DIY rocking chair - types, necessary materials and photos of the best projects

Many useful products can be made from PVC pipes, including rocking chairs. You may wonder: is it worth the effort to make a plastic chair yourself? To do this, it is worth highlighting the advantages of a homemade chair from a profile:

assembly takes little time and effort - this work can be done by a woman or teenager;
products made from corrugated pipe are considered the lightest, so they are easy to move;
due to their high rigidity, the pipes are able to withstand heavy loads;
homemade rocking chairs are resistant to weather changes;
such products give scope for imagination, since you can personally come up with a shape for it;
low cost - the cost of such a piece of furniture will be quite low.

The benefits of making your own products

There are many different products made from profile pipes in retail chains, but not all customer desires are taken into account by manufacturers of outdoor and home furniture, stairs, flower bed fencing and other things.

The created structure will not fall apart even for an impressive period of time.

Therefore, when it is possible to individually manufacture objects from profile pipes, they always prefer to create a product according to their own design, with their own hands, which in subsequent years will bring not only joy in use, but also a sense of pride and self-satisfaction.

Making a variety of products from profile pipes with your own hands has recently become increasingly popular.

From a practical standpoint, the advantage of products made from pipes with your own hands is an absolute understanding of all the advantages, disadvantages and maintainability of the product, in contrast to a purchased one, which always stores mysterious application parameters.

Profile pipes are a universal material from which you can create not only outdoor structures, but also stylish interior items.

A product made from a pipe with your own hands always meets the requirements of the manufacturer, who knows how the product can be improved.

Furniture assembly process

If you use plastic elements, then you need to follow the correct sequence of actions. So, the process of assembling a chair from pipes can be done as follows:

You need to select parts of approximately the same size and diameter. This will help create a beautiful and neat product. If there are no similar ones, then you can cut the material using special tools. The most commonly used is a grinder;
Using properly selected fittings and a soldering iron, you need to assemble the frame of a plastic chair based on pipes;
To make it comfortable to sit on a chair, you need to make a soft and practical seat. This can be done very simply: create the desired size and shape of the seat on plywood, cover it with foam rubber. It needs to be covered with fabric. Choose a type of fabric that will withstand all weather conditions well. Please note that the piece of fabric should be slightly larger than the plywood. The fabric needs to be fixed at the bottom of the seat using a construction stapler;
The seat must be fixed to the pipe frame using self-tapping screws;
If it’s still uncomfortable to rest on such a chair, then you should make a soft back.

You can make a chair from pipes of completely different sizes and shapes. It depends on the choice of pipe diameter, size, length. PVC materials are very easy to process, so the work process will be very simple.

assembly takes little time and effort - this work can be done by a woman or a teenager;
products made from corrugated pipe are considered the lightest, so they are easy to move;
due to their high rigidity, the pipes are able to withstand heavy loads;
homemade rocking chairs are resistant to weather changes;
such products give scope for imagination, since you can personally come up with a shape for it;
cheap - the cost of such a piece of furniture will be quite low.

Main stages of work

At the next stage, we cut off three blanks from the corner and weld the U-shaped frame. We drill mounting holes in it.

Next, we attach the U-shaped frame to one of the parts of the frame.

The result will be a stop with which you can adjust the angle of the back of the chair.

After this we connect all the parts of the frame together. The author welds the headrest frame to the upper part of the backrest.

Then all that remains is to make the seat and backrest. For this you will need wooden blocks.

We coat the seat and back with wood varnish and attach it to the metal frame with bolts, having previously drilled holes. Additionally, you can sew a soft cover for the chair.

The detailed process of making an outdoor folding chair can be seen in the author's video. Video source - YouTube channel WOOD DESIGN .

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How to do it yourself?

There are many drawings and step-by-step instructions for making this type of furniture yourself. But the simplest is the swing chair, which will appeal to both adults and children.

To make it you will need two meters of thick textile, a thick meter-long wooden stick, a drill, carabiners, a strong cord, reliable threads and paint.

Performance:

First you need to take the fabric, fold it in half, measure 18 cm from the top corner and draw a diagonal to the bottom right corner. You will end up with an uneven triangle that needs to be cut out and removed. The main part of the fabric needs to be unfolded and the sides of the cut are sewn, while picking up their edges by a centimeter.
Next you need to create pockets for the laces. The edges of the long piece need to be folded 3 cm and stitched on a sewing machine.

