Furniture Books

I'm a big fan of Thomas Moser, although I think his furniture is priced a little over my league. So I thought I could make some pieces similar to his to replace the junky stuff I bought when I first got out of college. I bought this book because I liked the basic Shaker projects and I wanted to adapt them to my needs. This book is instructive in a generic sense (although I wish there would be a little more theory on chosing lumber, dimensioning the aprons and joinery, and building table tops) and it also has soom good projects, particularly in the Shaker style, although there are some contemporary and Craftsman style pieces as well.

I built the two variations of the table on the front cover. The first one I built with a drawer and finished it with Tried and True Oil Varnish. The second one I built without a drawer, shortened the aprons and finished with polyurethane. One thing he suggests is that you take your time when gluing up the legs and aprons to make sure that they are square. When I built the first table I measured for squareness then applied more pressure on the clamps. Being green to table building, I did not realize that this would throw off the squareness. It did, and by the time I realized it the glue was set. The moral of the story: the next time I used slow-setting white glue and took my time after the clamps were applied to meticulously test for squareness.

His best advice in the book is to not stain cherry, which I totally agree with. Cherry darkens nicely with age, so oil or polyurethane make it look very nice.

This book contains lots of information about building tables. There are several detailed plans, and not of just one style either. There are Shaker, Arts & Crafts and more styles. Small end tables, dining tables, ovals and glass topped tables.

As with most information from Taunton, it is very thorough. At the begining of the book is a section on the different ways to connect a table top to the base, and when you would want to use each.

Different methods are discribed in making the tables, and as usual for Taunton, there is a lot of hand tool usage.

I expect this to be a very useful book...and I look forward to trying a few of the projects. However, right from the start I find some misleading disappointments.

From the Intro chapter I quote: "If you own a table saw and a few fundamental hand tools, you'll do just fine." And then the very first project calls for a router, drill press, band or jig saw and a lathe. Sorry, but most medium-equipped work shops don't include a lathe.

Also, the Intro chapter presents five examples of "typical trestle tables" yet only the last project is in the trestle style, and it appears rather difficult...again calling for a lathe.

How about some honesty in the Intro section...as presented in the "Search Inside" found on the web page?

The text is clearly presented. I enjoyed the drawings but found I needed additional drawings that required careful calculations.

As a woodworker, I can say that Thomas Moser is a living legend in the world of furniture design. His thriving company is a testament to that. As a librarian, I am here to say that this book is invaluable to anyone interested in building Moser's furniture designs for themselves.

Thomas Moser's furniture, influenced heavily by the Shakers and Moser's own desire to create lasting quality, has become nearly a style unto itself. This book is his attempt to give amateur woodworkers the ability to copy his designs for their own homes.

What I really like about this book is that is spends zero time covering the basics of furniture building. To a beginner, this book might seem too sparse to be useful, but to anyone who has successfully built a piece of fine furniture, this book stands as a guide to producing many classics. With over 70 projects included, all with measured drawings and excellent attention to detail, this is a treasure trove for those who appreciate Moser's artistry. Though this book is not new (the designs in the book are mainly from the 70's and 80's), every one of these projects is still "in style" due to the classic Shaker influences in his designs.

I highly recommend this book to all furniture makers who want to copy a Moser piece and to any library wanting to collect in this area!

Moser's book has detailed drawings for many of the beautifully simple furniture products his company sells. The elegant proportions and simple lines are in a semi-Shaker style. Details are shown blown up with the project for minor details, or in an appendix for features (drawers, web frames) common to several projects.
Many color photographs of the finished pieces are given as well, but they are not working photos, they're more like sales photos to show what the finished piece is like.
This book is much more useful than some of the compilations of hundred-year-old plans that are available. Some of those are little more than measured drawings of the finished item. Recommended companion volumes are Taunton Press's "In the Shaker Style" for plans and Moser's "How to build Shaker furniture" for tips and techniques.
The drawings are accessible to an average-skilled woodworker but they are not plans as such, no cut-lists or instructions. I also have found additional construction details in the gorgeous sales brochures his company mails and on the Moser furniture web site.

With the advent of Duncan's new book 'Tiffany Lamps and Metalware' we have a NEW referrence guide that will surely replace 'Tiffany At Auction', also by Duncan. This will take place for two reasons - first - the cost of 'Tiffany At Auction' has become, like the lamps themselves, out of the reach of many prospective buyers and students of the Art Nouveau movement in America. Second - the new volume offers far more pieces to see so that those just getting into the collecting or the study of 'Tiffany' will be able to have a greater number of examples - both common and rare - that the individual may not have seen prior to this publication. A wonderful effort on the part of Mr. Duncan. And, at an affordable price!

