My name is Charles Brock, and it's my pleasure to recommend to you the tools on this page for use in constructing your own sculptured rocking chair. While many different tools and techniques can be used to accomplish the various woodworking operations involved in building a sculptured rocking chair, these are the ones that I have found work the best for me after much trial and experimentation as I built a number of rockers. With each tool listed here, there is a link that will allow you to purchase the tool directly from Highland Woodworking without having to hunt around and possibly get the wrong one.

For anyone who has already bought my Sculptured Rocker Plan Bundle, there are opportunities to ask questions and get feedback at Chuck's Studio, which can be found at my website at charlesbrockchairmaker.com.

Best of luck as you pursue the dream of building your own beautiful sculptured rocking chair.

Build a Sculptured Rocker
Plan Bundle

Everything you need to know to build a sculptured rocking chair

American manufacturer Whiteside Machine Company has partnered with us to provide their
top-of-the-line carbide bits for each of the custom router operations in building your chair.

Whiteside Leg and Seat Router Bit Set

Matching rabbet and rounding over bits are a must for crafting the seat-to-leg joinery. This 1/2" shank matched set of Whiteside bits makes it easy.

Whiteside Spiral Flush Trim Bit

Use this 1/2" x 2" long cutting surface spiral bit at the router table to make two identical back legs from your pattern. This spiral-cutting bit by Whiteside makes easy work of tricky grain changes.

$92.99

Set of all 3 chairmaking bits

Save by purchasing as a set of 3 the chairmaking bits described at left.

Auriou Rasps are simply the world's finest. Their hand stitched, random teeth cut aggressively yet very smooth.
The three Auriou rasps below form the ideal set for sculpting your rocker. Buying them as a set saves $24.98.

Set of all 3 Auriou Rasps   $349.99

ALBI Combination 10 inch #5 and #9 Rasp

The ALBI Combination 10 inch #5 and #9 Rasp is great for shaping the long contours of the back leg and spindles.

12 inch #10 Cabinetmaker's Rasp

The 12 inch #10 Cabinetmaker's Rasp is flat on one side, half-round on the other for shaping of your rocker's rounded-over and concave surfaces.

7 inch #13 Modeler's Rasp

The 7 inch #13 Modeler's Rasp is flat on one side and half-round on the other. It beautifully cleans and refines the rocker's details.

Bevel Gauge

The bevel gauge is the first tool I use in the DVD and my standard for setting and maintaining the important angles and bevels you need to cooper your seat and provide the back leg splay. It also has a 12" rule on the reverse side making it handy for band and table saw set-up.

6" Woodworker's Fractional Dial Caliper

This Highland Woodworking original makes it easy to measure every detail in the shop and especially the thickness and depth of your rocker's seat tenons. Then easily transfer the measurement to make the corresponding table saw cuts in the leg joints. I have several of them in my shop.

Attach a Saburr Tooth carbide wheel and you have the perfect tool for rough shaping the contours of the sculptured rocker's seat bowl and pommel and other elements. Features: 6 amps, 10,000 RPM, 5/8" spindle

Saburr Tooth 4" Donut Shaped Extra-Coarse Carbide Wheel

Use with your grinder to shape your rocker's contoured seat. You will need to choose your grinder's spindle size (5/8" or 7/8") for this favorite cutter.

TXH440 Industrial Foredom Kit

This is the "hoss" of the Foredom family of flex shaft tools. You can install a wide assortment of 1/4" shaft carbide burrs for quick power sculpting of the rocker's details.

Foredom Benchtop Speed Control

Specially matched to the TXH Foredom, the bench top control makes it easier to set a consistent sculpting speed without having to re-position the foot pedal and maintain constant pressure.

Miller Dowel Drill Bit

Part of the beauty of the design is the use of ebony plugs to celebrate the reinforcement of joints with screws. I use the Miller Dowel TruFit stepped bit, 1XJ. Its overall length is 5". You just need the bit. You will make your own ebony plugs.

Lie-Nielsen 271 Router Plane

The perfect hand tool for fitting the leg's dados to the seat's tenons. A must!

Small Curved Scraper Set

Seven thin, small scrapers used for the final shaping and surfacing of most of the rocker's concave surface details. A must have for sculpting your rocker!

Patternmaker's Wood Vise

Holds your arm, leg, headrest or spindle in position for sculpting. It helps enormously to have an easily adaptable vise to hold these odd-shaped pieces. This will be the "go-to" vise in your shop!

Luthier's Friend Precision Sander

Mounts on your drill press and serves as an economical solution for precise sanding of the rocker laminations before gluing up.

$159.99

Festool RAS-115 4-1/2" Rotary Sander

Use after or instead of the angle grinder with 24 grit Saphir paper and optional hard pad to sculpt and shape the seat's contours. Most importantly, used with Festool dust collection, you can spare your lungs from inhaling all that harmful dust!