Meridian : Thos. Moser

As seen on This Old House.

New Gloucester was home to our first shop, not far from the last remaining Shaker Community at Sabbathday Lake. This homage to the spare, graceful design found there will bring a place of serenity to your home. Ideally spaced to envelope the back in comfort, the ash spindles are joined to the back crest and sculpted cherry seat with wedged tenons, fitted at precise angles to allow both adequate flex and deceptive strength.

A CABINETMAKER'S PERSPECTIVE

Click to learn more about veteran cabinetmaker Brenda Swett

The New Gloucester Rocker has been a customer favorite since Tom Moser built the first one in 1984. It continues to be one of our most popular pieces today, which gives testimony to the timelessness of the design. Brenda Swett is one of the most accomplished cabinetmakers in the shop and has always enjoyed building the New Gloucester Rocker for customers all over the world.

In the following video clip, Brenda is working on assembling the arms of a New Gloucester Rocker, and then fitting the pins that will hold the arms, seat, and top crest rail securely to the spindles. This involves fitting the arms, wedging the through tenons that hold them in place, then grinding them down to be flush with the surface of the arms. Pinning involves drilling out the holes for each of the pins, inserting them using a woodworker's glue to ensure they stay in place for decades to come, and finally sanding them to a perfect smoothness...

To watch expanded videos of Brenda working on the New Gloucester Rocker (approx 7-8 minutes each), use these links:
Fitting the arms of a New Gloucester Rocker (full length)
Pinning the spindles of a New Gloucester Rocker (full length)