Do you want to work with Hal Taylor on an existing project?
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Start nowI graduated from high school in 1965 and volunteered for the draft a couple years later. Almost a year after joining the army I found myself in Viet Nam. It was quite a sight for a Kansas boy that didn't leave my home state until I was 18 years old. …After the army I attended Kansas State College in Pittsburg Kansas, graduating with a degree in Biology. I combined my electronics training from the army with my degree and began working on electronic instruments used in the biomedical and bio chemical field.
I eventually ended up as manager of electrical engineering for a company in Woodbridge VA. Seven years later they promoted me to manufacturing manager. This was a job I loved, getting paid to figure out how to make things! From there I became a manufacturing consultant. It is this experience that I bring to the art of making a beautiful and exquisitely comfortable rocking chair.
I have been making rocking chairs for almost 20 years. During that 20 year period I have been constantly developing means and methods of making a rocking chair more and more comfortable. I have taught almost 1000 people through my "Rocking Chair University" program where I teach in house and also have materials available (book, video and templates) with which folks can make their own rocking chair.
People who own "Hal Taylor" rocking chairs include, HRH Prince Charles of England, Sam Maloof, Dave Matthews and Hal Needham (Stunt man hall of fame). There are a lot more.
I have sold chairs over much of the world, including France, Australia, China, Canada, The Virgin Islands, England and Ireland.
Many of my students sell chairs on the internet now, which helps to keep me "on my toes"!
Service areaThe World
ShippingWorld
English Walnut Rocking Chair
$6,000 - $7,000
Hal at Work
$6,000 - $20,000
English Walnut Rocking Chair
$6,000 - $7,000
Rocking chairs for "Tall Peopl…
$6,000 - $7,000
George Washington Rocking Chai…
$20,000
Bubinga Rocking Chair
$7,000 - $8,000
Cutting leg joints in the seat
Cutting out back leg for rocking chair
Cutting the blocks for the front leg/arm transition.
An explanation of why I rout my rabbet joints with the chair seat in a vertical position.
I spent a week with Hal Taylor in October 2008 when he taught me how to make his rocking chairs. Hal was an excellent teacher and was very generous, willingly sharing all of his tricks and techniques. Hal's rocking chairs are truly exquisite pie...ces of art and have to be seen in the flesh to be properly appreciated. The chairs are extremely comfortable due to his development of the flexible back braces. The quality of the figured hardwoods used, his workmanship and attention to detail is remarkable. Hal continues to develop his design and when I visited him recently his chairs were even more beautiful than before due to subtle changes in the shape of the arms. In my opinion Hal Taylor is one of the foremost rocking chair makers in the world today. His chairs will be sought after by future generations.
show more ↓ show less ↑Recommendation number one pretty much said it all, except a few small details. I have had the pleasure of working with Hal on several occasions. Namely to help him accumulate a few pieces for one of the trade shows which he used to attend, back in t...he day, and also around Christmas time, when he knew that I was available, and had to get some orders ready for Santa. Hal has asked me for a little back up and moral support, not that he really needed any help, but because he was ready to share his knowledge once more. Each one of Hal's chairs is a work of art and when he mentions that his rockers are of museum quality, he really means it. Flawless is the achievement which he continually aims for, and certainly nothing he builds is less than first class. The book matching of the wood grains in the final product is intrinsic to the beauty of the piece. What can I say, except that a visit with Hal is always an education of sorts, not necessarily about chair making ! His love of knowledge is deep and broad and that not just a few of his buddies call him Universal Hal for nothing ! Personally I am just proud to know him.
show more ↓ show less ↑Even before he grew a beard, Hal made furniture that was both beautiful and functional. But his chairs are also comfortable! Ours, made of georgous curly cherry, is the furniture highlight of anyone who visits our house. Yet, the absolute test is to... sit in it -- for a short rock, a TV program, or a long read. It’s truly comfortable even when you shift positions. Personally, I find it an ideal seat for meditation. And now, there’s no telling how much Hal’s chairs have evolved since he grew the beard.
show more ↓ show less ↑Hal Taylor is a creative genius who makes the most comfortable rocking chair I have ever sat in. He knows his stuff like none other. I believe he has taken Sam Maloof's place as America's best rocking chair maker. You will have a chair of value th...at will be passed down from generation to generation. All this and he is a decent man with values of times past where a man's word is his word and fair is fair. It is a pleasant task to recommend him to anyone who might be thinking of a custom made rocking chair.
