When I met my father-in-law, I was amazed to find that he had been hand carving little rocking chairs for many years and that the majority of these chairs were in baskets in his basement workshop.  The workmanship in these chairs was incredible and I thought it odd that they were just collecting in baskets!  He was quite proud to show me his handiwork and even gave me one (something his family says indicated he liked me!)

As it turns out, he carves these chairs for his own enjoyment (likes to stay busy) and to give to people who inqure about them.  He signs the bottom of each chair and uses excellent workmanship in carving them. All joints are dovetailed, for strength and beauty.  He leaves the chairs unfinished, or with a single coat of clear varnish. He makes a variety of sizes. The smallest he made into earrings for my mother-in-law and the largest are large enough to display a 12" porcelain doll.  The majority of his chairs are in between these extremes.

All this from very modest beginnings.  Below, please see the three pieces he cuts to begin each chair.

With a little bit of gentle persuasion, I was able to get my father-in-law to allow me to list his chairs for sale on eBay.  He is not as interested in the money as he is in the feedback. At 81, he spends his days working his acre garden (to feed the community as well as his family), hand stitching quilts and carving his rocking chairs (oh, and watching the ATLANTA BRAVES!!).  He does NOT know anything about computers!  So, each time I sell a chair and receive feedback email from the customer, I print a copy and send it to him.  He is THRILLED!

Though the obvious use for his chairs is to own a unique, hand carved, not-from-a-kit rocking chair for your doll house, my customers have used these chairs for various other purposes. Some of these have been:

• To complete the front porch of a handmade bird house

• To decorate for ornaments (Christmas or other)

• To use as a "canvas" for art projects (art teachers love this, and usually want my larger chairs)

How to select the best size for your needs.

When looking for a unique rocking chair to add to your doll house, it is important to select the one that matches your doll house scale.  To determine the measurements of the chair you are looking for, take your favorite rocking chair and jot down its critical measurements.

My favorite "real-size" rocking chair measures as follows:

• Width - measured outside edge of left rocker to outside edge of right rocker - 18" or 1 1/2 feet
• Depth - measured front edge of rocker to back edge of rocker - 29" or approximately 2 1/2 feet
• Height - measured bottom edge of rocker to top edge of back riser - 39" or 3 1/4 feet

Now, to translate that into the desired doll house scale, I simply apply my scale to the above measurements. Basically, a 1" scale means 1" = 1', 1/2" scale means that 1/2" = 1', and so on.

Applying that calculation method, I can determine that, should I want a chair similar in scale size to my favorite rocking chair, I would need to select one as follows"

• 2" Scale:         W - 3",         D - 5",         H- 7"
• 1 1/2" Scale:   W - 2 3/4",   D - 3 3/4",   H- 4 7/8"
• 1" Scale:         W - 1 1/2",   D - 2 1/2",   H - 3 1/4"
• 3/4" Scale:      W - 1 1/8",   D - 1 7/8",   H - 2 7/16"
• 1/2" Scale:      W - 3/4",      D - 1 1/4",   H - 1 5/8"
• 1/4" Scale:      W - 3/8",      D - 5/8",      H - 13/16"

I offer several of these sizes in my store and have lined the chairs up against a meaasuring tape to allow the customer to get a an idea of whether they can find their scale chair in my offerings.  I encourage customers to ask for the specific size they need.  I also offer lots of these chairs for those who like to use them in projects.  Shipping one chair costs me the same as shipping 5 chairs, so shipping discounts are always available.

Customers have been able to paint of finish their chairs to match their decor, which, again, makes their chair absolutely unique. 

I hope you have found this basic sizing guide useful in determining the best size chair for your doll house or other need.

Please note that when reading this guide, you will see an advertisement for my eBay store, Judy's Corner, at the top right of the screen.  Below this, you will see various items for sale, some from me and some from other eBay sellers.  Please understand this in no way indicates my recommendation of these sellers or their products.

As I recommend to any eBay buyer, please check feedback before entering into a transaction with an eBay seller.  It is your best tool to determine his past customer satisfaction.

Judy's Corner Feedback