Here are 3 the router bits you’ll need:
In addition, I suggest some quality rasps. These are a good place to start:
Lastly, you’ll need one of these for the seats for use with your grinder:
Other than that, just standard tools (bandsaw, table saw, routers, angle grinder etc.). You don't need a lathe to do the front legs (despite my using one). Just spoke shaves and/or rasps will shape it just as well.
What you’re seeing is the same thing I see as well, in addition to countless other woodworkers. It happens because of the angled bearings on the router bits themselves. Due to tolerances in the manufacturing process, the bearings do not perfectly match each other when making the joint. Unfortunately, not much can be done about the bearings…I’ve tried, and it just makes things worse.
Fortunately, there is a remedy:
While making the joint, using the straight bit, simply “creep up” on the corner instead of jamming it into the corner completely. Stopping JUST SHY of the corner will allow for a smoother transition, thereby eliminating the little divot you see.
If you’ve already finished making the joints, then try to just smooth that little divot area into the rest of the joint. MOST of the gap will disappear upon clamping and glue. If any gap remains, I simply fill with epoxy/sawdust mixture.
Generally, I make ALL of my rockers on the large size. That’s because most people vary little from the knees down to their ankles…which is where the sizing comes into play. If, for example, someone was to be over say 6’ 6” or below 5’ 4”, then I would likely increase or decrease accordingly.
Additionally, anything removed from the bottom of the rear legs should also be equally removed from the bottom of the front.
More importantly than either, however, is overall balance, which is adjusted and fine-tuned with the shims between the legs and rockers.
In short, there isn’t one. Most of my projects are intended for the video themselves to be the source for cut lists. I strongly suggest watching your project video once thru, taking notes and writing down your cut list from the video information. Then watch it again for additional procedures and possibly more notes. I do this because it has been my experience that when writing down your own notes, the information is much more easily absorbed and remembered.
I have had literally hundreds of completely new woodworkers successfully complete the Building an Elegant Rocker project without any issues whatsoever. This is because of the logical, step-by-step process the video leads the woodworker through, and I explain each step in great detail. So, I suggest picking whichever project suits your fancy and diving in. As well, I am always available for help.
The Dining Chair is really a selected combination of parts from other projects. For example: the arms are from the Low Back, the spindles from the Elegant Rocker and the seat can be from any of them. The templates provide the full-sized drawings, but the processes to build the Dining Chair come from other videos. I suggest watching each of those I mentioned for the details on building each component.
Of course! I strongly encourage you to make money on your work.
Unfortunately, I never made a formal video or templates for this project, and there are no plans to do so. Sorry.
Unfortunately, due to the high cost of manufacturing the custom router bit, we had to abandon the Butterfly Joint Kit. Our small numbers made the manufacturing of the bit too expensive, and we refused to send the item to China or elsewhere to be manufactured. Any project where the Butterfly Joint is used, a Maloof Joint can be easily substituted.