show more ↓ show less ↑Hal Taylor is, without a doubt, a master craftsman with an eye for detail and a desire for perfection. He refers to himself as the “other” rocking chair maker, a clear allusion to the art and craft of the late Sam Maloof for whom Hal has great af...fection. No doubt he follows in the tradition that Sam exemplified. After deciding to make his living making rocking chairs some 20 years ago, Hal has made over three hundred. As might be expected, he made his first for his daughter Rachael. That accomplishment became the impetus to focus his efforts on designing and making beautiful rockers. And following the tradition of many accomplished artists, Hal decided to share the knowledge gained over the years with others. As a result, he has offered seminars and has written a book (DVD) and produced a three-set DVD video. His templates are drawn with the same precision that his chairs exhibit. In all facets of his work, Hal does not cut corners. He is truly an artist- in more ways that one for he paints and sculpts as well. In his book, Hal uses an informal style and quickly reveals that he enjoys what he’s doing - whether demonstrating, teaching or sharing his knowledge and wisdom. While communicating with ease, he spins out his yarn and easily provides a comfort zone for his readers, both amateurs, hobbyists or gifted professionals. He achieves this with humor on one hand and attention to detail on another - but always mindful of his ultimate goal: making beautiful rocking chairs. Many of Hal's students have pursued the craft of making rocking chairs very successfully. A simple Internet search shows just how influential he has been. I have reviewed his book thoroughly and watched his DVDs with delight. Last year we spent nine days in our workshops (six in his and three in mine) making a rocking chair for my son. He is truly inspiring.
show more ↓ show less ↑Ronnie Hubbell wrote: Without a doubt my Walnut rocker is my most prized piece of furniture that I own. It is the focal point of my living room. The impeccable craftmanship and attention to detail and design is nothing short of musem quality. After researching Hal's legen...dary history of "building the worlds most comfortable rocking chair", I made the decision to visit him for a week to learn whatever he was willing to teach me about building rocking chairs. I can tell you that the only facet of the experience that is even more valuable than my beautiful chair, is the friendship that I now have with Hal. I have learned that the real beauty of this chair goes far beyond the awesome appearance.The design and engineering that Hal has evolved into this chair is incredible. Even if you have no personal interest in learning the craft itself, I can tell you that just adding a Legendary Hal Taylor Rocking Chair to your home decor will be an investment you will be proud of. Ronnie Hubbell
show more ↓ show less ↑Peter Atkin Rocking Chairs, England wrote: I first came across Hal's Rocking Chairs at 'Chairs 2004' a specialist event in England where the finest chair makers from across the world were invited to attend and I am very thankful that I did! I subsequently became Hal's first student from En...gland to attend his'Rocking Chair University' in 2006. I am very indebted for Hal's approval for me to make his designed Rocking Chairs available in England. I am also very grateful to Hal for all his enthusiastic teaching, intelligent insight and his attention to detail that is all based on a desire to produce the highest quality product. He is a very generous, warm, and humorous family oriented man. His desire to make Rocking Chairs of museum quality and no doubt antiques of the future, has in my opinion already been achieved a long time ago but he has not stopped there. He continues to look forward with new innovations and improvements to his design. In an article covering the 'Chairs 2004' event, Colin Eden-Eden the then editor of 'Furniture & Cabinetmaking' the UKs premier furniture making magazine, said of Hals Rocking Chair :- " It is the most comfortable wooden chair I have ever sat in " What more can I say! I thoroughly recommend Hal Taylor, Rocking Chair Maker Extraordinaire and Hal Taylor - Rocking Chair University. I can say more actually, he is still there, either via email or at the end of the phone, always willing to help and solve any problem or queries I may have. Thank you Hal and Best wishes to you and your family from Sheffield England. 30th June 2011
show more ↓ show less ↑Ted Monk wrote: There's a comment on Hal's website, www.haltaylor.com, by Colin Eden-Eadon, the Editor of "Furniture & Cabinet Making", Britain's premier furniture making magazine, that states "This is the most comfortable wooden chair I ever sat in!". Even though t...his was a statement made by someone else I thought that it was still just a shameless, self-marketing tactic. That was until I had a chance to sit in one of Hal's chairs. From the sculpted seat and arms that envelope you to the spring back that molds to your every movement these chairs are literally, beyond your imagination. Not only are these chairs comfortable they are also a sight to behold. The way that each piece blends perfectly with another, how the grain accentuates and creates flow, how the warmth of the wood projects from a flawless finish, all merging in a symmetry (a symphony?) of motion that demands you to reach out and touch it. I had a chance to spend a week with Hal at his Rocking Chair University, www.rockingchairuniversity.com, and within that short time I quickly found that this quality and perfection does not come by chance. Hal is a skilled craftsman, in the truest sense of the word. His care for detail is only surpassed by his strict adherence to construction practices that guarantee not only a piece of art but a piece of art that is built to be admired, that is built for use and built to be passed down from generation to generation. Hal's rocking chairs are truly pieces of art... and the most comfortable too, indeed!
show more ↓ show less ↑Norman and Kate Levin wrote: We acquired our first rocking chair in the 90's, and since then we have added two more. These are the most remarkable chairs we have ever seen or experienced. The back of the chair molds to your back and the finish and feeling of the chairs are indes...cribable. People marvel at these chairs when they visit our home and never fail to ask about them. They are treasures to be enjoyed year after year. The care and craftsmanship that go into each chair gives them the look and feeling of a work of art.
show more ↓ show less ↑You have Hal Taylor has not expressed interest in.
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