ROCKING CHAIRS, by
Parker Converse II

EXOTICS - AMBOYNA BURL

I am now offering an Amboyna Burl rocker. At $35,000 a chair these are the most expensive rocking chairs I've ever built but certainly the most interesting and beautiful. The process starts with my friend Russ who harvests the burls and brings them to CA from Laos. I then select one for color, figure and dimension then have it milled while I am in CA. The wood is then shipped to a specialty dryer in New Jersey who dries the burl in a high-tech vacuum kiln cutting three years off the normal drying time. The wood is then shipped on to me in MA about a month later. At that time construction of the rocking chair begins and slender laminates of either Rosewood or Curly Bubinga are used in key areas like the middle of the rear legs, the center of the back braces and in the rockers to add strength and stability to the burl. The seat, arms and headrest remain solid Amboyna stock. These chairs take about three times longer to make and the cost of materials and handling is about 10 times that of one of my lower priced rockers. The extra time, effort and cost are worth it, however, and the final product is simply magnificent. As with all my chairs a number of different arm, leg and headrest styles are available and each chair is custom made to fit you perfectly.