I had always wanted the wooden glider my mother had on her front porch. The local craftsman who made it had since gone out of business and I couldn't get my hands on the plans. After much begging, my mother finally relented and allowed me to take it with me when I visited her recently. Now all I had to do was figure out how to make one for myself ! I had looked around at other gliders and checked out plans from magazines, but none quite did the trick. I liked this glider the best ! It looked the best and had the smoothest motion.

Well, I decided to take a risk and disassemble my mother's original glider and make templates so I could mass-produce them and get rich ! After all, everyone would want one wouldn't they ?? The disassembly went well - no broken pieces, and templates were made. I also decided to give the original a refinish job while I was at it. While it was a very nice piece, the original maker did not use galvanized or stainless-steel hardware so I replaced all the rusty bolts and screws. He apparently didn't use waterproof glue either, which was a blessing in disguise. A thorough sanding, reassembly, and several fresh coats of an outdoor UV proof finish and my mother's glider was better than new !

Now, about the glider in the picture. I decided to try using cypress for this project. I hadn't worked with it before and understood it to be a great choice for outdoor furniture. I ordered several hundred board feet from Wall Lumber in North Carolina. After some mix up with the delivery, I finally had it in my shop. About this time, I went thru a "corporate downsizing" so I thought to myself , "great, this is finally the chance you needed to do some of those projects and change your career field!" HA ! I found out what some people already know - when you try to turn your hobby into your job, it stops being enjoyable !

Working with cypress was good. It cuts well and sands well. I did run across a couple pieces that had some severe stress that appeared when they were being cut and planed. Man, did they warp,twist, bow, and everything else. All-in-all, the glider went together quite well. It sure helped to have the original one and some templates. A neighbor welded up some z-brackets I needed for the swing arm mechanism. The only change I made from the original was to leave out some decorative cut-outs at the ends of the glider between the armrest and the seat. Maybe I'll add them anyway. The finish was several coats of an oil-based UV inhibitor from General Finishes. I think I'll let the cypress do it's own thing for color.

Right now, the glider sits in my basement. I had intended to sell them, but underestimated the market ! Everybody that see it and sits in it loves it, but they all want it for "free" practically. Same old story - they want quality stuff, but want to pay cheapo prices ! Oh well. O.k. Mom, I'll bring your's back soon !