Furniture Books

Just about anything and everything you ever wanted or needed to know about upholstery is in this book. Photographs and descriptions of professional tools,

The book starts by teaching about style through the ages with the help of period drawings and paintings... then a walk through materials and techniques. Even a list of addresses of suppliers of professional upholstery supplies is provided. This is an essential reference for anyone thinking about upholstering anything.

I agree entirely with the reviews of this admirable book. But the buyer should be aware that it's an English publication and all the sources for supplies etc are British. As one who is having a tough time finding American suppliers of materials suitable for antiques who are willing to sell retail, I'm finding that's a fairly big gap.

Here is a fun read and a valuable resource for anyone with an interest in traditional woodworking. The book is worth buying just for the superb pencil illustrations. I have bought several of Aldren Watson's books, he is clearly a man of exceptional talent.

Truly one of the best instructional/reference books on early American country style furniture published in the last 50 years. Although the book covers some basics it is more geared to the intermediate to advanced skilled craftsman. It features over 250 pages of detailed text, illustrations and diagrams. The book has over 300 detailed pencil drawings by the author and has wonderful instruction and history of country furniture craft technique.

This is an excellent book for those who want to take their woodworking to a very high level of craftsmanship.

Mr. Stevens attended the College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking program. That program was created by Jim Krenov and consequently they still recommend that every student read A Cabinet Maker's Notebook. This book should be what you read after you are done with Mr. Krenov's books. It fills in many of the gaps with detailed, color, high-quality photos and well written text.

I've had the pleasure of attending the three week Tools and Techniques class at the College of the Redwoods. This book almost could be a syllabus for the class because it follows their class so closely. (There are several topics missing however, notably creating a frame and panel door and making drawers.)

There are several things that are done by Mr. Stevens (and the College) that seem to be more drawn out than needed. For example, Mr. Stevens uses dowels/bamboo skewers in place whilst veneering panels. Seems to be a bit overkill; I've never had a problem with veneer sliding around when just good ol'blue painters tape is used. Also, a Festool circular saw along with a Festool saw guide makes quick work of straightening the edge of a veneered panel. (A Festool circular saw and guide will leave a pristene edge.)

This is a book about how to make beautiful furniture from one of the most meticulous craftsmen working today. I've taken a 2 week class with Craig, and his careful, considered approach to every step of furnituremaking shows through wonderfully in this book. He uses coffee tables as a teaching tool to show you how wood should be treated - like a precious resource deserving of your best efforts to turn it into something astonishingly beautiful.

This is the book to get. I used to watch Joe on the PBS series, and let me tell you that the "spit coat of shellac" is the trade secret that makes all the difference. This book is truley instrunctional and fun to read.

This is the first book I've purchased on finishing. I found it to be extremely informative and well written. I have watched the author previously on TV as one of the "Furniture Guys". He injects just enough humor to not detract from the subject, and he puts a lot of emphasis on safety which can be critical with not only finishing but all woodworking.

Excellent Book. The chapters on tuning hand planes together with the information on Japanese chisels is superb. The improvements I made to my Record #05 have made the world of difference to it's performance. The chapter on making an ebony spokeshave, using the blade made by Ron Hock certainly made me think.

I just wish there was more available from this author.

His explanations are clear and understandable. I finally was able to successfully edge joint two boards after reading his explanation. I just finished a spokeshave following his instructions, and it works better than any of my store-bought ones! I hope he publishes more books.

Lots of gorgeous color photos showing ways to spice up your garden with objects such as steel wire garden furniture, mirrors, and other unique items. What fun. -Linda Fry Kenzle, author of Gathering

I've got 5 pages bookmarked for inclusion in our gardens! That should say it all, but just in case, here goes.

There are a lot of books with garden decorating ideas out there, but it's rare that you find a book of this caliber. The ideas, the photography and the writing are all exceptional.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone who loves spending time in their garden.

Donna Dewberry is an amazing artist who shows you step by step how to create beautiful decorations on furniture in your home. Decorative Furniture was written with the beginner painter in mind. Everything is made simple, and it starts from square one.

Decorative Furniture starts out by showing you what materials you will need to complete every project in the book. Amazingly, it isn't a huge list of materials. Donna Dewberry strives for simple, yet extraordinary projects. She also shows you what brushes are needed and how to load them with paint.

This book also covers basic one-stroke painting techniques, such as how to make a vine, leaf, or flower. Even if you already know the one-stroke painting techniques, this serves as a very useful reminder of how things should look.

My favorite part of this book is how it teaches you how to do special effects such as giving a piece a textured look, such as the project on page 32. I plan to start this one soon!

As with all Donna Dewberry's books, don't feel that the projects are only for furniture. You really can use the same techniques, and patterns on nearly anything you wish to paint!

Great book for anyone who thinks they can't paint freehand! Donna Dewberry is the master of instructional simplicity when it comes to showing just how easy it is for anyone to do decorative painting. A+

im not an industrial designer, but i bought this book because of the price, and it has a lot of examples, ill use it as a interior background, you should buy it

Interior design libraries and public lending collections catering to home designers will welcome DesignDesign: Furniture & Lights, a collection of innovative works by a range of designers intended to provide a sourcebook of inspiration and redecorating options. Color photos of chairs, breeze units, light-up acrylic wall lamps in squares or rectangles, and more offer the trendiest of design options suitable for both home and business spaces and accompany design options with notes on construction and effect. A wonderful resource any design library will be happy to display.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I had the opportunity to read this as I was stuck at a party and it was on the coffee table... What a treasure! While I had some very basic knowledge of the impact of shape and color in domestic spaces, this book clarified that which I thought I already knew then expanded upon it tremendously after establish a solid vocabulary.
A great book for any homeowner or anyone interested in design and interior spaces.

This collection of thirty young designers' work is inspiring. Their ideas are diverse, compelling, and innovative, just what you hope a showcase like this would be. Each designer is represented by a short statement and a handful of photographs of project, and this is accompanied by a handful of essays and designer biographies too.

The connective thread through this talent is that the designers are women. That is as light a touch as the editor seemed to want to put on it - it is not a dogmatic approach like "women design in this way..." although you could point to a certain continuity of elegance, of wit, it would be difficult to argue (and the book doesn't try to force the point) that these necessarily are gender issues in design. In fact I think that the opposite and more optimistic point is where the book really succeeds - that contemporary women designers are creating such a diverse, multithreaded output that attributing certain inevitable characteristics merely to gender might be a limiting approach.

This is an excellent book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in contemporary design.

The inserted sections show 16 color fullpage photos with
144 pages of practical instruction on fun project examples.
Lots of black and white illustrations detail assembly steps.
Dimensions of basic furniture and required wood pieces are listed.
Examples are often outdoor furniture. The skill level is
basic.

Readers with a ready access to driftwood will find this an ideal crafts guide to using driftwood as a building material. Tables, benches, arbors and more can created easily through these step-by-step instructions, which include listings of tools and materials needed. An excellent furniture-maker's guide.