You need to make four holes on the wooden block, two on both edges. The distance between two holes should be 4.5 cm, and the distance between the central holes should not be less than 75 cm. The laces must be inserted into them and secured with strong knots. You also need to make a knot in the center of the rope so that a loop is formed on top, which will then be hung on a hook.

The hanging pieces of cord must be passed through the fabric and threaded through the holes in the stick, which are located along its edges. Then you need to make knots for secure fixation.
You need to attach two connected carabiners to the ceiling hook , and thread a cord into the lower carabiner. This way the structure will gain sufficient strength for safe rocking in the chair.

You can decorate the resulting product with decorative pillows with a bright print. It is ideal for the street if you place it on the veranda or under a large tree.

Another interesting model for making yourself is a drop. To do this, purchase about 500 rattan rods, a steel hoop, several metal pipes or strong ropes, which will be woven together in the shape of a circle. Then you will need PVA glue, strong rope, cord and chain.

Stages of work:

Before starting work, you need to calculate the size of the drop. Then you need to peel the rattan rods from the bark and cut them into equal pieces. To give good flexibility when weaving, the rods need to be steamed and beaten.
The frame of the furniture can be made from polypropylene pipes, metal or a slightly compressed hoop to obtain a semicircular shape of the product. If a pipe is used for the frame, then its ends must be fastened with special fasteners. In the future, you will need to attach rods to it, the length of which should be 30-40 cm higher than the product.

The rods are attached to the base so that the distance between them increases evenly, until approximately the middle of the product, and then so that this distance decreases. To give the chair its shape, the rods must be bent during the weaving process.
To secure the rattan, its rods need to be bent through the hoop several times and their ends secured with strong ropes. Next, the structure needs to be intertwined with thin rods, starting from the bottom and ending at the top. To give the product additional strength, all fastening points must be lubricated with glue.

You can lay a thin blanket or put a large flattened pillow in the finished chair.

Design features and types

A rocking chair is furniture designed for rest and relaxation. Specificity is achieved in two ways:

The peculiarity of the shape of the legs is that they can be arced or solid circular.
Hinged mechanism.

There are different types of rocking chairs:

Classic, equipped with small-radius radius runners. This option is the simplest and for those who have an idea of how to work with wood material, it will be quite simple to make such a structure.
Rocking chairs equipped with runners with varying curvature. In this case, the radius element must have special stops and clamps that prevent the entire product from turning over.
Ellipsoidal types of rocking chairs, equipped with arches in the shape of an oval or drop.
Pendulum or so-called glider options.
Multifunctional rocking chairs with special legs.
Spring types.
Suspended design options that have static support.
Tumblers moving from a sitting position to a lying position.

Let's consider making several different options.

Most popular options

Factory-assembled furniture on bent pipe runners

There are many varieties of rocking chairs, which differ in appearance and type of decorative finish. However, when choosing an option for self-assembly, first of all we pay attention to the design.

Models with conventional runners are the most common modification, where the seat with backrest is rigidly mounted on curved skis

Models with sidewalls in the shape of a circle or an ellipse - here, instead of conventional curved skis, runners made in the form of a closed circle or ellipse are used

Models with a pendulum mechanism - in this design, rocking occurs not due to the rolling of the runners, but due to the displacement of the pendulum mounted under the seat

Hanging chair (with fixation at two points) - in this design the seat swings relative to a static base

Hanging chair (swing) - in such structures, a static support is made from profile pipes, to which a seat can be suspended using a hook or chain

What to do if you don’t have a profile pipe, but you need to assemble a durable and beautiful chair?

As an alternative to rolled steel with a square cross-section, more affordable rolled steel with a round cross-section can be used for the manufacture of furniture

It turns out that a metal pipe with a round cross-section is no less strong than a pipe with a rectangular cross-section. Therefore, you can use an ordinary steel water pipe to make furniture. Another thing is that the round cross-section complicates installation, since the aircraft are more difficult to dock with each other.

