VII. Country Furniture and Projects
Projects for Woodworkers Vol. I & II
Woodworker's Journal
Madrigal Press, 1987
These two volumes are full of useful projects such as a cabinetmaker's bench, library stool, bud vase, stepped back hutch, and many more, including small projects. All of them are relatively easy to build and do not require advanced skills. The plans are well-done and easy to use. I have made several.
Country Woodcrafts You Can Make
Wood Magazine
Meredith Books, 1992
These woodcrafts range from a simple scoop to Shaker chairs and a buffet. The plans are well-presented and easy to use. The drawings, both flat and exploded, are excellent. There are a great variety of plans that may be used without difficulty.
Country Pine: Furniture You Can Make With Table Saw and Router
Bill Hylton
Rodale Press, 1995
As Hylton states in the Introduction, "Simple is Best." This is an excellent collection of approximately 26 projects that range in difficulty from easy to slightly more difficult. Included are display shelves, benches, footstools, desks, chests, etc., all popular. All have cutting lists and excellent illustrations. In addition, there are what Hylton calls "Shop Smarts". These are sidebars - some extensive - with full explanations of how to complete various procedures. Hylton's instructions of Milk Paint and painting in general are excellent. The projects are "simple", fun, useful, and not beyond the beginner. I have used the book extensively.
Handcrafted Cabinetry
Robert Yoder
Readers Digest Assoc., 1999
This book is a series of projects designed by 11 well known woodworkers such as Lonnie Bird, Jim Michaud, and Glenn Bartock. The plans are well laid out, the instructions clear, and the illustrations complete. Despite the clarity of everything, I would not recommend any of the projects to a beginner.
Illustrated Cabinetmaking
Bill Hylton
Rodale Press, 1998
Hylton has made more than a plan book although there are many interesting projects to be built here. His idea, which he successfully implements, is to instruct the reader on how to use his/her own skills. Hylton includes design here as a necessary precursor to actually cutting pieces out and assembling them. His instructions include using combinations of joints, subassemblies, etc., as well as how to alter appearances from plans. The illustrations are excellent and the text easy to follow.
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VIII. Cabinetry
Display Cabinets You Can Customize
Jeff Greef
Betterway Books, 1995
This is an excellent work for the intermediate to advanced woodworker. What Greef means here is to use plans and change them to suit particular needs and circumstances. He uses projects to illustrate types of furniture and to illustrate tips and techniques on how to achieve results.
Making Flawless Cabinets and Built Ins
Nick Engler
Rodale Press, 1998
Engler has an excellent "how to" text here. Not only does he show how to design and build cabinets and other furniture, but his shop tips and sidebars show how to do things quickly, easily, and well. To me, this is a must for beginners.
Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets
Danny Proulx
Popular Woodworking Books, 1997
Fast & Easy Techniques for Building Modern Cabinetry
Danny Proulx
Popular Woodworking Books, 1999
These books are basically two of a kind. Proulx is noted for his hands on approach and for his excellent explanations. These two books discuss using modern materials such as MDF and melamine coated particle board for kitchen or other cabinets including free standing. Proulx also shows how to use quick connect and other modern hardware. Because the instructions and explanations are complete, any level of woodworker will have no trouble completing projects.
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IX. Furniture Making
This section is about specific styles of furniture: Arts & Crafts, Shaker, and Country Style.
Building Arts and Crafts Furniture
Paul Kemmer and Peggy Zdila
Sterling Publishing, 1997
Kemmer and Zdila both really enjoy Arts & Crafts furniture and wrote a book to celebrate that enjoyment. This book is the result and is aimed squarely at the amateur woodworker. There is a well-written and illustrated chapter on the history of the movement, an excellent gallery, and an interesting section on "Art and Philosophy of Wood Selection." The section on instruction is somewhat limited in scope for a book of this type, unless the amateurs are well advanced. Although I have built Arts & Crafts, and with assistance from this book, I found the book useful primarily for the pictures from which I could modify my projects. The authors assume too much knowledge.
American Country Furniture: Projects from the Workshops of David T. Smith
Nick Engler and Mary Jane Favourite
Rodale Press, 1990
This book is two things. First it is a celebration of the work done by Mr. Smith, et al, in his well-known shop near Warren. Ohio. There is a short biography and a brief section on design. It is obvious that Engler and Favourite thoroughly enjoyed their time at the shops, which actually make up a small village. Second, the country pieces featured, all authentic and all excellent reproductions including wear marks, are fully illustrated with photographs and exploded drawings. All of the procedural plans are detailed. There is a small gallery of furniture and a good chapter on "Tools, Materials, and Techniques". I have not yet built anything from this book but I yearn to.
These next few books were purchased solely for their drawings and plans. Although they were picked up over a period of time, they are essentially a unit. I thoroughly enjoy Shaker style and the Shaker sites still extant.
Making Shaker Furniture
Barry Jackson
Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications
This is not a very useful book for me. Although the pieces chosen are well illustrated and the drawings detailed, everything is in metrics as the author is British. Being used to inches and feet, I find it a nuisance to convert millimeters to "standard" measurements. Nevertheless, the pieces are good and I have used the book to make projects.
In The Shaker Style
Editors of Fine Woodworking
Taunton Press, 2001
As one would expect from FWW, this compendium of projects done by well-known woodworkers is readable, highly workable, and very useful. The techniques, projects, and styles are handsomely illustrated and thoroughly explained. I purchased this primarily for the techniques and illustrations.
Making Authentic Shaker Furniture with Measured Drawings
John G. Shea
Dover Publications, 1992
Shea's book was purchased primarily for the drawings that include almost every type of furniture, boxes and built ins, made by the Shakers. The drawings are extremely well done and easy to use. Shea's section on the construction and design of Shaker furniture is excellent. The almost obligatory history section is also very well done.
Shop Drawings of Shaker Furniture and Woodenware, Vol. 1, 2, 3
Ejnar Handberg
Berkshire Traveler Press, 1991
As Handberg states in his preface, ". . . this is a collection of measured drawings made to scale and with dimensions and details accurately copied. . " These three small volumes have 80 pieces which covers almost everything the Shakers built. The plans are simply done, line drawings, not photographs. However, a beginner might find them somewhat difficult because there are no photographs and one has to imaginatively visualize the piece. On the plus side, changes may be made easily to suit ones tastes. I use these volumes extensively.
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X. Finishing
Applying Finishes
Bob Flexner
Rodale Press, 1997
Great Wood Finishes
Jeff Jewitt
Taunton Press, 2000
The New Wood Finishing Book
Michael Dresdner
Taunton Press, 1999
Each of the above books is equally good. They are all well set up, well written, and provide more than enough material for one to do an excellent finish. Each takes the reader from bare wood to finished product. Various finishes are discussed as to durability and ease of application. Stains and dyes are thoroughly explained as to how and when to use them. Types of application are thoroughly covered and include spraying as well as more traditional methods. Brushes and bristle types are gone over in detail. And of course clean up chores and brush storage are discussed. I use all three interchangeably.
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