Furniture Books

This book is essential in any home workshop. There is a jig for virtually every kind of job, and detailed instructions on how to make and use them.

The depth of knowledge covers the woodworking spectrum; history, design, tools, techniques and finishing, and LOTS of practical material. It has a design for the best router table I've come across, and the description of dove-tailing is perfect for a home woodworker.

The material on tool maintenance and understanding, and the extensive cross-referencing makes this a must-have book. You will not be sorry.

Overall this is an incredible resource for any level of woodworker. Mine will definitely be a dog-eared twisted mess in no time. The only thing that makes me crazy is the detail left off of the jig diagrams. For example, the cross-cut sled is a beauty. If you are patient enough to find little details spread across four different areas of the book, you will still be left without a few details you need to build the jig. It pains me to nitpick this great collection of info, but this is a cardinal sin when presenting plans.

The prior reviewers are correct in their criticisms about the vagueness of Engler's diagrams for jigs. The jigs also tend to be overcomplicated sometimes. I also found the sections on finishes and glue and adhesives to be incomplete and not as helpful as other sources ("Understanding Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner and "The Glue Book" by William Tandy Young).

Otherwise, this is the first source I consult when beginning a project. This book is a primer on most aspects of woodworking and worth having on your shelf.

Whether for the beginning woodworker or the advanced Master Carpenter, this book is a must have. It is a wealth of knowledge in one place, from types of wood to types of finishes for your project. In between, the book is jam-packed with helpful tips and general woodworking knowledge. I would recommend this book to anyone thinking about getting into woodworking and to the advanced woodworker as a reference.

I recently received Woodworking Wisdon and found the book very informative. The author has tried to cover all aspects of woodworking and for the most part has done an excellent job. The section entitled 'Making Wood Joints' is direct and easy to understand. With no woodworking experience, I am about to begin my first project and will keep the book in my shop for quick reference. The only drawback that I found was with the diagrams for the various jigs. They are quite hard to understand and the pictures don't properly explain the fundamental setup. Other than that I thought the book was great.

A great book about a even greater designer,
don't over look this one.

I just marvel at the grace and dignity of George and his work. The story of his life is just as interesting as his life's work. I do home remodeling and occasionally have the chance to make a piece of custom furniture for a client. I find his accomplishments truly amazing.

This is a superb book on George Nakashima, written by his daughter. It is a good complement to "Sould of a tree" written by Nakashima himself. While "Sould of a tree" looked at the furniture, "Nature form & Spirit" starts with the life of Nakashima and how he came to design all his furniture and the houses. It is not a technical book, but it gives an interesting insight on the philosophy and thinking process behind the designs. Much more than a coffe table book, an inspiration for all woodworking lovers

My husband has been wanting this book for a long time; it was recommended to us by an old friend of Nakashima. We've always loved his work, that which is at the Metropolitan Museum and also the arboretum library in Minneapolis, completely furnished with Nakashima's work. The book was no disappointment; we loved it. Truly he understood "the soul of a tree."

This was a gift to our son. He was thrilled to receive it and will continue to enjoy it for many years to come. He is a wood worker and is interested in all sorts of books about wood working and wood workers.

A nice book to have to briefly educate yourself on many styles of late 19th and early 20th century lamps. Not so much a reference book as it is a book of education.

What a great book. Full of history, photos, examples, tips for the search of these lamps as well as proper care and restoration. I can't wait until the author writes another one! I highly recommend it to anyone.

If you are looking for a book which has both an overview of different kinds of late 19th century and early 20th century American lighting and some practical advice on both buying and restoration; this is the book for you. It doesn't have everything; but a lot of good information, beautiful pictures and a price guide are included in its 142 pages. I like the way she has both original catalogue pictures and photographs. It's the best single book on the subject I've been able to find!

This book provides a good overview of vintage lamps (including both oil and electric) and some excellent photos of an assortment of these lamps. If you like lamps, it is a pleasant book to read because of the excellent photography and the fairly broad array of lamp styles found in the book. I was, however, disappointed that the author falls short in the basic research that collectors really need. The title says it is a guide for antique lamp buyers, but the book has not been particularly helpful to me when I have looked at buying different lamps. For example, look up Bradley & Hubbard's electric lamps in the index and it directs you to photos of a sconce made by B&H - no electric lamps. It tells you little about the company history, their identifying marks, the quality of their product, and which styles tend to be preferred. Despite these critical comments, this still is probably the best book on the market today. So, I would recommend this book to beginning collectors and people who just like to look at good pictures of lamps. For the more serious collector, you might want to wait until Nadja Maril or another author publishes a new and improved version.

If you need accurate and practial information about old lamps and light fixtures, this is the best book on the market. I refer to it all the time! The pictures are of excellent quality and the writing is clear and concise.

Have gotten a few here and although I'm just doing basic projects, these books are a great resource and provide tons of helpful information

The whole series of these book's (desks, bookcase, tables, beds) is a must for all woodworkers.

