This is where the spindle holes will be drilled. For this chair, I leave what is called the spindle rail most of the way around the outside of the seat an area about 2" wide. Then I mark out the areas and depth of material that will be removed. This will help when laying out and drilling the leg and spindle holes but it also assists in keeping the seat symmetrical. It is advisable, especially if this is your first chair, to mark the X and Y axes. After jointing and planing each piece, I arrange them in order and temporarily clamp them.
I begin with careful selection of the pieces from a single black cherry plank for perfect grain and colour matching. I chose a 20" overall depth, leaving a carved seating area of 18". Too short and you’ll feel as though you want to fall out of the rocker on its forward swing. Too long, and the edges will dig into the backs of our legs. The length of the saddle also needs to be considered. The width of the seat must be wide enough for the average human to fit comfortably between the arms the seat of this chair is 20-3/4" wide at the front. The back curve of the seat should fit the lumbar region well this chair uses a 10-3/8" radius.
The shape of the seat is very much a matter of taste, save a few necessary design principles. The shape of one part informing the next. While my sketches provide the basic silhouette, much of my design work is done intuitively. The basic Windsor form, with its flexible spindles and deeply sculpted seat, makes a wonderful platform, and I wanted to explore the possibilities of this design. With the birth of my daughter, Sophia, it was time to make a rocking chair.