New Waltham Rocker w/ Thin Crest Rail

This latest variation of my chairs is my Waltham Rocker with a thin crest rail instead of the traditional crest rail.  I like them both but I have to say that this thin rail fits my minimal early American sensibilities.

These two were requested by a client who had seen my Waltham Rockers at the Park Hyatt in Washington D.C. 



Below are a few more shots of this chair.

Diving in Lake Champlain yesterday.

Enjoy the great weather.

Tim

New Windsor Chair Design and Happy Labor Day

Well I am finally getting to the end of a big backlog of work.  I had many chairs that are over-due but they are finally all built have been shipped.
One Cod Rib Rocker went to Germany.
8 New Waltham Arm Chairs and a Cod Rib Rocker went to Washington state.
2 Waltham Arm Chairs and a 5' Waltham Bench went to Missouri.
1 New Waltham office chair went to Ohio.

And this latest design went to Nova Scotia, Canada.



It is an adaptation of my New Waltham Arm Chair.  Most of my new designs come about by way of requests from customers.   This client requested a tall fan back and an arm rail with straight ends instead of the rounded ends that I usually do on my Waltham chairs.  I am very happy with how it looks and it is very comfortable.

Here is a note from the client that I just got after the chair made it there.

"Thought to let you know the chair arrived in great shape, and I am enjoying and loving it as I write this. Many thanks for making this beautiful chair."

I am calling it the Tall New Waltham Arm Chair as it has a back that is 10 inches taller than the regular arm chair.  This one also has a minimal arm rail without the round 'hands' that my regular chairs have at the end of the arm rail.  Click here to see this chair on my website.

It is Labor Day , so I hope to get out on the water sailing today and not to work. This from a few days ago.

Yesterday I finally took some time to dig into my 1946 Massey Ferguson tractor that has been sitting since early last winter when the water pump self destructed.  There is always some project that needs doing.

Enjoy the Day.
Tim

Handmade Rocking Chair- The Waltham Rocker by Timothy Clarkrk

I have many favorites, but this rocker ranks very high.  A rocker is the top dog of chairs in my mind and this one is just so raw and refined at the same time.   Making a new one always brings be back to Williamsburg, VA where in 7th grade, I was first exposed to quality hand work when I saw wooden instrument makers, furniture makers and a man making cedar shingles on a shaving horse.  The smells of the green wood, the hissing of hand planes and the thunking of chisels and mallets.  I am a laborer at heart.  I love the making.

Below, I am in the middle of trimming the wedged spindle ends on the underside of the rocker seat.  This rocker is to be finished with milk paint, so I use poplar or Aspen for the seat.  A good wood for painting and strong but fairly easy to shape.

 The next few shots show the back going on.

Spindles are inserted and wedged 2 at a time.

awaiting arms

 Below, a roughed out arm rail lamination is drilled and the hand is marked for sawing.  As can be seen, extra wood is added to accommodate the hand.  The hand looks more like a paw but it is called a hand. I borrowed the idea for this hand from a 1700's chair that I saw when I used to spend a lot of time at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont.  

Below is the rail ready for assembly.  You are looking at the bottom of the rail.

These two chairs have their second coats of milk paint.  They appear a bit gray as they have not yet received their coat of oil and varnish which will saturate the dry looking paint.

Happy Spring

Tim