I built the Pencil Post Bed out of this book and will be working on another of the bed projects soon. I like the paperback style easy to read and comfortable to work with. The is a good mix of projects in these books some high end and some fairly basic, good detail on techniques and alternative constructive methods. Pictures are for the most part good. Only drawback in some places I'd like to see a bit more explanation in some places.

This book gave me the confidence to build a bed. I chose Jeff's most basic design and it went smoothly. I would not say this book is for the complete novice however. I had oversight from an experienced woodworker. Nevertheless, Jeff is a good writer with nice pictures. And opinions. The great thing about Tauton Press books is that they get experts to share their insights and opinions that you simply do not get from people like Time-Life

The projects range in style, and they are all pleasing.

An excellent book on bed construction. I built the pencil post bed that Jeff has in his book and the plans and advise were easy to follow. It came out looking great!

A good book for the beginner to the experienced woodworker. Excellent color pictures and instructions for each type of bed.

I recommend it highly to anyone who is going to think about building or commissioning a bed project.

Thanks Jeff if you read this!

I am in the process of finishing up the bed shown on the cover of this book. It is the first bed and biggest project I have ever made since I have a samll shop and limited tools. It turns out beautifully that even surprises myself. Jeff Miller gives detailed instructions, design and material list that makes the project a easy task. I happen to have a mortise machine that makes the mortises for the slats much easier and nicer. Also, after I visited a local store, I easily changed dimensions of the bed to suit personal taste. I really enjoyed making this bed.

Terrific book with the right information... Just so when you have two little girl grand children... Poppy will be very popular

This book is a fine representative in the "ultimate" series. It is entertaining, informative, and has wonderful illustrations of historical dollhouses. It will interest several audiences: the historian, the collector of antiques, and the hobbyist, who will find good ideas for building and furnishing his or her own dollhouse.

This book is wonderful to look at and very helpful. Especially if you want a period look or a very english look to your dollhouse, which is just what I was looking for. Great value for the money. I find myself looking through it all the time.

I purchased the original edition of Jean Nisbett's book years ago and absolutely loved it! There are lots of beautiful color photos throughout and useful tables in the book. She provides a handy metric conversion table, a fine description of the different periods of which most dollhouses are designed and decorated, and offers many projects for dollhouse components and accessories. I haven't yet looked through her revised edition, but I'm sure it can only hold more wonderful pieces of information, guidelines and ideas. Inspiring and useful!

I bought this book about a year ago. I have 8-10 doll house books now, and this is not one I look through very often. It is good for checking up details like which colour the wall papers usually had during the Victorian era, and some of the descriptions of how to make for example a fire look realistic are good, but many of the pictures are really boring and they dont make you wanna copy the design. There are lots of other books that are more inspirational.

I bought this book a while ago and have made several of the items in it including a couple of the cedar chests and the table. Overall this is a great book for beginners. The projects only require a circular saw a sander a jig saw and basic tools. This is a good introduction into woodworking. The stuff isn't fancy but it is homemade and that is a satisfying feeling to know that you made your own furniture.

I bought this book as a gift for my father and was very impressed by the patterns it had. There was a lot of practical things and that is what I had wanted. The price was great too!

That was the main allure for me. I went shopping and bought some nice hand tools to get started in woodworking. I figured that if I wound up not liking it, I would still have useful hand (power) tools for around-the-house type stuff. Well, I got hooked. You'll make some mistakes, and quickly see the value of a table saw, but you will see what you're capable of and hunger for more. Most of the projects are glued and screwed together, with plugs to conceal the screw holes, so "serious" woodworkers don't consider this a serious book. But it is nice because you get gratification fairly quickly. Even though these projects are built of high grade plywood and S4S lumber, they're still sturdier and higher quality than the cheap particle board crap that is sold at Wal*Mart. Give it a try. You'll like it. It will reel you into our world. ;)

It is a well written book with good instructions but I really did not see any of the project that I would want to build. I think a bit more imagination as well as some ways to dress up the projects would have made the book a bit more useful.

I bought this book for my boyfriend and it is well worth the money. There are many many projects - very practical ones like a night stand, table, bench, etc. But there are also projects like a wine cart and an island. ...

This book has helped me with multiple projects throughout the years. While some of the projects are not things I generally build, the collection of pieces throughout this book provide the fundamentals required to design and create almost anything. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn or simply needs ideas ... one of the best books I ever bought.

I first read this book as a beginner and now five years later I still refer to it and get ideas for more intricate projects. Very well edited so any one can read it. Because it has so many differant writers you get a lot of differant ideas

If you are looking for a book on fine furniture type cabinetry which will never be within the ability of the average homeowner, then get this book--it would look great resting on a coffee table. However, if you are looking for practical nuts-and-bolts information about construction of cabinets then buy Danny Proulx's book: "Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets".

I think the book is great for beginers as well as advanced woodworkers. I am a woods/cabinetry teacher. I have 25 of these books that I use as text books in my advanced woods classes. This is the second school I have used this book in. I have made a work book that covers the first half of the book asking the students to find many of the tips and techniques given in the book. The kids like the book more than an ordinary textbook because it gives information to them that they can use right now. Many of my students make these projects or we modify them to meet the needs of the students. I think it is a great book.

