Fashion a rocking Muskoka chair out of composite wood

Now comes the fun part: routing your wood. If you’re using composite to build your chair, as I did, a standard flush-trim bit won’t work well. The composites involved just don’t react well to standard straight-edged bits. For this project, I decided to try Freud’s 1⁄2" up-cut spiral flush-trim bit, and it worked very well. The solid-carbide bit held its edge, and the spiral geometry of the cutter sheared the composite material instead of chopping it away like traditional bits do. The shearing action also helps hold the stock tightly to the table. Adjust the height of your bit so the bearing rides along the template only, while the cutting edge contacts just the wood that extends beyond the template’s edges.

Digging some holes
There are three types of holes you need to drill. There are 3⁄4"-diameter x 9⁄16"-deep holes to accept the rotary hinges, 7⁄8"-diameter countersunk holes for the flat washers and nuts on the ends of the torsion rod assemblies, and 5⁄16"-diameter through-holes to accommodate the threaded rod inside the copper pipe. Lay out the holes accurately
—they’re critical for a smooth folding action. A drillpress is best, but for holes that can’t be bored on this machine, clamp these pieces vertically in a bench vise and bore the holes carefully with a handheld drill. Other parts that require special precision:

Pivot arms: Drill the two 3⁄4"-diameter x 9⁄16"-deep holes on the inside faces as indicated on the template, and then drill the remaining 7⁄8"-diameter hole to a depth of 3⁄16" on the same face. Turn the piece over, and drill a second 7⁄8"-diameter hole on the opposite side, boring this one 7⁄16" deep. Finally, switch to a 5⁄16"-diameter bit and drill through the piece completely, centring the bit in all the 7⁄8" holes. During assembly, the 3⁄4" holes will accept the rotary hinges. The 7⁄8" and 5⁄16" holes are used by the copper pipe and threaded rod of the torsion assemblies.

Front legs: There are two 3⁄4"-diameter x 9⁄16"-deep holes in each leg, drilled in opposite faces. Position the template on an inside face and drill the hole located at the mid-point of the leg. Reposition the template on the opposite side and drill the hole at the top of the leg. You’ll also need to notch the bottom ends of both legs.

Arm braces: These require two 3⁄4"-diameter x 9⁄16"-deep holes each. Drill these holes on the inside faces only.

Mid/bottom backrest crosspieces: These require a 3⁄4"-diameter x 9⁄16"-deep hole drilled in both ends of each piece. Mark the centre of an end by drawing lines from corner to corner and use a handheld drill to add the holes.

Main beams: These each receive two 3⁄4"-diameter x 9⁄16"-deep holes on their outside faces.

Rockers: You need two 7⁄8"-diameter x 7⁄16"-deep holes on the outside faces of each rocker. The forward holes also require a 7⁄8"-diameter x 3⁄16"-deep countersunk hole on their inset faces. Finally, continue through the centre of the 7⁄8" holes with a 5⁄16"-diameter bit.