No comments about Tables and Desks (Art of Woodworking).

5 comments about Knifemaking: A Complete Guide to Crafting Knives, Handles & Sheaths.

1. I got the recomendation for this book off the Ragweed web site. It was rather hard to find, but Amazon found it for me. I am a beginner knife maker, and this book is perfect for a beginner, you will learn so much. Why bother making a blade when you can buy some great blades from Thompson's Scandinavian Knife supply or North Coast knife supply. Who has the time or equipment to forge a blade? You can get a nice Lauri pt with a rockwell sharpness of 63 that will be sharper than anything you now own. Bo will show you how to make the handle and sheath for your knife. He has quite a few step by step projects that are incredibly detailed. The knifes turn out great and they will be unlike any you see on the net. Many of the Scandinavian web sites just have pukko style knives. He has a large varitey of scandianvian knifes. He has instructions for a handle made out of layers of birch bark that looks awesome. I am making a Sami style knife at the moment and it looks great. You learn something with each knife. His instructions on making sheaths is alone worth the price of the book. He shows you how to make all leather, wood and leather, and all wood sheaths, very cool. I would recommed this book to anyone who wants to make a very function knife that they can actually use. Many of the knife books out there show you how to make huge knives that are really not that practical, if you need a weapon, get a gun. But if you want a knife that has years of tradition behind and can be a great tool,then get this book.



2. Bergman describes in clearly written detail how to craft a knife handle.



3. The nitty gritty: does it allow you to craft a knife? I'm just completing my 2nd knife based entirely on this book, so for me--yes.
   
   The book assumes you have a blade and are interested in the scandinavian approach to turning it into a knife. There is some general discussion, but mostly it is a description of several projects involving different styles and materials in handle making and in sheath making. There is enough detail to allow you to 'join the dots' or use it as a basis for taking off on your own. It is also pleasant to see that the 'suggested tool kit' does not run into $$$$$$ or involve special use machines, which encouraged me to get going.



4. Bergman does a fine job of encouraging the reader to make, use, and appreciate Scandinavian-style knives. The reader is also encouraged to confront and appreciate a set of knife traditions that, until recently, have been neither well known nor sufficiently appreciated outside their native Scandinavia. In short, Bergman's book is both a useful "how-to manual" and a fascinating cultural study.
   
   Bergman's instructions to aspiring knife makers are sufficiently clear and encouraging such that all but the most inept tool users will come away with sufficient knowledge and motivation to encourage them to attempt to make their first Scandinavian-style knife and, most likely, many more such knives thereafter. I suspect that there have been many useful and even attractive knives that have been made using the instructions in this book that have amazed all who have seen them, including the knifemakers themselves
   
   I was at least as impressed, however, at the insights that Bergman provides non-Scandinavians into the cultures, traditions, and mindsets that surround and inform the making and use of knives in Scandinavian societies. It might not be too much to say that Bo Bergman may, in his way, be "right up there" with Ingmar Bergman, Ole Rolvaag, Soren Kirkegaard, and the Norse and Finnish sagas as a useful point of reference for non-Scandinavians into the subtleties of Scandinavian culture and psychology.
   
   I learned recently that this fine book has gone out of print. This is unfortunate. I can only hope that a means can be found to re-issue this work so that new members of the rapidly growing cadre of Scandinavian knife enthusiasts can also benefit and be inspired by Bo Bergman's skill and wisdom.



5. I just finished probably my 10th or so knife using the techniques learned in this book. This book is currently available in a German edition from Dick Fine Tools but the English version is still out of print. It is very nearly worth whatever you have to pay if you are at all interested in Scandinavian knifemaking, an excellent book. As an addition, if you can find Swedish Carving Techniques by Wille Sundqvist he goes into knife usage in depth. These two books will have you making spoons, small bowls and even buttons for a favorite jacket, all with knives and a few carving tools.
   
   phil

5 comments about Router Joinery Workshop: Common Joints, Simple Setups & Clever Jigs.

1. As I beginner I was anxious to read and do everything in this book from front to back. She's obviously a skilled craftsperson and her jigs are well built and thought out. I however became discourged quickly with the complexity of them. I found that the materials she suggests for the projects are hard to find, ie, baltic birch plywood, acrylic over 1/4", HDPE plastic,veneer screws, and adhesive backed sandpaper. My local hardware stores and lumber yards did not have these materials. Wait until you see the vacuum clamping system she recommends! If you enjoy scavenger hunts this book is for you.

