Andrew Yin, Luke Feerick,

Philip George, Ethan Duffy, Valerie Gabay

Hardy
Chair Research Document
24 Feb 17

Rocking Chair Research

Available Materials

What materials do people use to make rocking chairs? Why?

At areas of very high friction, the type of wood, specifically in wooden rocking

chairs, comes into play. The maker of the chair wants to be able to use a strong

sturdy wood that wont wear out. Specifically, most people that make rocking

chairs focus on the type of wood they are using.

Types like Mahogany or Maple are often used because of their straight

grain pattern that allows durability and strength.

What materials are we using?

4x4x1/2 sheet of material

One screw fastener no bigger than

One wedge type piece that locks all the pieces of the chair together

No adhesive or glue.

Characteristics?

The characteristics our group is going to be focusing on is making the chair child

friendly and safe while following the design constraints.

 Future materials?

Some future materials that we could end up using is some sort of plastic that is

light and still accounts for the weight of the child. This use of plastic would lower

the overall weight of the chair and decrease the time it takes to assemble the chair

and the choking and pinching hazards it provides.

Sizes

How big should the chairs be? Children sizes?

The chair sizes should be around one and a half feet wide by three feet tall.

Children sizes based off of their weight and age should end up around 40-100lbs.

Ages can vary from 2 years old to 7 years old.

Individual part sizes? Why?

Part sizes should fall at no bigger than 1.5ft squared and no less than 3in squared.

This makes it so that every part made can fit on the board easily and that no part is

too big to fit on the board or too small for the CNC machine to cut.

Finishes

What types of finishes are used? Why?

Common finishers that are used on wooden rocking chairs consist of oiling,

sanding, and painting. These are used to make the chair look better and to increase

persuasion to spectators.

varnish
 highlights and protects wood

stain

soaks into wood, provides a decorative but less preservation finish

darkens the wood

dye

evens out shades or enhances natural color for wood

wax

transparent finish, protection and shine

oil

transparent, nourishes the wood

What type of finish do you think you will use?

The finish we will use on our chair will be a wood polisher. This will make the

chair look nice, shiny, and make it look fresh.

Safety Considerations

What types of safety considerations need to be thought about when making a

product for public distribution?

Should focus on the targeted audience.

Our targeted audience is the kids from the age of 2-7.

Our product needs to be child safe

No pinch points in the changeable parts

 It also needs to be able to withstand different amounts of weight and

maintain an overall balance.

Chair Balance

The chair must be as stable as possible and only rock when one wants it to

Must not have one leg shorter than the other as that is a hazard

Children falling out of chairs cause injuries, etc.

very important to maintain a balanced center of gravity to prevent children

from tipping over in the chairs

Choking

Small pieces that come loose are hazards to children as they can be swallowed

and block airways

Prevent by limiting the amount of small pieces and securing pieces better

Pinch Points

places where it is possible for a body part to get caught in

dangerous and painful, especially for young children with limited motor skills

in order to limit pinch points, interlocking parts must be kept secure without

danger of pieces becoming loose to make sure it isnt hazardous to children

sharp edges and nails sticking out are places where clothes can get

caught/stuck, creating danger

Other Hazards

Wood splinters

Make sure to sand the wood and finish it correctly

What is the need?

Why are rocking chairs needed?

Everyone has to sit at some point, whether it's for relate net or eating dinner.

However, the younger ones can be more restless. That's when the rocking chair is

great for spicing things up. Rocking chairs can relieve stress, kill time if needed,

release energy, and are great for keeping younger ones busy and keeps children

entertained.

Benefits?

Rocking chairs are very simple to make and are made out of simple materials.

Mainly wood is used with rocking chairs so there's no problems with getting

material. Wood is a strong material and will be able to withstand a child if built

correctly.

Uses

Uses for a rocking chair are that it can be used as a recliner or a way to relax or to

pass time and is also used to just enjoy your surroundings.

Why was this problem selected?

