Master rocking chair maker, Hal Taylor, has released a new version of his book, How To Make A Beautiful Rocking Chair!

I recently had the opportunity to have a look at it and let me tell you, if you plan on making a rocking chair this book is a must have! It includes all of the latest updates and improvements that Hal has made over the last 12 years, both in the construction of the rocking chair and in the methods used.

Hal Taylor has been making beautiful rocking chairs for the past 15 years (to date he has built around 300 of them!) and this book is a culmination of his rocking chair building experience. It is the step-by-step guide to building his world famous rocking chairs.

With about 230 pages this new book is almost 100 pages longer than the previous version and includes sections on alternative back brace construction methods, rocker theory and grain matching techniques as well as new jigs and fixtures for cutting the headrest, arms and legs.

The first thing that I noticed about this new book is the amount of photos it has. Each step is accompanied by one, and sometimes more than one, photo, clearly giving a visual perspective to Hal’s carefully crafted explanation. It’s easy to see exactly what he is referring to and what you need to achieve. You can see what I mean here:

There are also a lot more in-depth explanations, for example, coopering the headrest now includes several new pages which explains this important part in a lot more detail. Likewise with the rocker and back brace assemblies. Other areas have been completely rewritten to incorporate the changes and refinements that Hal has perfected over the course of building almost 300 rocking chairs.

This book is more than just information on building a rocking chair. It includes techniques, tips and observations that Hal has made over the years. There’s sections on pushstick theory (yep, pushstick theory), how to save time with your jointer using angle fixtures, make your clamp handles easier to use, how to properly glue joints and set pinch dogs. There’s also new fixture plans and of course, the indispensible Chair Building Checklist is included.

I can’t get over how much this book is like having Hal by your side, guiding you through each step. It reminded me so much of my visit to Rockingchair University last fall!

Again, if you ever planned on building a rocking chair this is the book you need! You can find out more information on how to get your own copy of How To Make A Beautiful Rocking Chair here.

(I have just a few more projects left to finish and then I’ll finally be starting to build my own rocker. I know that I’ll be referring to this book a lot!)

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