Determination with chair type

By combining a profile pipe with a bent metal strip, you can make furniture with decor that imitates forging

Now that we know which chairs can be made from a profile pipe, all that remains is to choose the appropriate option. If you are assembling metal furniture for the first time, I recommend choosing simpler models. For example, it is not at all difficult to assemble a rocking chair on ordinary bent runners. To do this, you will have to bend two skis and attach a separately assembled metal chair with a backrest to them.

How to design correctly

Draw a chair mounted on curved runners and the sketch of the rocking chair is ready

If you are assembling a rocking chair for the first time, you can use one of the many ready-made drawings that have been tested in actually manufactured furniture. When designing independently, we take into account the separate requirements for the seat configuration and the requirements for the ski configuration.

The chair you design should be comfortable and durable. Both conditions are ensured by correctly selected sizes.

You can correctly determine the dimensions as follows. Find a ready-made chair or armchair that is very comfortable to sit in. Copy the dimensions of this furniture and transfer them to your drawing.

It is not necessary to plan the assembly of single-seat furniture, because a metal chair for a summer house can be two- or even three-seater

The situation with skis is a little more complicated. The length of the skis should be combined with the radius, so that the assembled structure swings with little effort, but does not turn over in extreme positions.

A universal rule: a ski 1.2 m long along the edge should bend upward from the floor surface by no more than 20-25 cm. Of course, the bend of the ski should be uniform without visible creases, which can lead to uneven swinging

Sketches of simple options

Drawing of a metal chair with upholstery

When it comes to simple options, we choose sketches of structures on curved skis, since such furniture is much easier to make than a chair on a pendulum or a hanging cocoon. The simpler the sketch you choose, the better, especially if you do not have sufficient experience in making metal furniture. However, it also makes no sense to oversimplify the design of the chair at the expense of operating comfort.

Materials and tools

To work with a profile pipe, you will need the following tools:

Pipe bender with rollers for a pipe with a rectangular cross-section;
Welding machine with related accessories;
Clamps for metal;
An angle grinder (grinder) with a cutting disc and an attachment for grinding metal;
Electric drill with a set of metal drills;
Measuring tool (tape measure, square, marker, etc.).

Features of the material

Features of PVC pipes include:

light weight;
strength and resistance to stress;
corrosion resistance;
ease of work;
environmental friendliness (subject to compliance with safety regulations);
safety;
affordable price.

Working with this material is a real pleasure.

Help : with special welding, the product can be given absolutely any shape and design.

How to choose material and design

Modern models of rocking chairs are made from various materials, each of which has its own characteristics:

Wood. Furniture made from various types of wood looks stylish, it is durable and reliable. The surface must be treated with a finishing protective compound.
Sheets of plywood. The material is easy and comfortable to work with, it can take any shape, and is also suitable for the manufacture of small elements. However, it is better not to place such rocking chairs outside.
Profile pipes. It is better to make individual parts from them, rather than the entire structure. The material is durable and easy to work with.
Plastic pipes. A practical, budget-friendly and reliable option, the material is lightweight and easy to process.
Rattan and wicker. The result is beautiful designer products, but the weaving technology is quite complex, and high-quality material for manufacturing is not easy to find.
Metal. Processing parts will require skills and experience from the master. Metal chairs are durable and resistant to external influences.

Tips from the experts:

Coniferous woods are the most comfortable when assembling furniture yourself, as they are easily amenable to any type of processing. However, they quickly react to humidity and swell, so rockers made of spruce, pine or alder must be treated with special protective solutions.
Furniture can also be made from expensive and denser species, for example, oak, beech or ash. In this case, you can be sure of the strength and durability of the structure, since these types of trees do not have large pores.
To create swinging products, it is better to use well-dried first grade wood blanks. If the chair is assembled from damp material, the entire structure may become deformed and deteriorate over time.
The choice of material is often determined by the location where the rocking chair will be located. An outdoor structure (for a dacha or veranda) must have additional protection in the form of treating all surfaces with antiseptic agents that can minimize the effects of snow, rain and frost.
Summer cottage products should not be covered with textiles and covers should not be placed on the body, otherwise the fabric may become damp and rot. In this case, it is better to use removable pillows and blankets.
Wood can be combined with metal to create an even more durable structure. In this case, the frame should be metal, and the seat itself should be wooden.
It is better to choose plywood sheets with good ductility for manufacturing; they are more convenient to process.