   If you start by building "her" router table the jigs work better, but I already have a nice router table and don't care to make the invasive modifications she recommends when other plans and jigs are available elsewhere that adapt well to what I have.

   Of couse if some of the jigs and parts are too difficult for you, you can find them prebuilt and available for a price at her own website!




2. I have many books on using routers, but I think this is the best. If you are beginner in regard to routers, this is the book to get. If you are experienced in the use of routers, you will still find much useful information. Many books on routers are usually just compendiums of jigs, and most repeat the same types of jigs as the other books. While this book also presents a number of useful jigs, jigs are not the focus. The emphasis is on actually using the router in many commonly encountered situations. Procedures are described in careful, step-by-step detail. There is a wealth of full color photos, and line drawings are clear and carefully labeled.
   
   One review griped that supplies and materials used in jigs and projects covered by the book were hard to obtain in his local hardware store. That is likely to be the case in regard to the jigs presented in almost any router book. There are many reputable sources for these items on the internet, and it isn't at all realistic to expect them to be available locally except in large cities. There are no hard-to-find items required. It is true that one of the topics covered is the use of a vacuum system to clamp work to a table while routing. This is usually considered the best way to hold down work so that the router is unimpeded by clamps and other contrivances. The vacuum clamp is actually quite simple to make (the drawings and directions for the system are quite clear in this book - far more so than in other books I've seen) and the most exotic part of the system is a vacuum pump, easily purchased used off ebay for a fraction of the cost of a new pump.
   
   There is much useful information about the basics in regard to buying routers, bits, and useful tools helpful in setting up your router and maintaining it. In fact, the book contains a lot of extremely useful basic information not found in other books. However, as mentioned before, there is much information helpful to the experienced router user as well. So many books leave the impression that the authors simply generated jigs and `helpful' fixtures just for their books, and careful study of the material in these books often shows possible flaws and complicated features that serve little purpose. Not so with this book. Ms. Reed has clearly used and refined the various jigs and fixtures in her book. The result cuts out the chaff and leaves us with truly top notch information.



3. This is a very comprehensive, accurate, and helpful book that is great for beginners, but also has enough for more experienced people.



4. I must say that this is the most useless book on routing that there is. It's not even fit for an amateur.
   I guess, all I have to do is take few high-resolution pictures of router bits and tools and write a few crappy lines describing their functions.
   There should be a "0" star rating, 1 star is too good for this.
   If you want to throw your cash away, then don't take my word for it.



5. I like this book alot.... Great graphics and explinations. I have built several of the 'jigs",router table and porjects....
   
   To learn how to use a router is like trying to learn a musical instrument - much to learn but the results will pay off. This book really helped me..
   
   Ken

4 comments about Mission Furniture You Can Build: Authentic Techniques and Designs for the Home Woodworker.

1. When I became interested in building "Mission Style" furniture I purchased this book. The designs are wonderfully illustrated and easily followed. I particularly appreciated the comments provided by the author as to the skill level required to complete a specific project. The beginning of the book provides a brief but informative history of Gustav Stickley and some important techniques that are required in building the projects.

   I would highly recommend this book to any beginning interested in building "Mission Style" furniture. This book has inspired me to read more about Gustav Stickley and to build more challenge pieces of furniture. Absolutely Excellent!




2. This book included chapters on Gustav Stickley, joinery and woodworking techniques, wood finishing and upholstery. The heart of the book is ten projects, complete with large color photos. They range from a hall mirror to a Morris chair. Some designs may be original, one is from Popular Mechanics' Mission Furniture, How to Make It, and the rest seem to be based upon articles from Stickley's The Craftsman magazine.

   Not surprisingly, since most of the general designs are based on Stickley, they are on the whole quite attractive. They are simplified versions of production designs, and were originally meant for the home woodworker. Unlike the reproduction book Making Authentic Craftsman Furniture, there is a wealth of detail and all of the pieces have a place in the modern home. The author has included two pieces that I call Neo-Craftsman: a coffee table and a hall or foyer magazine table.