This problem was selected because it presents us the real life issue that businesses often

face competitors. As a business, you need to be able to create higher quality products

than other competing businesses. This problem statement of creating a more durable and
 safe rocking chair, helps us face the situation of working in groups to overcome

competitors.

Current Viable Solutions

1) We could incorporate the unique shape of the back of the rocking chair and create a

creative design to enhance the appearance of the chair. The unique side panels that are

above the headrests are also something unique that our group might consider

incorporating into our design.

2) Our group found the idea of creating a seat back with an interesting design more unique

compared to a flat plain back with no design. With this design there are not armrests but instead

what looks to be hand holders. Our group seems to be leaning towards creating armrests rather

than just slots on the side.

3) Our group enjoyed this idea because it is unique and visually appealing to children of all

ages. We liked how it still remained a rocking chair but had the unique profiles of the giraffe on

each side to lock all the pieces together.

Materials/ Material properties

MDF wood board

CNC machine

Material properties of MDF wooden board

Compressive Strength 10 MP, Dielectric

Calculations

Estimated Weight

The estimated weight will be a combination of all the pieces individual weights

added together. The estimated weight will show how much the chair can hold and

also the total amount of weight the chair will be.

Other Important Calculations

The other important calculations will be surface area which will be a sum of all

the pieces surfaces area. This will show us the amount of material that will be

needed. The volume will be the same process as all the others. This will identify

how much space the chair will take up.

Center of Gravity

The center of gravity should be central to the chair so while someone rocks they

stay balanced and are not easily tipped over by the force the person makes.

Other information

CNC Technology

Stands for Computer Numerical Control

 Computers convert the design that is created in the CAD programs, for example

Autodesk, into numbers. The numbers correspond to coordinates on a graph,

which controls the movement of the cutter.

Manufacturing Processes

The chair will be assembled and will be quick and efficient. We will make the

pegs or locking mechanics on the chair completely sturdy. The chair can be

disassembled and be separated in a box, which each of the parts are wrapped with

protective material (bubble wrap).

Mass Production

Identical parts are needed for mass production

Tolerances are very important to ensure each mass produced part will fit together

easily

Costs

Determined by the materials that are being used how are they used or how much

the materials are used.

Fasteners and Adhesive

The chair will be put together with some sort of peg that locks into the other

pieces of the chair. Another way is we could make cuts in the different pieces and

there is a method for connecting wood that could be used to make a sturdy hold

and allow the user to add and remove the pieces with ease. The method is called

the Dovetail or the Japanese dovetail. It is made by make

 cuts along one parts and making the opposite cutouts in the part that you would

like to attach.

Works Cited

Choking Hazard Safety. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2017, from

http://www.nationwidechi ldrens.org/choking-hazard-safety

Dovetail joint. (2017, February 21). Retrieved February 24, 2017, from https://en.wikiped
ia.org/wiki/Dovetail_joint

Do Wooden Rocking Chairs Require Special Materials? (n.d.). Retrieved March 02,
2017, from http://www.therockingchairman.com/wooden-rocking-chairs.html

Network, D. (2015, March 27). All About the Different Types of Wood Finishes.
Retrieved March 02, 2017, from http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/skills-and-know-ho
w/painting/all-about-the-different-types-of-wood-finishes

Rocking Chairs. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2017, from https://www.pinterest.com/p

amperurself/rocking-chairs/
Wood Child Rocking Chair. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2017, from https://www.artsin
heaven.com/items/Amish-Child-Rocking-Chair/list.htm

Wooden Rocking Chair. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2017, from http://siteaboutchildre
n.com/toddler-wooden-rocking-chair.html

Dovetail joint. (2017, February 21). Retrieved March 02, 2017, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dovetail_joint

The Editors of Encyclopdia Britannica. (2016, March 16). Centre of gravity. Retrieved
March 02, 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/science/centre-of-gravity

Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF). (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2017, from
http://www.makeitfrom.com/material-properties/Medium-Density-Fiberboard-MDF