DIY rocking chair (65+ photos)

The rocking chair can rightly be called an old piece of furniture, because it created a warm home atmosphere in many houses a few centuries ago and now it has reliably settled in modern interiors. The swinging design provides special convenience, allowing you to relax as much as possible after work or, conversely, to collect your thoughts during a creative recovery. To date, on sale you can find many different models, but relaxing in a rocking chair, made by yourself, is much more pleasant. In our article, we will consider different ways of constructing a chair at home, among which you can choose the most suitable option.

The modern market offers a wide range of seats, including both old simple models on skids and advanced multifunctional designs that amaze with their external aesthetics and comfort.

Like all other furniture, rocking chairs evolve over the years, acquiring new interesting shapes. Modern interiors suggest the presence of furnishings that can not only perform several functions, but also differ in a spectacular appearance, such as folding structures that easily turn into stable semi-shelves, or suspended structures. Designers took care of young mothers, creating an original rocking chair with a cradle.

There are many adherents of conservative views who prefer to see traditional designs in their home, recalling the cozy fireplace rooms of ancient England.

To make a rocking chair with your own hands, you need to choose the material with which it will be easiest for you to work with, as well as one that will ensure the durability of the structure. The most popular materials include:

Wood is a reliable environmental material that can be easily processed, but it is by no means cheap. Wooden rocking chairs fit perfectly into most interiors, bringing warmth and comfort to the atmosphere. They can be complemented by chic carved elements that give the design respectability and chic. One of the most popular options for wooden chairs is rattan or wicker. Such furniture is made exclusively by hand and varnished, since painting can violate the external beauty of the product;

Plywood - may well replace wood in home production. The source material is much cheaper, so you can not be afraid to make a mistake in the work process by cutting the part incorrectly - replacing it will not entail large financial costs. Of course, plywood is inferior to wood in durability, but rocking chairs look from it no less attractive;

Metal - the material is used to build the main frame. Making seats and backs out of it is not profitable, since they will be too cold. For these purposes, lay wooden lamellas, weave rattan coatings or use soft mattresses, upholstery. The metal structure is made by welding from pipes or forged elements. The latter are capable of causing true delight with their ornate handmade patterns.

Among the materials for the manufacture of rocking chairs also emit plastic. But, frankly, such structures will not differ in long life, along with wood and metal products. Plastic is much more susceptible to mechanical, chemical influences, although it has an extensive palette of colors and various shapes.

Making a rocking chair is a rather painstaking and time-consuming process that requires special attention. First you need to decide on the design and material for the manufacture. Most often, beginners use plywood, which is much easier to work with. If you have metal skills and the appropriate equipment, you can make a welded or forged chair, which can not only be used in the home, but also installed on the veranda or in the garden. You can also make a great rocking chair out of the vine, but on condition that you know how to prepare the material and know how to handle it. You can try yourself as a manufacturer of a rocking chair for a beginner, having made a children's construction to begin with.

When calculating, you need to take into account the weight of the largest household, then to avoid the troubles associated with excessive load on the chair (do not think that you will be able to use such a wonderful, comfortable piece of furniture alone, relatives will certainly find a moment to soak in it). Sometimes incidents happen when the assembled rocking chair has an edge, leaning in one direction or another. Do not despair - you can correct the situation with the help of an additional weight on the opposite side, for example, several wooden slats. So that the chair does not turn over during a strong buildup (and if there is a small child in the house - this cannot be avoided), you can attach the transverse bar to the runners from the back side, which will create an emphasis.

For greater strength, all joints must be fixed with self-tapping screws and glue (it is better to take a two-component moisture resistant). It is better to install additional wear-resistant linings on the runners, which will extend the life of the product. If you have already decided how and what you are going to make the structure from, you need to draw up a drawing with all accurate measurements. For beginners, it can be difficult to do it yourself, so you can use the schemes posted on the Internet. Accordingly, we select tools (their list will vary depending on the material) and all the necessary accessories.

Plywood is the most convenient material for making furniture at home. With its pliability, it makes it possible to embody any design ideas, for example, to make not only a conventional design, but also a hanging hammock chair, a swinging bench or a comfortable sunbed. For work, you will need plywood sheets (thickness 15–20 mm), a jigsaw and an electric drill, an emery cloth, thin nails with large hats, stationery (pencil, tape measure).

The easiest way to make a convenient design is to make a rocking chair without nails for a child. Four basic details must be cut from plywood sheets: two side panels, a back and a seat. We assemble everything into a single design and glue for reliability. When installing the seat, you must additionally fix it on the back with a peg. If you are already confident in your abilities, you can begin to manufacture a more complex design, consisting of many parts.

A very original option, which, no doubt, will appeal to any baby, will be a rocking chair in the form of some kind of animal, for example, a funny elephant. You will spend a little time on its manufacture, but what a pleasure such a rocking chair will bring to a child! Paint the armchair in bright saturated colors and do not forget to take care of the tail.

You can craft a standard rocking chair using the diagrams below. First you need to make patterns on large sheets of paper or cardboard. Then the templates are transferred to plywood sheets and cut out.If the plate is not more than one and a half centimeters, the work can be carried out using a hand jigsaw, and for thicker sheets use an electric one. In this case, the movements should be smooth, since any jerk or sudden stop will certainly leave a mark. From the finished parts it will not hurt to remove the roughness with sandpaper, then they are treated with antiseptics. Then the products are assembled according to the scheme and painted or opened with varnish.

Modern rocking chairs, as we have already said, often have unusual shapes that look pretty impressive. For example, you can make a chair from runners and transverse rails. Making it will not be particularly difficult, but the view will be amazing. The procedure does not differ from the previous method: we transfer the contours of the parts to plywood, cut, grind, and process with special tools. Next, we add the structure, starting from the connection of the sides with three transverse crossbars. Using ordinary screws, we fix the planks, thus forming the back and seat. At the final stage, the hats can be covered with caps or putty. The whole structure is varnished or painted.

In a similar way, you can design a rocking bench, which can accommodate two or three people at once. Of course, it will not give that swing amplitude as a chair, but, believe me, the pleasure will be quite tangible. To do this, you need an additional transverse plane in the middle of the structure, which will protect against bending the lamellas of the seat.

Also an original modern option is a sunbed chair with an awning, which will be an exceptional option for relaxing in the garden. The bed is made up of crossbeams on which, for convenience, a soft mattress can be laid. Awning is made out in the same way or use a dense waterproof fabric.

Of course, if we talk about armchairs made of metal, the first thing that comes to mind is excellent designs with elegant forged elements. However, such masterpieces require real skill and special tools, so we will talk about more simplified options. For example, you can make a chair by welding from metal pipes. This design is more like a deck chair, as it has a fabric seat.

It is necessary to prepare metal rods of 22 mm, a welding machine, paint and a piece of dense fabric. To begin with, we make calculations, draw up a diagram and cut out the rods of the required length. Next, we step by step weld the structure. The most difficult moment will be the bending of metal rods. You can do this, as shown in the photo, using a persistent tree with a branched trunk. One edge of the rod must be inserted into the bifurcation point of the trunk, and on the second put on the pipe-lever, moving which, you can achieve the desired bend. When the design is completely ready - it should be painted. Then we make a pattern and sheathe our structure with a canvas seat.

In conclusion, we suggest visiting our gallery. Here we have collected the best photos of rocking chairs made by home craftsmen with their own hands. Perhaps some of these ideas will inspire you to create your own, not unlike any other, wonderful chair. Enjoy watching!