A glider rocker is sometimes called a nursery glider because they work so well for soothing children with the gentle rocking motion. They need less space to rock than a rocking chair, which makes them popular for indoor use. The most common repair on a glider rocker is replacing the bearings that provide the smooth gliding motion. Once they wear out, they start to grind or squeak.

Replacing the bearings in a glider rocker is a great project for beginners, because it only requires screwdrivers and wrenches to replace the bearings. The challenging part is understanding how to take the chair apart and ordering the correct size bearings.

There are four parts to a rocker glider:

• Chair seat & back
• Base platform
• Glider arm
• Stretcher (part that connects the two glider arms at the front and the back)

It's difficult to explain in writing how to take a glider rocker apart. This video shows how to disassemble a rocker glider so you can access the bearings.

Sometimes we have customers who bring us glider rockers with broken parts. With woodworking skills, it's possible to remake the broken parts. I'll cover that later in this blog post.

Bearings for Glider Rockers

When the old bearings wear down, they don't glide well and can make noise. Once the glider rocker is disassembled, the bearings can be removed and measured. I suggest replacing all the bearings at once instead of just a few, otherwise you will likely be doing this repair again in the future when the next bearings fail. 

There are different configurations and sizes of bearings for rocker gliders. The first step is to measure the diameter of the bearing, the thickness, and the bolt or hole in the bearings. Based on those measurements, order bearings of the same size. It's best to use bearings with an integrated flange (a lip on the bearing edge as shown below), so they can be locked in place with screws for the most secure and reliable performance.

On some rocker gliders, there are metal arms with bearings on each end. The whole arm needs to be replaced for this type of bearings. Once you receive the replacement bearings, it's just a matter of installing them and reassembling the rocker glider, as shown in the video above.

Replacing Wooden Parts of Glider Rockers

When glider rockers come into our workshop, we assess what's worn or broken. Sometimes there are wooden parts that have split or broken apart. Making replacement parts requires woodworking skills as well as finishing expertise to match the stain and finish with the rest of the chair. This isn't a DYI project, but if you or someone you know is an experienced woodworker, this may be a project you can tackle. In this video, I show how I replaced glider rocker parts and finished them to match the chair for a seamless repair.

If you're interested in learning how to repair furniture, take a look at our furniture repair courses and our Fixing Furniture Community.

Author: Scott Bennett, Co-owner, Wooden It Be Nice - Furniture Repair