This book is a stunning follow-up to Mr. Duncan's incredible "Louis C. Tiffany, The Garden Museum Collection". As a 30 year collector and enthusiast of the works of Tiffany I can confidently state that this volume will become an essential reference guide to any collector in this field and dramatically expands upon his "Tiffany at Auction" which was published over 25 years ago and is a highly sought after collector's item. The world of Tiffany collectors owes Mr. Duncan a huge debt for bringing us a seemingly endless series of spectacular books on this subject.
~Allen Michaan
President, Auctions by the Bay, Inc.

If you have Duncan's earlier book "Tiffany at Auction" and a reasonably complete collection of Sotheby's and Christie's auction catalogs for items made by the Tiffany Studios, then this book will not add all that much to your body of knowledge.
It's mostly a clever repackaging of earlier works by Duncan, including all the B&W photos from Tiffany's promotional materials.
Having said that, I still bought it because it brings together a lot of materials from both auction catalogs and earlier works by Duncan.
Donna, a one-time Tiffany collector in California

Many possibilities, different ways and methods of joining wood are beautifully illustrated in this book. However, so much information is provided that it can almost become confusing, depending on the person's level of expertise. Methods in making the joints are not shown, so this probably assumes a basic ability with hand or power tools.

This book can be used by all levels; from novices to professionals.

After borrowing this book from the library I realized that it is so full of helpful information that I am going to buy it to have it in my small home shop. I was surprised to see only two reviews so far for this book: The writing is clear and concise; the diagrams are very helpful. The only thing that I wish for is better photography. Don't get me wrong, the photos work well to support the text but they are some times "muddy" black and white images (I'm a photographer so I tend to be picky about this sort of stuff.). I am relatively new to joinery and find this book one of the best I've read - and I've read probably close to fifty woodworking books in the past several months.
If you are new to joinery like me I think you'll find this book one of your best tools.
Have fun.

My woodworking library is growing steadily, as is my stack of woodworking magazines. This is the most useful book on joinery I have read to date. It's not the prettiest (no color photos), but I find Sam Allen's several years' experience working in a furniture repair shop to be invaluable. He has seen many failed joints and analyzed the cause of the failure, and he describes these in the book. He describes the forces that joints are subject to, and how to design for them. The book is well-organized, and the drawings of joints are very clear. I disagree with a previous reviewer that methods are not shown...actually handtool methods and machine tool methods are both shown. Probably not every method known to man (you wouldn't be able to lift the book), but I think if you can see a drawing of a joint and read a description of it, you should be able to figure out how to cut it...that's part of the enjoyment.

It was actually my adult daughter who bought this magazine for her father for his birthday. She mentioned that she loved it very much and that she saw many projects she would like to undertake with her father. He is supposed to receive the magazine today for his birthday, so we'll see how he is looking at it.
Sorry, I can't add any link to this review, as my husband doens't have his present yet, nor has he had a chance to make a project. Though we are convinced, that he too will enjoy it very much.
Anyway, my daughter and I found it to be quite educational, well presented, and are looking forward to seeing some created results. The descriptions on how to make the furniture is so clear that anybody could follow them. Great job in putting this magazine together. Thanks!

I was skeptical about buying used books, but this was an attractive price. The book was shipped promptly and was in excellent condition.

Although many of the plans in this book are largely derived from Wood Magazine articles (I compared the Morris chair plans), I really appreciate two things they've done to enhance the original articles:

1. The book includes jigs such as a table saw tenon jig that makes it much easier to make Arts and Crafts furniture (with so many mortise and tenon joints). I built this jig before starting the Morris chair and it works well.

2. The combination of the multi-issue plans such as the Morris chair and its companion ottoman and coffee table. While the words are the same, they've reformatted them along with the pictures so it looks like a book rather than a reprint of old articles.

My only quibble is that they didn't use a lay-flat binding, so I have to put something on top of the open page or use a book holder to keep it open. With lay-flat bindings being readily available (e.g., O'Reilly books are a good example), I don't see why they don't use them for project books like this one.

