To make the two torsion bars required for the base of the chair, cut one piece of 3⁄4"-diameter copper pipe to 181⁄4" long for the rear bar, and a piece of 5⁄16"-diameter threaded rod 22" long to go inside. For the front bar, cut another piece of copper pipe to 221⁄4" that will receive a 24" length of the 5⁄16"-diameter threaded rod.
Bringing all the components to-gether is much easier with an extra set of hands, but a couple of bar clamps you can use with one hand will do if you are working solo. Start by inserting a 5⁄16"-diameter washer into each of the inside countersunk holes in the front of the rockers, and then insert the copper pipe and threaded rod between them. With the washers in place, you should have about 1⁄8" of depth left in the inside countersinks to give the pipe ends a place to register. The threaded rod should protrude through the sides of the rockers and into the 7⁄16"-diameter countersinks on the outside of each rocker. Place another washer over each end of the protruding rod, and thread a lock nut on each end. With help (or a pair of strategically placed locking pliers), tighten the nuts on each side until the tension makes the assembly rigid. Don’t be too gentle when tightening—the tighter, the better.
With the forward bar in place, it’s time to assemble the two main beams and secure the seat slats between them. Orient the main beams so the holes are on the outside, and attach the seat slats with 2" deck screws driven through predrilled and countersunk holes.
Next, join the mid- and lower back crosspieces with the rear vertical support, again using 2" deck screws in predrilled holes, with four Roto-Hinges glued in the ends of the crosspieces.
If you’re using composite for your chair, as I did, regular wood glue won’t hold the hinges. The best approach I found involves roughening the inside of the holes with 100-grit sandpaper before swabbing a layer of polyurethane glue inside. Give the hinges a wipe with a damp rag before insertion to ensure there’s enough moisture present for the glue to cure.
The last preassembly step involves joining the front legs to the arm braces with more Roto-Hinges. Use the top hole of the leg and the forward hole in the arm support, then set them aside to cure fully before beginning final assembly.
With the seat base, arm components and rocker assemblies done, it’s time to bring the whole thing together. In the final assembly, the order in which the parts come together is very important. Going out of sequence will result in having to disassemble the joints and starting over.
10 Comments
Where are the templates?
They are linked from the second paragraph: rocking Muskoka chair templates.
I wish the template would have been more precise on the locations of the holes to be drilled. I have cut all of my pieces BUT I find that the locations of these holes are really close to the edges. Can someone help with out with this please.
The back 3/4 inch pipe says to cut to 18&1/4, but the lower back rest is 20 inches, so the shorter piece does not appear to work.Has anybody else encountered this?
What is the weight of the finnished chair? Thanks Keith
I would guess about 35 to 40 lbs.
I printed the templates but did not get the grid. How can I print both the templates and the grid???
I thought the problem was with my printer, but I see I am not the only one who did not get a grid printed with the templates. Perhaps the drawings should have been laid out over two pages, as the numbers are very small.
What scale of grid is being used? 1"? Did anyone figure out how to print both template and grid?
I found when I enlarged the images and printed then I got the grid. Only problem is I had to isolate the pieces and then print them. Depending on your computer or printing program I got the whole project onto about 6 pages including the grid with each.