Some general information

Whatever one may say, it is a rocking chair, especially one standing in the garden or near a lit fireplace, that many associate with comfort, a pleasant evening in a narrow family circle, peace and quiet. In such an environment you can have a great rest and relaxation by reading your favorite book or watching a good movie. The rhythmic rocking movements of the rocking chair will help you get ready for sleep and simply feel peace, which is so rare in modern life, filled with bustle and heavy thought processes.

Rocking movements increase concentration

On a note! Scientists have proven that rocking movements with a certain rhythm calm a person and increase the concentration of his thoughts. Sometimes it is sitting on a rocking chair that can solve serious life problems and problems.

It is still unknown exactly how and where the very first rocking chair came from . Usually many people associate it with old England, fireplaces and rugs. At the moment, there are two main versions of the history of the origin of this chair. According to one of them, the first rocking chair was invented by the Viennese furniture maker, experimenter and innovator, as well as a fan of bent wood, Michael Thoneta in the mid-19th century. However, there is one more fact that casts doubt on this version. Thus, at the end of the 18th century, the word “rocking chair” was added to the English dictionary, and since the 1800s, such chairs began to be produced by many English furniture manufacturers. But the fame and peak of popularity of rocking chairs came precisely in the 19th century. They were used mainly by rich and aristocratic people, as well as those involved in literary and artistic arts.

Plywood rocking chair

According to the second version, the rocking chair was invented by Benjamin Franklin. In terms of time, this was also the 19th century. But there are those who refute this version, believing that Franklin was just the one who became the first owner of the rocking chair.

In a word, we can say that the beginning of the history of the chair is the 18th-19th centuries. The sources are silent about the rest. And, nevertheless, rocking chairs still remain popular and in demand, and are primarily intended to create a special ambiance and comfortable environment in a certain place.

The rocking chair has its own history

On a note! The rocking chair is still the only non-static piece of furniture.

What kind of plywood to use for a rocking chair?

Build process

Let's start assembling the chair from PVC pipes. Let's divide the process into several stages. To begin with, we will select the necessary pipes - we pay special attention to the material parameters.

If there are more elements than necessary, cut off the excess.

We assemble the structure using fittings and a soldering machine.

For greater comfort, you can make an upholstered chair. To do this, take a piece of plywood and place a piece of foam rubber on it. Cover the resulting structure with fabric. Please note that the soft seat should have larger parameters than the plywood part. This is necessary so that the edges can be stapled together. The seat is attached to the frame with self-tapping screws.

If a chair made of plastic pipes is still hard and uncomfortable, it is recommended to make a soft pad for the backrest. As an option, you can sew some kind of foam mattress, and use dermantine for the upholstery.

The finished product can have absolutely any appearance. If the diameter of the pipes allows, then they can be bent using a soldering iron. When you attach the pipes to the legs of the chair, you get a swinging element. If the seat is extended, the chair transforms into a waterproof plastic chaise longue that does not need to be dried.

Some pieces of furniture can hardly be called necessary. But after a hand-made rocking chair appears in the house, the inhabitants will be surprised how they could manage without such a pleasant device before.

Rocking chairs are made both from modern available materials: plastic, cardboard, and from traditional ones - wood, rattan, metal. By giving preference to metal corrugated pipes (that is, steel pipes with an oval, round or rectangular cross-section), the master receives a product that has a number of advantages. Furniture made from such raw materials is lighter, stronger and, as a rule, inexpensive. After all, to create furnishings, remnants of materials that remain after other work are often used.

What is needed for making

Wood (Any species you like)
Band-saw
Plane
Planer (if available)
Fraser
Ball cutters
Hand saw
Chisel
File
Tape measure and pencil
Wood glue
Clamps
Dowels 10 mm
Drill 10 mm
Drill
Screwdriver
Screws 40 mm

To start

Without any special pretensions, just to relax after work, a rocking chair on radius runners will help. Drawings of a simple sample, made, with the exception of the runners, only from straight parts, are given in Fig. This chair can be made for a dacha, veranda or garden in half a day, using only a jigsaw, a drill and a pair of wrenches (assembly is bolted). And having rocked to your heart’s content, you may already think about a home rocking chair for the more sophisticated; then you will need a more thorough tool and knowledge.

