Hal,

I want to thank you for taking the time to put together the plans for this most comfortable of rocking chairs. As a woodworker, these two chairs have been the most satisfying projects that I have ever done. The sense of accomplishment this gives me and the joy the recipients get from this chair makes all the work well worth the effort.

Recently I got a great deal on some waterfall bubinga. It’s absolutely beautiful wood. My next chair will be made from this material and is slated for my wife. I can’t wait to get started on this one.  Scott L.

What tools do you need to make this rocking chair?

A woodworker can never have too many tools and if necessary I am available to write notes home to your wife explaining the necessity of a particular tool. If you really need it I charge $1.00 per note. If, in my opinion, the tool is not absolutely essential, I charge $10.00. This is a basic list and does not, of course include every single item.

	You need a pretty good table saw. This is a very nice one, in my opinion. What is often times as important as the brand of the saw is the blade you are using. The only blade I have used for the last ten yars or so has been a Tenryu.
	It would be very difficult to get along without a band saw as well. I hope yours is a little newer than this one but it is a great pic. I use a Jet that is a copy of a Delta which is a copy of a Grob Brothers. If your band saw does not have the capacity to cut 7 or 8 inches tall, you might look around for a place that will let you use their band saw for cutting the headrest. That is the only cut for which you will need the 8" clearance. Just like your table saw, the blade you use here is very important. There is no better blade than the Diamond band saw blade (Sterling). The difference in the quality of the band sawn surface and tracking is hard to believe.
	You will need a pretty good drill press; this is a very nice one. The reason for showing this photo is, what ever drill press you use, it is a terrific idea to build a table about 1/2 this size because you will be cutting some fairly akward parts and having a nice base for a good sized drill press vice helps a lot.
	A good jointer is very nice to have. This happens to be exactly the model that I use, a long bed six inch Powermatic. Is it great? No but it is more than adequate for the job. Most jointer manufacturers these days have gone to a fence mechanism that is nearly impossible to set to a specific angle and then back exactly to 90 degrees in less than 45 minutes! I do highly recommend using a "helical cutter head". They are better in more ways than I have room to list here.
	A good router (or two or three) is required, with a half inch shank. You will require a plunge router to execute back brace holes in the seat. This is my favorite brand but they change every year so the best this year may well be one of the worst the following year. (Same with everything else in the woodworking machinery world these days)
	Every woodworker should have one of these, a VERITAS BEVEL UP PLANE. They are the finest planes made today and my sentiments are echoed by MANY experts in the world of planes. The blade is held more securely in this plane than any other ever made. AND you can leave your hammer in the drawer, thank you very much, if adjustment of the blade is required. Two elegant set screws allow incredibly accurate adjustment of the blade. One never has to hit this plane with a hammer! I tell woodworkers that if you have any Lie Nielsen planes you can sell them, buy two of these babies and still have enough money left over for a boat and a trip to the movies with your sweetie!
	I have been using, and abusing, one of these Bosses for going on 12 years and it still runs like a top. Before that I bought three Ryobis in a three year period! There are a lot of different models that work quite well, Jet makes a great one.