   The engineering of the pieces, beneath the facade, may cause some problems. In particular, Mr. Wagner seems to be unaware of the problems that seasonal wood movement can cause when large panels are tightly secured. For instance, his coffee table top is doweled in place. I should be mentioned that the author is very fond of using dowels EVERYWHERE in the furniture. He even uses them to assemble drawers.

   I recommend this book, with reservations. Like most similar books, you must have a shop full of power tools, and be familiar with their use, so it really is not for the complete novice. Knowledge of doweling and making mortises and tenons is a must, and it seems that one would have to have a jointer and a planer (or be accomplished with the hand tool equivalents) for the majority of the projects. There are a wealth of exploded drawings of the parts, but they are poorly drawn. I suspect that the illustrator Ms. Barbara Smullen is not a draftsman or a woodworker. Some of the perspectives are drawn wrong, and one would think that some tenons are haunched when they are not. However, all of the measurements seem to be correct, so one can go by them.

   Note For The Advanced Woodworker:

   It is useful to see completed pieces from the Stickley book. I don't like some of Wagner's joinery techniques, but you can use proper tabletop fasteners and can properly dovetail the drawers, etc. Another thing he has done is skip tenon shoulders for some spindles - I guess to make construction easier. Of course, then the edges of the mortises have to be perfect. One odd thing that I noticed in the photos is that he doesn't seem to use quartersawn oak anywhere. I wonder whether this book was a project assigned by a publisher...




3. Wagner has done a great job explaining wood working techniques for the beginner. This is a great book for beginning woodworkers to use when building this Mission furntiure. I built the table. Had great results. (A nice historical introduction makes the best reading in the book!)



4. After reading Blair Howard's "Arts and Crafts Furniture", I was expecting a lot from this book and it didn't deliver. I agree with all of Donald Thomson's complaints above. The joinery seemed questionable and he took short cuts I would not have made. Additionally, I felt his pieces lacked the elegance that the better mission designs have, both by Stickley and by others. However, the book is very detailed and easy to follow, so it should be easy for a beginning woodworker to follow. Joining boards and cutting mortices appeared to be the most advanced things he ever did, and he avoided cutting mortice and tenon joints whenever possible.

5 comments about Setting Up Your Own Woodworking Shop.

1. Although I have not completed the book I've gotten to the first 7 chapters and I have not found it that enlightening. Most of the referenced shops are old and out of date. The depth of discussion is common sense at best. For example there is a chapter devoted to dust collection but no information on how to determine which size of collector is needed. Nothing on ducting size, determining static pressure loss, length of run, grounding techniques, etc. All very important in deciding how big a collector to buy and how to install. Yet the title implies it is a how to guide. Again very superficial on most topics covered. No guidance is supplied.



2. This author has a wonderful writing style - provides information with style and humor. Diagrams, photos, drawings and a superb depth of knowledge from Bill Stankus made this book a great resource. Highly recommend.



3. I found this book very helpful for me in setting up my woodshop for the first time. It is well organized, easy to read, and I find that as my range of skills increase, I go back to it again and again looking for new ideas. It offers both in price and function, a wide variety of examples of workbenches, shop layouts, storage alternatives, and shop equipment. I found the many pictures throughout the book, enlightening, interesting, and instructive. If you are just getting started and don't have a good idea on where to begin, this book is a great choice and an excellent value.



4. Not the best book in the world. I got this as a gift a while ago. I've just recently set up my shop, but this book didn't help at all. He has a few good ideas for jigs toward the end, but the rest is, as someone else reviewed, common sense at best. He really does gloss over a lot of details that should be covered in a good book on this topic. And he spends a LOT of time explaining what I, at least, think are simple things (types of table saws, brands and models (many outdated, as far as I can tell) of many different machines, etc. I have other much, much better books on woodworking. I would not say that this is anywhere near the best of them.



5. This book tries to cover areas that are best left to magazine articles. I was looking for a book on the shop space itself, but this one pays a lot of attention to the tools in a workshop instead. Brands of tools, accessories, and machine-specific set-ups become quickly dated and are not useful to everyone picking up the book. Most woodworker's don't go out, buy all their equipment, clear out the basement, and then start on projects. Unfortunately, this is the assumption the author works under, and it hurts the book's usefulness. The pictures should add something to the text, but many of the pictures take up space (5 pics of one commercial vice?), advertise a specific item, or don't add value (we all know what flexible hose is). A lot of time is spent on the author's personal shop, which isn't particularly innovative or different. I can see lots of shop tours online. Nagyszalanczy's book is a far superior alternative.

