How to make a Hal Taylor rocking chair

Please note that due to family health reasons and an eventual move to Japan, I’ve unfortunately had to bring my kumiko, rocking chair, and woodworking life to a close. I no longer have any kumiko or rocking chair items for sale. I apologise for any inconvenience, but my priorities now are on family.

Making a Hal Taylor rocking chair may appear a daunting task even for the seasoned woodworker. There's not a straight line to be found anywhere. Nor is there a single 90° angle.

Book

In his book How to Make a Beautiful Rocking Chair, Hal Taylor has broken down this process into clearly written, easy-to-understand steps so that any woodworker who can follow a line on a bandsaw has the ability to create what is, without question, one of the most beautiful and comfortable rocking chairs to be found anywhere. The book is provided on a CD in PDF format.

BBHT

No longer available
One of the keys to this tremendous level of comfort is his unique back brace design. The laminated back braces flex to provide continuous and dynamic support for your back as you move or while the chair rocks. And to ensure the back braces are located in exactly the right position in the seat to maximise comfort, Hal has employed CNC technology to produce a back brace hole template (BBHT) for use with a router fitted with a template guide. The template sold here is made from quality Australian plywood and is 9mm thick.

Paper templates

There is also a set of full-size paper templates for all parts of the chair, and the gluing forms for the back braces and rocker. The set includes everything for small, medium and large rocking chairs.

DVD set

Also available is a three-disc DVD set showing every individual process as Hal makes a stunning, medium-sized walnut rocking chair, from marking out the parts on a walnut slab to sanding and applying the final finishing touches with Danish oil. While not absolutely essential for making a rocking chair, the DVDs are the next best thing to having the master next to you giving advice and steering you in the right direction every step of the way.


These four products — the book, BBHT, set of paper templates, and DVD — are now available to woodworkers in Australia, New Zealand and Japan without the horrific postal charges we normally face when ordering from the US. So there's no longer any excuse — bite the bullet and take up the challenge of making and enjoying your very own Hal Taylor rocking chair.

Prices are in Australian dollars, and are shown next to the product. The price does not include postage. Postage to anywhere in Australia is $21.00. Australian prices include GST. Payment is by PayPal. Please contact me through the
Contacts page to order.
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Book How to Make a Beautiful Rocking Chair by Hal Taylor
Australia         $22.00
New Zealand   $20.00
Japan             $20.00
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Back brace hole template (BBHT) (New version) - No longer available
Australia         $38.50
New Zealand   $35.00
Japan             $35.00
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Full template set (paper templates; two printed sheets 1400mm x 600mm)
Australia         $38.50
New Zealand   $35.00
Japan             $35.00
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Three-disc Rocking Chair University How to Make a Hal Taylor Rocking Chair DVD set
Australia         $88.00
New Zealand   $80.00
Japan             $80.00
Please note that the items sold here are only available to residents of Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Woodworkers in other countries should order from the Rocking Chair University page at the Manufacturing Excellence website.

Book & Templates | Ordering | Gallery

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