fixed the first few cuts and felt pretty proud, but then came the assembly. Oh boy, what a mess.
After several hours of trial and error, using my old Ryobi drill that’s seen better days, I finally assembled the seat. But guess what? I forgot to account for the rocker’s curve when I was planning the seat height. And when I sat in it, let’s just say it felt more like a rollercoaster than a rocking chair. I laughed out loud, half in disbelief and half in frustration. All those evenings bathed in sawdust, and I ended up with a chair that rocked like a kid on a sugar high.
Learning from the Mistakes
But this is where it gets interesting. Instead of letting that frustrate me, I decided to make it a project worth sharing. I spent a night or two Googling how to adjust the rockers, and oh, the tips I found were sheer gold! I had to take apart some parts I thought were set in stone, and let me tell you, there were some tense moments. My heart was in my throat, worrying that I’d ruin my work. To make matters worse, I was sharing my workspace with my cat, Whisky, who thought my tools were his new jungle gym. Ever tried to concentrate with a cat climbing over your clamps? Not easy, let me tell ya!
Then one sunny afternoon, it finally clicked. After tinkering with the rockers and adjusting the angles just right, I stood back and looked at my chair. It looked halfway decent, enough to make me feel proud, despite those initial struggles. The first swing of the rocking motion was like a sigh of relief that echoed down the years of woodworking frustration. It worked! I could finally envision my wife and I sipping sweet tea on the porch, rocking away the evenings.
The Sweet Finish
Finishing was its own adventure. I remember the day I decided to stain it with a rich walnut. As those brush strokes slid over the oak grain, it was like every mistake melted away. The tool sounds faded, and all I could hear was the soft brush against the wood, while the sweet, nutty scent of the stain filled the garage. There’s something therapeutic about a good finish, isn’t there? It’s like wrapping your hard work up in a blanket.
In the end, the rocking chair became a labor of love—not just mine but the laughs and frustrations along the way. I ended up giving it a more rustic finish than I initially intended, but it had character, and it told the story of every mistake and mishap along the way. The rocking itself became a gentle reminder that it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.
Going Forward
So, if you’re thinking about trying your hand at woodworking—maybe a rocking chair or something else—just go for it! Embrace those errors and imperfections. They’re part of the journey. Maybe your first piece won’t turn out as you envisioned, but there’s something about putting your heart into a project that makes all the struggles worthwhile. And one day, you might find yourself with a cup of coffee, chuckling at how it all came together, imperfections and all.
Remember, it’s not just about the finish line; it’s about the ride to get there. Cheers!
