Coopered Seat

Building a sculptured rocker starts with a coopered seat. Or as I call it, "The Big Smile Seat!" 

- Charles Brock

A Maloof style chair design (rocker, low back, or settee) represents some of the best in seating with extraordinary form and function. The entire chair’s flowing lines and gentle s-curves fit the sitter and the coopered seat adds to this ergonomic fit making it the key to this build. The seat’s pommel centers the sitter, the deck provides locations for spindle mortises and leg to seat joinery, and the seat bowl wraps around and supports the sitter. These characteristics can only best by accomplished by crafting a coopered seat.

At my shop, I offer instruction for two coopered seats: The Regular Smile Seat taught in my video series and in-person classes and The Big Smile Seat. The former has fewer bevels and easier bandsaw cuts. The Big Smile Seat is the deepest and is more difficult. Don’t let that stop you tough. I’ll teach you to master this seat and it will make your chair, your seat, and your work have a Big Smile!

Every village in North America once had a cooper. They build barrels and buckets by beveling each edge of a board and arraying them in a circle before placing a hoop around them. To make a coopered chair seat, the beveled edges (my choice is 3°) work to create a slighter curve that functions wonderfully as a comfortable beautiful seat. No hoop is necessary!