Just as in any new project there must be a plan. There is a high likelihood that something will have to break away from that plan when making something for the first time. The plan is still the most useful tool you will have when working your way around the corners and across the different levels of completion. There will always be something overlooked or at least under planned. Before finding out the hard way and finish cutting the end of a piece or the length of a stick, you check your plan and ask yourself. How does it all go together? Will it hold the way you want it to? Where is the weight going to be held? What type of joint will be strongest? What joint will be the most attractive? What will serve as both? When all these questions are answered you can have the confidence needed to cut the piece of wood and know without a doubt that you won’t be going back to the lumberyard to get more wood, which could still happen even with a plan. As the saying goes, measure twice and cut once.
I started in the middle, because my client had picked out a mattress pad that was 15” by 30”. Whatever I was going to build, it had to be worked around that mattress. I figured that the length of 30 wouldn’t be an issue at all, but the 15” width would be what determined the shape of this rocker. The base of the mattress can’t be too high or it would be too tippy. The arc at the bottom can’t be too tight or it would also be too tippy. There is also an angle of the legs reaching outward towards the top as if opening up to the sky above. So the end pieces are where I started sketching. I drew the samples on construction paper using nominal numbers for dimensions and angles. I would then cut them out and test the rocking feature on the table top imagining the center of gravity and stopping point of the rock to see if it would want to tip over or not. After about three or four samples I had the dimensions I was looking for functionally and appealing structurally.
At this point I could start figuring out how the joints were going to function. How was I going to keep the weight of the baby held by the legs and not by the joints? What I came up with was a cut out in the leg itself. A notch if you will congruent to the angle of the leg as a place for the mattress frame to rest on all four corners. The mattress frame would have a rabbet joint that way both the width pieces and the length pieces would have to rest on the notch in the leg. With the rabbet on the width piece there would be no end grain showing from any side. All other joints I decided on mortise and tenon would be the most appealing and structurally sound.
All that was left in the design stage was choosing a species of wood and a finish. After some thought and market availability, I decided to use birch. I was toying with either birch or maple, since both are commonly used in baby products and have stability and strength. Of the two, birch was more available at the time. I chose a handful of stains that I thought would be pleasing to my client who wanted a darker finish. I sampled all of my selections and brought them to her, for a final choice. Everyone who had a chance to see the three colors all liked the same sample so with a unanimous decision it was very easy to finalize the finish.
When a plan comes together as smoothly as this, you can’t help but feel that you are on the right track. If only every decision in my life were so obvious. It seems, however, that making the wrong choices in life is part of the grand adventure. Having a plan is important so that your compass is always pointing north. Recognize where you want to be so that you can stay directed towards your goals. There are multiple paths to get to any given place. If you fall off the path don’t panic. Instead take in your surroundings, admire them and analyze how they can work toward your goals. Check your compass and then keep moving forward.