Drawings of a simple rocking chair

Selecting a drawing or drawing it

Before you start work, you need to obtain an accurate drawing that will show the dimensions. If you couldn’t find it on the Internet, you can draw it yourself. True, without experience in furniture production or making accurate drawings with projections, you should not do this.

Limit yourself to what you can find on the Internet. This is due to the fact that the production of a chair requires knowledge of the anatomy of the human body, so that in the future the design will be comfortable and safe for sitting and swinging.

When the drawing has been selected, you need to enlarge it and transfer it to graph paper or thick cardboard. This will make it easier to cut out or complete individual elements.

When the stage is completed, you can proceed directly to cutting out the elements and assembling the complete structure.

Types of hanging chairs

Currently, there are several types of products:

With a rigid frame made of rattan and plastic. The structure is covered with strong fabric. Also, vine is used as a base.
With a soft frame (reminiscent of a hammock). The main difference is the size: the chair is smaller than a hammock and therefore takes up little space. This product adapts to the human body, which means it is comfortable to sit and lie in.
Cocoon chair. A distinctive feature of this modification is the 75% hidden internal space. This effect is achieved thanks to wicker walls - macrame. “Cocoon” will appeal to those who love a secluded holiday, hidden from prying eyes.
“Drop” – as a rule, used in a children’s room. In appearance, the chair looks like a small house, sometimes equipped with doors. An excellent rocking chair for a child.

Photo: hanging wicker chair

Transformation of an ordinary chair

An ordinary chair can be easily converted into a rocking chair. The first step is to purchase or make runners and take the appropriate measurements to cut the chair legs to the desired height.

Then holes are drilled in the runners where the legs will be attached, and the legs are attached to the runners using wood glue.

Types of chairs

Today you can find a huge number of models of wooden rocking chairs of various shapes, sizes, breeds, styles and purposes.

Rocking chairs are:

Homemade. These chairs are needed for rest, relaxation and stress relief after a busy day at work. The frame of the structure is most often covered with soft fabric or covered with a beautiful cover. Such furniture can become a real piece of art and can decorate any interior.
Office. Allows you to take a break during work to stretch and relax your muscles a little. Office rocking chair models often have elegant leather upholstery and can be equipped with wheels for movement.
Dachas. They are placed on the veranda of a country plot or inside a country house. Garden versions of rocking chairs look especially harmonious near a fireplace or stove. These structures also serve for relaxation and relaxation.

To make a rocking chair for your dacha with your own hands from plywood, you will need drawings and instructions from experienced craftsmen, as in the video below.

Depending on the type of chair design, there are:

With radius runners. Swinging occurs smoothly and softly. For such an assembly, only a low landing is suitable, otherwise the rocking chair may tip over. If you need to increase the height, bump stops are simply installed on the runners.
With runners of variable curvature. In such a chair, accidental tipping is excluded. The design is suitable for people of different body types.
With a cradle. Designed especially for children. The chair is equipped with runners of variable curvature, is completely safe, swings gently and without jerking.
Nirvana rocking chair on ellipses. It has elliptical runners, making the swing soothing, smooth and almost blissful. Strongly swinging is not recommended to avoid falling.
Nirvana on springs. These chairs are characterized by soft rocking and safety. However, it is quite difficult to make them yourself; this will require wood species such as dogwood, teak or boxwood. Sometimes a rubberized strip of spring steel is used, which will eliminate scratches and dents on the floor.
On runners with smooth breaks. This is a “3 in 1” rocking chair, it is multifunctional and can change position: from a regular chair to turn into a small lounger. The disadvantage of such structures is their large size, so they are unlikely to be suitable for small city apartments.
Children's horse chair. This is the most comfortable and safe design for a small child with the right size of arms and backrest angle.
Tumbler. In this product, the runners are also a seat. It can be placed both in the country house and in the apartment.
Glider. This is a modern model of a rocking chair with a pendulum mechanism.

How does rocking happen?

Many people assemble rocking chairs according to ready-made drawings, but the products may not always fit the size of a specific person. Therefore, before starting production, you should understand the kinematics of this product:

If a person stands upright, the center of gravity (CG) of the body is between the lower back and the sacrum inside the spinal column. If a person is in a sitting position, the CG shifts slightly forward and down. In rocking products, the overall CG is always shifted back and down to its original position. In this case, there is a slight error in the projection of the main center of gravity in relation to the supporting surface (floor, soil, etc.), which can be corrected at the end during balancing.
The stability of the structure is most affected by the displacement of the overall CG relative to the vertical central axis (CO). If the CO coincides with the COG, this is a state of free balance, which is impossible to achieve in a rocking chair. If the center of gravity is greater than the center of gravity, there is a high probability of tipping backwards. It is necessary that the central center is 450 mm or more higher than the central central point (recommended excess is 600-700 mm).