This book has helped me with multiple projects throughout the years. While some of the projects are not things I generally build, the collection of pieces throughout this book provide the fundamentals required to design and create almost anything. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn or simply needs ideas ... one of the best books I ever bought.

This is a very good book. It has many useful information and many beautiful pictures. I am really satisfied.

The cover is a bit deceiving. I wouldn't really call this "Contemporary Thai" as its a bit outdated now (printed in 2000) with examples of more traditional arts and crafts rather than whole interiors. However, it is a good source book to see what fabrics, ceramics, sculptures, table settings, etc. are made in Thailand.

It's a typically and exclusively fantastic book. It helps me study and learn a lot more about contemporary Thai style to start decorating 1 of the rooms in my house in that style. Highly recommend this book to all of readers and Thai-style or Asian-style fans.

I loved this book. It's a feast for the eyes, and is a great introduction to Thai style. While Japanese, Zen and Feng Shui styles have been overexposed lately, Thai style is a secret so wonderful, it won't be a secret much longer.

I bought this book in preparation for a vacation to Thailand. We planned to go on a shopping spree for household furniture and accessories while in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Our decorating style is contemporary with an Asian twist. BINGO, Contemporary Thai caught my eye. This book gave me an excellent introduction to the common handicrafts and furniture styles to look for. It includes an up-to-date resource list with addresses and web sites to purchase items shown in the book. If you covet any items but can't make the trip to Thailand, many of the resources can ship internationally.

After spending a month in Thailand, I realized that Contemporary Thai covers the full gamut of what's available there: Jim Thompson silks, basketry, celadon dinnerware, silversmithing, woodworking, woven textiles ... and the book gives you a glimpse of all these things displayed in gorgeous homes, gardens, hotels and restaurant settings. The quality of the homes and photography rivals what you can find in Metropolitan Home and Elle Decor. And, not only does the book show materialistic stuff (hey, I'm honest enough about what this is all about!), but it gives some cultural and historical perspective as well.

If you like Asian style, take a chance on learning about Contemporary Thai style.

I was in BORDERS BOOKS shopping for some audio tapes, and decided to check-out what was in the Home Decorating Section. I discovered this MARVELOUS book. I was captivated by the photographs on each and every page. For those individuals seeking design ideas, color options or furniture placement this is a MUST HAVE! The photographer did a marvelous job capturing the essence of Thai Design in the modern home. This is definately my next purchase when I go back to the book store.

This book provides simple descriptions about how to make doors and drawers. Although I have made a few in the past this book gave me some new ideas.

This is an excellent resource for coming to understand how to create different types of doors and drawers. Easy to understand and excellent pictures make it easy to use.

This book was great, gave me lots of ideas and helped me build a nice cabinet for my wife. Now she wants me to build the kitchen cabinets. very detailed book with lots of advice for keeping safe, what to look for and pretty much how to do everythng but the staining (I figured that I would look for another book for this).

The other reviewers covered the book well enough. I'm adding my 5 stars. Well written and a good reference.

I coupled it with 2 books from Jim Tolpin: " Building Traditional Kitchen Cabinets " and " Jim Tolpin's guide to becoming an pro cabinet maker ". Amazon has them, check them out.

They all fit well together. Enjoy.

The book should just be titled Cabinet Doors. It's very incomplete on the drawer section. Also you'll need another book to fill in the gaps. I was disappointed because it should have covered more information.

Everything that has been said does not need to be repeated. There is an art to finishing. There are many finishes that can be applied. The visual feel of the cabinet or table is extremely important. Knowing when not to refinish or what types of finishes are appropriate to the piece your making may be important to you. It is to me, and this book has helped.

As mentioned in the discription of this text, Jeff has a DVD and Video tapes if you need to "see one make one!" Jeff's one two punch is great. I can watch it and learn one way, then I can read about it to file more stuff in another part of my brain, then I can go ahead and make my mistakes, and check back with Jeff.

Great book for New Woodbutchers that want a guide on the journey through ever more expensive wood projects.

I found "understanding wood finishing" by Bob Flexner to be superior to this book, though I do own and sometimes refer to this book also. Sometimes 2 quality opinions help you average out the proper actions. I purchased them together, no regrets.

A must have for anyone that finishes wood. I refer to this every time I get ready to finish a project.

Perhaps I am the only one who gets confused when about finishing. The instructions on the back of the can never answer all my questions. Here is a complete, concise explanation of what combinations of preparation, staining finishing and polishing combine to give the desired results. Jewitt discusses laquers, varnishes, oils and has perhaps the best explanation of how to French polish shellac I have found.

This book covers hand finishes very well. I have other finishing books, but this one is the best. The topics are thoroughly covered, including diagrams and photos to help. Jewitt doesn't just cover one way to apply a finish such as shellac, he covers different ways to do it. And how to get different appearances from that finish (flat, satin, gloss). It's definitely made a big difference in the final quality of my projects.