0 Ok, before I get to this easy and really cool DIY… I gotta back, back, back-it-up … just a little. Remember this little gem? It was so good. And, a fantastic practice in reupholstery, for me. There was just one small problem. The more I sat in it, and reminisced about the good ‘ol days with the Baby Kiddo… y’know… the late night feedings, and rocking back to sleep… the more I realized this new chair wasn’t going to cut it. The back barely hit my shoulders and there was no where to rest a weary head at 2 o’clock in the morning. Hmm… what was the next best thing? How about Frankenstein-ing the rocker/swivel from this chair and adding it to another?? Could I do that? Well, let’s find out… I was keeping my eye out for a while, when I finally came across my next victim an ideal candidate… A high-back armchair, on sale for about $270. (This post may contain affiliate links. This means, should you end up making a purchase, advertisers give me a small percentage of that sale, at absolutely NO EXTRA COST to you.

Click here for full disclosures). After thoroughly inspecting the underside of the chair (I’m sure I looked like a weirdo), to make sure it could properly support my new swivel/rocker mechanism, I took the plunge… Once I got it home, I took that perfectly good (and new) chair, and ripped away the bottom dust-cover, (yes, I was nervous, I had just entered the point of “no returns”…) and exposed the underside of the chair… I took some 2 x 4 and cut lengths to fit up inside the frame of the chair. This is the supports for the new (old) chair base (… the swivel part). I slipped them into the frame, and drilled a few screws upwards, through the chair frame, and into my new 2 x 4 supports. One for the right, and one for the left… Here you can see my supports in place, and the top of my swivel/rocker base before it was attached. I pre-drilled 3 holes on each side for each bracket, and used large bolt screws to support the swivel/rocker base. Here’s a better look from the bottom.

Let’s flip ‘er right-side up and see how it works…Did I just turn a comfy high back arm chair, into a rocker suitable for sleepy Mommies, and late nights with little babies? cheap chair covers perthI think I did! urban shop bean bag chair I’ve done plenty of testing, and this time, I think I’ve got it right. wooden rocking chair indoorMy head perches perfectly at the top, totally supported. japanese floor chair singaporeAnd the curved back and arms feel like a hug — which I will really appreciate when I move out of the testing phase, and into the real-world for my first 2 o’clock feeding.old office chair casters

You barely notice the new (old) rocker base underneath, but I love the old brass and wood legs — adds a little personality. And there she sits. All ready to go. floating egg chair for saleHowever, the room is not — blue paint is going buh-bye, one of these days… but until then, I’ll enjoy having a very important piece of my future, late-night puzzle, all figured out. Now for the hard part… the waiting. 12 Creative Crafts that Take Broken China From Trash to TreasureGive old chair legs and chair backs new life around your home with these smart upcycling ideas. Double Wall Holder Double Wall Holder If all you're left with is chair legs, hook bread pans onto them for a cute, rustic storage display. Learn more at Knick of Time. Flowerpot Holder Flowerpot Holder Repurpose the top of a spindle chair as outdoor decor by adding three hose clamps with screws to the back board.

Then slip in a few terra-cotta pots! Get the tutorial at Organized Clutter. 10 Better Ways to Use a Clothes Hanger Crafts & DIY Projects 34 Can't-Miss Summer Craft Projects 18 Craft Projects to Help Organization This Is the Ultimate DIY Mother's Day Gift for Moms Who Love Baths 10 DIY Gift Basket Ideas for Father's Day This Incredible Watercolor Set Will Change the Way You Paint 56 Mother's Day Crafts That She'll Treasure This Dad Is Proving That Life After Retirement Is Sweet This DIY Wood Slice Transfer Trick Will Change the Way You Display Photos 10 Ways to Use Wine Bottles In Your Backyard Why You Should Start Arm-Knitting ASAPAre you looking for a new project that won’t break the bank, not involve a whole workshop full of tools, and that you can enjoy all year long?  How about a simple rocking chair made from 1 piece of plywood.  Mr. Fix It, Aaron Massey, lends his talents to this unique build. This project really only consists of a single sheet of 4’x8’ ¾” plywood.

There are many options out there for plywood and you can spend as much or as little as you like on the plywood. I chose a simple exterior rated sheet of plywood but you could also use marine plywood or something cleaner for finishing like Baltic Birch or finish grade plywood. It’s up to you! Circular saw & Jigsaw Compass or something to mark radius cuts Drill/ driver and bits Wood screws (2” or 2.5” inch) Orbital or belt sander Router and roundover bit (optional) Paint, stain, or weather sealant To get started you’ll need to rip the plywood into the necessary pieces to make the cuts more manageable. You could use a table saw, circular saw, or track saw for this if you have one. Rip the sheet slightly off-center lengthwise so you have 1 piece that is 28” x 96” and the other 20” x 96 inches. (See the image above for exact measurements) Once you have your two pieces, cross cut the larger of the 2 pieces in half creating 2 – 28” x 48” pieces.

I recommend clamping the 2 pieces together from here so that you can cut through both pieces to create matching legs. For the arched cut on the bottom of the legs I recommend using a piece of flexible material to mark your cut lines. The ends of the arc should be 2.5” from the edge of the plywood and the bottom should just touch the edge of the plywood to create the arc. Lay out and cut the legs out as shown using a circular saw and jigsaw and then sand them down using an orbital or belt sander. Once you have one set of legs cut, use a piece as a template to mark the next cuts. With the legs cut out, stack them all together and sand them to make sure they are all uniform. Use wood glue and clamps to glue the legs together. Each leg consists of 2 identical cuts. Apply plenty of clamps and extra weight to glue the legs together. While the glue sets up on the legs, cross cut the remaining 20” x 96” piece of plywood into (4) pieces. (2) @ 30”x 20” for the seat back, and (2) @ 18” x 20” for the seat. 

Once you have those cuts made, glue and clamp them together into their components. Once the glue is dry on the seat back you can cut out the opening (optional) if you want to. The opening is a decorative feature so it’s up to you if you want to include it or not. The opening in the back is 12” long total and 2” wide in the center of the seat back. If you choose to include it, mark and cut it out with the jigsaw. For assembling the chair, I recommend putting it on nice flat surface and attaching the seat bottom first. Turn the chair on it’s side and layout the seat. The seat pitches backward which you can lay out by measuring 18” at the seat top to the front of the seat, and 16” to the top of the seat in the back. Make sure your legs stay aligned when mocking up the seat so that it is even. Once you have the seat in position. Pre-drill some pilot holes and attach the seat with 2”-2.5” wood screws & wood glue. To add the seat back, slide it between the legs and tilt it back so that the backs of the arm rests intersect with the middle of the seat back.

You should have somewhere in the realm of 105 degrees between seat back and tops of arm rest. Once in position, drill pilot holes, glue, & screw the seat back in place. Because I used relatively inexpensive plywood I chose to paint the chair with some exterior grade paint after filling the screw holes and imperfections in the plywood with wood filler. It’s your choice how you choose to seal and finish the plywood but I’d recommend several coats of whatever finish you choose so as to make sure you have ample protection from the elements! And here’s the finished product! I’m really pleased with the way this chair came out for using a single sheet of plywood and very minimal tools. It’s a fun project to tackle and you can really toy with the design and finish to get the look you want! I hope you enjoyed this project and see that you don’t have to have fancy materials or tools to knock out a unique project! If you decide to tackle this project on your own be sure to share the results with us via Instagram by tagging #DoYourBestWork @AcmeTools and @MrFixItDIY.