My sister and her husband inherited this rocker from his mother, Nona to their kids. It was well used as Nona had about a dozen kids herself. My brother in law remembers it from his youth and, at 75, he is the youngest of his siblings. It appears to be an American piece from the early years of the 20th century. Made from sturdy oak, with a combination of doweled and mortise and tenon joinery, it has experienced many miles of rocking children and adults alike. Although the seat has been recovered a few times, little else had been done to it since leaving the factory.
Big sister wanted the seat recovered and complained that the rocker was “a little loose and creaks”. Closer examination revealed that all the glue joints had failed and the rockers were worn flat in the center. The finish had long ago lost it’s shine. So we embarked on a total restoration. As I sometimes do, I forgot to take a before image – just use some imagination!
After removing the seat cover, springs, and stripping the finish, it was time to start the repairs. At this point I did take this photo and emailed “so what was this supposed to look like again”?
Above you see Ronnie reassembling the rocker after cleaning all the joints, replacing broken dowels, fabricating new rockers, and making a couple of minor glue repairs to the arms. Once it was back together you could tell it was a rocking chair. See the new rockers in the image below.
And another view of the rocker – ready for stain and final finish.
After a light sanding and hand rubbed walnut stain, it went to the finish room. Once finished, it headed into the upholstery shop for Mark to install the springs, tied eight ways of course, build up the seat deck with new padding, and cover with a soft green chenille.
Here’s the completed rocker. Solid as a rock, with a nice satin sheen, and comfortable seat. 
I think Nona would be proud.