My sister in law wanted this book for her Christmas gift. She is an antique appraiser. I was a bit unsure of ordering a used book for a present but when it came I was happily surprised to see that the book was in excellent condition. I will be pleased to give the book to her at Christmas. LD

Winterthur is THE finest collection of American Federal Furniture in the world, it is simply a singular collection. This book is very well conceived, the text is well researched and the images are crisp. Mr. Dupont was one of the first major collectors of American Furniture of the Federal Period, and he had a great eye for the best pieces. We are so lucky that he kept his beloved collection intact and he was generous enough to create a museum to showcase this spectacular collection and allow the public to appreciate the beauty of this amazing craftsmanship. American Federal Furniture is now some of the most expensive and sought after furnture in the world, but at the time Mr. DuPont began collecting it was not sought after at all, the wealthy wanted French Furniture, this was considered beautiful and American Federal Furniture was considered too understated, Mr. DuPont, because of who he was, really changed peoples mind on this style of furniture and we owe him a debt of gratitude for this. I recommend this book to anyone with a love for beautiful things.

This is one of the best books I've encountered on decorative paint effects.Sloan has a background in decorating and restoring old houses and is familiar with all the "authentic" techniques used to achieve certain effects, which inspires confidence in her instructions.

Photos of the effects and pitfalls you may encounter give the instructions much more clarity than most of the books on the subject.

The book is truely useful and lives up to the subtitle "a Practical Guide"

Truly one of my favorite books on my shelf. Annie provides lovely illustrations and simple instructions to guide you through basic and more detailed techniques Great project ideas too!

Most antique books will tell you the book value of antiques and how to discern the real thing from a forgery. This book is different. It is written by Genevieve Weaver, who is antique dealer with her own shop. She has formed her own philosophy which focuses mostly on the aestetic of antiques, instead of collecting for book value. She suggests buying for decorative value and practicality, having antiques around the house that you can use. Antiquing, as she will tell you, is a form of investment, because antiques, as long as they are in good condition, have positive resale value.
After Genevive has covered her personal philosophy, she teaches her readers about decorative techniques such as focal points and overscaling. Then gives hints about how to decorate various "problem" spaces, such as hallways and landings.
Lastly in this book, you are shown finished homes which are furnished with antiques, and different ways to go about collecting them. The entire book is wonderfully put together, with full-page, full-color pictures and poetically written text.

Having decided to furnish my house as if an adult lives there, I developed an interest in antiques. This book contains wonderful useful information about decorating with antiques. It even discusses how to use antiques in a modern decor. This is not a book for the collector/investor going after bargains and valuable pieces. It is for someone who will bring antiques into the home to enjoy! The photographs are stunning. They were the selling point, but text is just as good. The author discusses such topics as texture and pattern, mixing styles, anchor pieces, working with color, etc. The author also makes the case for decorating with antiques and provides information about buying from dealers. Easy and fun to read - full of useful practical information. I'm now hooked on antiques and buying with confidence.

I had expected more general treatment of the collectables, such as materials, form, etc., and perhaps less in the line of the Very High Priced items. Still, it is a good reference to get the general idea of Art Deco style. Great photos, and some amazing pieces in here. Couldn't beat the used price, either. (under $10.00)

This book is devided into eight chapters: furniture, textiles; glass; ceramics; jewlery; silver and metal ware; sculpture; and posters and graphics. Each chapter opens with an introductory overview that discusses the historical background of the medium and its place in the history of Art Deco. Profiles of the most important Art Deco designers and factories are given and then followed with examples of their work. Each page is filled with beautiful photographs of Art Deco objects and 2005 estimated prices.

Many books on the history of Art Deco and Modernism profile the same iconic pieces. These are works that are mainly in museums and in the hands of very wealthy collectors. The beauty of this book is that a potential collector can get an idea of the wide range of Art Deco pieces that are still readily available to be purchased.

The term Art Deco covers a wide range of material objects and this book should not be seen as a guide to help one determine the price of particular items. This book is a general reference and it is unlikely that one will find the exact items pictured in the book.

Finally, this book is published by DK and in usual DK fashion it is jammed with beautifully photographed objects. This book is a visual pleasure.

Economic anthropological study of a localized craft tradition. Dongyang wood carvers (but also carpenters and construction companies) have succeeded in esablishing a unique identity in national and international markets. It also helps us understand how the PRC's takeover and "socialization" of the woodcarvers' shops with their master-disciple traditions efectively destroyed the artistic autonomy of the craftsmen themselves.

This is an excellent first hand portrayl of the the Dongyang County in China. Eugene Cooper, USC prof., spent 6 months in China studying the Dongyang County. This book is worth the money.