A Rocker
• CUSTOM LAMINATES
• INNOVATIVE DESIGN
• EXPERT CRAFTSMANSHIP
• QUALITY INSTALLATION
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3149 HAGGERTY ROAD
WALLED LAKE, MICHIGAN
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(313) 624.7300
verted during the rocking chair craze.
But the telltale line of the addition to
the shortened leg gives them away.
• The platform rocker is slightly
more formal than the Boston rocker
and is characterized by an upper that
is attached to a stationary lower base
by springs. Platforms were intro-
duced as the solution to the "rug-
cutter" rocker, so-called because of
the wear and tear runners put on
carpets.
• One problem: Platforms may
develop a squeak. This can be cured
by lubricating with machine oil or
cooking-oil spray. If spring units are
broken, replacements are available.
Here are four more pointers for
potential buyers:
1. A rocker's legs and runners can
be fitted together in various ways. The
strongest join is when the front feet
are fitted into holes drilled in the run-
ners, while the rear ones are slotted
to sit astride them and fixed there with
pins. As an alternative, look for holes
or slots at the back and front of legs,
or recesses cut on the outer sides of
the legs, or a combination of the two.
2. No matter what the join, a chair's
strength will depend on the size of the
wood at the joins as well as the ac-
curate cutting and fitting of the vari-
ous parts.
3. Sit and rock gently. Is the height
comfortable? Look at the runners. Is
too much strain being placed on the
back ends?
4. Need a chair on which the run-
ners extend only a short way front
and back? Examine the joins to see
whether the wood is still strong. If
repairs have been made, make sure
the work was well done and holds up.
Simply fixing a break at the junc-
tion of leg and runner, a frequent
problem, will not make for a strong
and lasting repair. What needs to be
done is to realign the legs and fit, and
adjust the lower surfaces of the run-
ners to contact the floor squarely. This
restoration, advise antique dealers, is
far from straightforward and is usually
expensive, a cost that may be hard
to justify.
Once you get your chair, put it
where it's most at home — on the
porch or in a room with a simple,
rather than a formal, setting.