Bow Arm Rocker

This modified design builds off a classic Morris chair.

- By Willie Sandry

Inspiration for the next project can come from many sources, but for me, all it took was a trip to an antique furniture dealer. Legacy Modern is a boutique dealer in Portland, OR specializing in arts and crafts furniture, and they happened to have an original Morris chair that caught my eye. It was a Gustav Stickley #336 Morris chair, and I thought it would be the perfect starting point for a Morris rocker.

So, I took detailed measurements from the original chair and created a CAD drawing. However, I wanted a rocking chair rather than an armchair, so I had some additional work to do. To my knowledge, Gus Stickley never produced a bow arm Morris rocker. So, I surrounded myself with rocking chairs to ferret out the keys to good rocker geometry.

I acquired several rocking chairs— from antique to reproductions—to test and measure. I discovered that despite the varied size and style of these chairs the rockers were nearly universal. I chose the rocker radius I liked best an amalgamation of two of my favorite rockers, which turned out to be r=44.

The first thing you notice about the antique Gus Stickley Morris chair is the organic shape of the bowed arms. Next perhaps you’ll see the side seat rails are set at a dramatic angle. This pitches the seat backwards, making it the most comfortable chair I’ve ever perched in. Usually the seat rail angle and slip seat angles are independent from one another. With this design, both are set at the same angle, which results in a finished cushion that is parallel with the side seat rails. Although angled joinery adds some complexity, I think it’s a design element worth preserving.

Two Bending Forms