In other words, the overall center of gravity of the rocking chair should be shifted from the seat to an angle intermediate between the back and the seat. The supporting legs are two arched strips, thanks to which smooth swinging is possible. The amplitude depends on the length of the runners.

Photo

Despite the unusual nature of the material, the result is stylish and practical furniture:

Balance check

A rocking chair made of wood may be uncomfortable when sitting down or standing up. This occurs as a result of the difference in the weight of the structural elements that are located in its front and rear parts. To avoid discomfort, it is necessary to balance the swinging structure.

If the structure is significantly tilted forward, transverse strips can be mounted on the runners behind the backrest. If necessary, the weight on the slats can be increased by installing decorative elements.

Balanced Rocking Chair

When tilting backwards, the same counterweight must be equipped in the front part of the rocking chair. This could be an additional shelf for legs. If this weight is not enough, then you can install a niche under the shelf for additional counterweight.

Chair made of steel pipe

Before starting to manufacture a metal structure, it is necessary to make the correct calculations and drawings on paper

It is important to maintain an accurate scale. The easiest option is to make a rocking chair from a steel rod or pipe

Here is one option for which you will need steel rods or pipes with a diameter of 2 cm.

Rocking chair made of metal arches

Tools such as a grinder, welding machine, and drill will be useful in the process.

Diagram of our chair

Work order

Our chair will look like a simple chair, the only difference being that an arch will be attached to the bottom of its legs. This mechanism is called pendulum. The arc should be wide enough to make sitting in such a chair as safe as possible. The order of preparatory work is as follows:

Cut the workpiece into 4 parts, 66 cm each. These will be the crossbars for the walls of the chair.
Prepare 4 rods 30 cm long, which will serve as vertical posts for the front side of the product.
Cut 2 rods 90 cm long for the upper connecting beams of both walls.
Make 2 meter arcs for the support skis.

Cutting the rod into blanks

Here are approximate dimensions that can be changed at the request of the master. To make support skis, you will need a pipe bender. If you don't have it, you can use two nearby pillars or even trees.

In the absence of a pipe bender, the arcs can be bent like this

When making an arc in this way, you simply need to place the pipe in the existing groove, insert a rod in the opposite direction and bend it to the desired radius.

You need to start assembling the frame from the sides.

We weld the sides

The vertical and longitudinal beams are welded, and the support ski is attached in the same way.

We weld the skis

When one side is ready, assemble the other. At the end, both sides are secured by welding with transverse rods.

We weld the cross members

When the welding work is completed, the fastening points are cleaned.

Cleaning the weld areas

Then the frame must be washed, dried and primed in two layers. To make work easier, the chair must be suspended.

Prime and paint the chair

When the primer is completely dry, the chair can be painted.

All that remains is to sew the seat and the chair is ready

Paint

While a wooden rocking chair has a natural style that can be very attractive, you can also make it even more cozy by painting it the right shade. A rich, warm color will help make the chair even more attractive for spending time with a good book.

If you want to use the chair in different rooms, then it is better to choose a neutral shade such as chocolate brown, which will go with most other colors.

But if you plan to keep the rocking chair in one place, then it is worth using a color that matches the surrounding decor. An earthy terracotta or brick shade is an ideal choice, but lighter colors such as gold and peach are also viable options.

Choose the right place

Even with the right color, cushions and accessories, a rocking chair won't be as cozy as it can be if placed in the right place. If the house has a fireplace, then place the chair directly in front of the fireplace. This way you can feel the warmth and, most importantly, comfort from the fire while relaxing or reading on a rocking chair.

You can also place a chair in front of a window with a stunning view to enjoy the scenery. A small alcove with plenty of peace and quiet, and a nearby reading light is another good spot for a rocking chair.

A small table that allows you to place coffee, tea or cocoa without leaving your chair will complement the cozy atmosphere.