No comments about Popular Mechanics Workshop: Outdoor Woodworking Projects (Popular Mechanics Workshop).

3 comments about Cabinets & Built-Ins: 26 Custom Storage Projects.

1. This book has little in it. The first large section covers very basic information, including nail sizes. If you need beginer information, that's fine, but there are better books for that than this one.

   Most of the projects in this book are simple, and illustrated with cheesy computer drawn images. If you want to build cabinets or built-ins there are much better books than this.




2. I bought this book about a year ago and after dusting it off I decided to try building the toy chest. After following the directions EXACTLY, I found two glaring errors when dry fitting. 1. Side trim are 3/4 in short 2. Bottom is not even close to the correct size. I have ruined 4 board feet of oak and 1/4 sheet of oak plywood for assuming the plans measurements were correct. I completely agree with the other reviewer. Half of the book talks about very basic areas not even suitable for beginners. There are a lot better books to learn basic woodworking. The pictures are cheesy computer animation with very little detail. Come to think of it, there is nothing good to say.



3. I may be the only one who liked the illustrations, and the instructions are simple and straightforward (albeit incomplete). But I agree with krhino41 about the cut-charts: the authors apparently made no significant effort to proof their work. Although the vanities I made from this book worked out tolerably well, in the base cab plans I have found five critical design errors so far. As a result I now have a nearly finished base cab carcase in the shop that will be tinder for a bonfire come colder weather, and I'll be taking pages from this book to light it.

No comments about Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec.

4 comments about The Best Birdhouses for Your Backyard.

1. The Best Birdhouses for your Backyard includes thirteen projects. Most of the projects are birdhouses, some are feeders. This is a well put together book with great photographs and instructions. There are even projects to attract butterflies, and bats! (Ick)

   The part I like most about this book is that the projects are arranged according to what bird you�d like to attract. This makes it easy to build the spring house for your Robins, or the hide away for the purple martin! Also, the designs are made using basic tools.
   For all you bird lovers, GET THIS BOOK! It is great!




2. This book first explains some of the basic tools, then goes into the houses, how to build them, what you need for lumber and supplies. The book also explains a little about the bird most likely living in the house, when, how many eggs, ect. It also explains where to put the birdhouse for mounting.
   This book is excellent for the beginner. Excellent pictures and directions. Well done book. I actually have birds living in some of the houses. Nice to make a "home" for someone, hihi.



3. This book provides some basic design ideas, but does not provide any decorative "yard art" type plans.



4. This particular work is not bad. I borrowed in from a friend, gave it a look, and did indeed try several of the dozen or so projects. I was more interested in bird houses, rather than feeders, and this book does give some nice simple designs.
   
   The designs are complete and comprehensive enough for most beginners, or for folks like myself that have absolutely no clue when it comes to building things. Fortunately I have a son-in-law who is a builder and does wonderful cabinet work, so when I did get into a pinch, I made a phone call.
   
   The projects in this work are not fancy and in fact are quite basic. I did appreciate the nice photographs and detailed, step by step instructions. The projects I did try, all using very basic hand tools, including a hand saw, worked out quite well.
   
   I must note her though, that in most states, as in Missouri, you can order, for free, any number of birdhouse construction plans from your local conservation department and do just fine with those. They do not have the pretty pictures, but they do contain the simple instructions and they get the job done just as fast as a store bought book.
   
   I own quite a number of various publications myself, and have a wonderful public library whose shelves are overflowing with such books. To be honest, you can use these resources and do much better than you can with this particular book. Now don't get me wrong, this is indeed a nice little publication, but I have to tell you that there are better and cheaper ones out there. Also, as one reviewer has so well pointed out, these are not fancy yard ornament projects, which personally I liked, but feel many will not. Let me stress, these designs are simple and utilitarian.
   
   Don Blankenship
   The Ozarks

1 comments about Builder Boards: How to Construct a Set of Notched Boards Children Use to Create Their Own Playspace.

1. The book direction for making the play house is clear and work great.