Furniture Books

This book has an excellent assortment of photographs of antique country furniture. The pictures are very colorful and clear. They are great resource for those interested in recreating antiques. The projects were not that detail oriented. I would recommend this book for the ideas it presents through pictures.

This book has a lot of good ideas on ways to store things. The drawings are pretty basic however and you'll need to figure out how to construct many of the projects on your own. If you have a lot of clutter and can't seem to find place to keep everything, you'll benefit from this book.

An easy to use source for projects with many having multiple applications. The instructions are short, though better written and depicted than most I've used.

-
This is another in the generally terrific Black & Decker Portable Workshop series. Many of these books, including this one, deal with construction of sturdy wood furniture and/or accessories using mostly hand tools and lumber.

All these books contain a basic introduction to the tools, materials and techniques. They also contain many full-color photos of the finished projects and several steps in the construction, as well as exploded drawings and materials/cutting list.

Keep in mind that this is NOT a "fine-woodworking" book! You are not going to build any "heirlooms" (although if you take your time, they could be darn good). The projects in this book are simpler than that, made mostly from "1-by" and "2-by" lumber, using non-power hand tools, circular saw, jig saw, router, power sander and drill. (You will find a power miter saw useful, but not absolutely necessary. Likewise, for some projects, a table saw and band saw could come in handy, but are not required.) But if that's what you're looking for, it's a great project book.

The projects in this book include:

1) candlesticks
2) exterior light post
3) window seat
4) mirrored coat rack
5) jewelry box
6) game table
7) umbrella stand
8) kids' coat rack
9) dry sink
10) candy dish
11) two-tier bookshelf
12) mantel
13) window valance
14) pipe box
15) collector's table
16) knickknack shelf
17) plant stand
18) shadow box
19) picture frame
20) plate & spoon rack
21) vertical display cabinet

Anyone with the ability to work with basic hand tools and simple hand-held power tools should have no difficulty completing any of the projects in this book.

IMPORTANT: Some of the projects in this book also appear in other books in the series. If you are considering this book, you might want to look at the projects listed in the other books in the series. You might find that one book contains several projects you find interesting from this book, but includes an extra interesting project or two. For example, the window seat and mirrored coat rack appear in other books, but the exterior light post does not.

You won't go wrong with this book. But check the others in the series first to make sure you're getting the best one to suit your interests.

Now go build something... ;-)
-

You don't have to be an artist--satisfy your creative urges with this book. It isn't necessary to paint portraits or landscapes. Simple gometric shapes or "coloring book" figures (ladybug, tulip, heart) are easy and fun. Ordinary furniture or small wooden objects (treasure chest, stepstool) become charming parts of your own home, or special gifts. Make a mistake? Choose the wrong color? Paint over it! Have fun and get started!

THis is a very brief history of post-war furniture and lighting design to accompany an exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Design. There are 5 essays, each on a decade of design starting in 1950. They are succinct, very well written, and interesting in that they look at the more general history of the period as well as covering the design movements. However, they are so short that you can read them all in a single sitting, which is what I just did. As I am quite ignorent of design history, it was extremely enlightening for me - I now feel ready for a bigger meal. It was the ideal preparation for a project I am embarking on on design. Furthermore, there are wonderful photos and features on many famous objects, all of which have solid descriptions of what the design innovation represented and what is new about them. All in all, it is a masterful book even if I expected just a bit more.

Recommmended to beginners in the field and as a reference.

I am author of this book.

Be careful that you do not get the first printing of the book, which contained a great many errors in dimensions and drawings. This happened through a set of unfortunate circumstances that I should have guaranteed against. But, most of the first printing was destroyed and a corrected second printing was put out by the publisher with my full help and cooperation. When you get a copy of this book, check in the front cover to see if it is the first or second printing. If it is the first, don't use it- send it back and ask for a second printing.

The second printing has accurate instructions, drawings and dimensions for building a variety of attractive display cases to grace your living room. As well, the book has extensive instructions on different techniques for making wood frames to put glass into. The emphasis in the book is on adapting a given design to dimensions and techniques that work for you.

My deepest apologies to anyone unlucky enough to have gotten the first printing. For the record, I worked long and hard to correct the book and put it in the state of accuracy in which it now stands.

This book has great projects in it. The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is it's dated and the pictures look very 70s. The actual furniture is something that could be made and modified to look much better than the pictures. It's good b/c a youngster could make these projects themselves! All in all I would reccomend this book to anyone.

I thought that because I am a novice, I would be overwhelmed with new information, but alas that was not the case. I eagerly devoured the book when it arrived and was sorely dissapointed when I got to the last page. The book is written well and the photographs are lovely.

My only real beef with it was the amount of pages used to explain about different houses. I would rather have seen more rooms and furniture.

I thought the "The Art of the Miniature" by Jane Freeman was a better book, as it showed and explained more ideas for rooms, which I was more interested.

As usual, Patricia King offers brilliant alternatives to buyingexpensive, British imports. Her stoves and fireplaces, made from foundobjects and very cheap supplies, are masterpieces. This highly creative book is beautifully photographed and a worthy addition to three others written by Ms. King: 1) 'Making Dolls' House Furniture', 2) 'Making Victorian Dolls' House Furniture' and 3) 'Dolls' House Bathrooms-Lots of Little Loos'. She also made a do-it-yourself video, but I haven't seen it yet.

Another great book of this type is 'Making Period Dolls' House Accessories' by Andrea Barham. Her beautiful lighting fixtures can be wired for small-scale illumination. Many of the pieces shown are perfect complements to Patricia King's Victorian and Art Nouveau designs. None of the handmade collector items in these books are toys and all are too delicate for children to play with.