Monday, September 17, 2012

Winston's Rockin' Wishbone Rocker!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that Benjamin had been working on a rocking chair for Winston's room!  When we discovered that we were going to be having a baby, Benjamin decided that he wanted to make something for the room.  Discussions of a crib were had, but we decided on a rocking chair as we we envisioned that it would become a staple piece of furniture in our home.  It would be a place where we would sit with our sweet babies and treasure the quiet {and not so quiet} moments in our hearts.  

When looking for a design, almost everything that Benjamin came across was very bulky or quite old fashioned looking which wasn't what we had in mind.  Then he Google searched "modern rocking chair" and we came across a chair designed and created by Toby Howes

Benjamin thought this would be the perfect thing to make.   All we had to go by was a short description on his website and this picture.  Armed with the photo, his own blueprints, and 32 board feet of American walnut and hard maple, Benjamin headed into the wood shop to start creating.  Each weekend that we had available, he was out in the garage cutting, building, sanding, and finishing the chair.  We are guessing that in total it took him about 100 hours give or take to complete his work of art.  And to me, it truly is a work of art wrapped up in love.  Without further ado - the finished product!
 I love the way wishbone look of the arms and the seat along with the way that the walnut is pressed between the maple for a pop of color in the chair.  Benjamin created the form for the curved pieces and then glued together the 6 layers of wood to create the edges of the seat, arms and rocker.  He meticulously calculated each cut he had to make in order for there to be perfect joinery without any screws.

The time, care and love that he put into making sure the seat would hold weight and be flush without any gaps was astounding to me.  He has made other pieces of furniture before, but this beautiful creation is a true labor of love.
The chair has found his home in the corner of Winston's room and I have already rocked in it, holding sweet Lulu while she has fallen asleep.  When I sit in this chair, handcrafted by the love of my life, my little heart gets overwhelmed at how he so desired to create something that would become a legacy piece for our family.  And more importantly, that it come to fruition in a magnificent fashion.  

7 comments :

  1. Impressive. Way to go Ben!! Can't wait to see the rest of little Winston's nursery!!

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  2. So so darling. Ben's going to be a great dad.

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  3. A beautiful work of art. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. You two are just to sweet for words! It is awsome! Holy cow! Ben, God definitely gave you a talent, that you are putting to use. I am totally amazed by it and can't wait to see the work of art in person. I love and miss you two. I'll continue praying for a smooth pregnancy and a healthy baby boy!

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  5. I am so impressed!! He has true talent! Can't wait to see a pic of you rocking Winston in it.

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  6. Wow. This is just incredible. So impressive. Sweet Winston is blessed to have a daddy that can teach him such a wonderful skill.

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