3 comments about Complete Upholsterer.

1. Just about anything and everything you ever wanted or needed to know about upholstery is in this book. Photographs and descriptions of professional tools,

   The book starts by teaching about style through the ages with the help of period drawings and paintings... then a walk through materials and techniques. Even a list of addresses of suppliers of professional upholstery supplies is provided. This is an essential reference for anyone thinking about upholstering anything.




2. I agree entirely with the reviews of this admirable book. But the buyer should be aware that it's an English publication and all the sources for supplies etc are British. As one who is having a tough time finding American suppliers of materials suitable for antiques who are willing to sell retail, I'm finding that's a fairly big gap.



3. I teach traditional upholstery restoration in NYC and always recommend to my students that they have this book as a resource. It is a wonderful reference -- very clear and concise -- with detailed illustrations. Thank goodness it is still in print, as traditional upholstery done with horse hair and hand stitching is rapidly losing its existence to a world of foam-based furniture constructed with glue and staples.

5 comments about Japanese Woodworking Tools: Their Tradition, Spirit, and Use.

1. This book is much more than a owner's manual for Japanese tools. The author, Toshio Odate, grew up with a father that was a woodworker and he apprenticed with his father.
   
   The author shares many of his experiences; the unique methods of teaching are really quite different than American methods. For example, as an apprentice, there is no formal instruction--the apprentice must learn by observing the master while the apprentice is working--and woe be upon any apprentice that takes his attention away from his work. How one 'learns' in this situation is beyond me but apparently it works.
   
   A couple of other examples: Odate-san left some stones freeze one evening during the winter which cracked them. That warranted a substantial beating.
   
   Odate-san saved his extra money for a year and purchased a quality hand plane which is master promptly confiscated and he never saw it again. Apparently, because Odate-san was stil an apprentice, he was not worthy of quality tools and would never be allowed to see this tool, which he saved for for over a year, again.
   
   I can't comprehend why breaking Odate-san's heart was a good way to teach him woodworking skills, but he seems to be over the hurt inflicted by that episode. And now he is a master woodworker that is reaping substantial royalties from the books he wrote. So, that system seems to work.
   
   The author provides many details regarding the use of Japanese tools. There really isn't much else you need to know. Also, the drawings are very good but a few more photos (in color) would be nice.
   
   The section regarding sharpening could be expanded with some additional information and techniques, such as hollow grinding, the use of sandpaper and the benefits of synthetic stones.



2. Toshio Odate is a national treasure. I was lucky enough to be trained by him 30 years ago when he was teaching at Pratt Institute. He is a rare man who is bigger than life. His essense, love and respect to wood and the tools that he uses to create magic in wood are openly expressed in his book. You will walk away from reading this book with a new view on life and what it is to truly be a master.
   Michael, NYC



3. Everyone has accalades for this writing, It is along the lines of philosophy, spirit, and tradition. Craftsmanship and artistry as well as guidance are something I have sought for 6 years now. Even offered to be a gopher for other woodworkers I have admired. "Norm" has taught us how to use "Power Tools". He has shared woodworking techniques, the New Yankee way. Sam Maloof teaches us his love of wood. Some of the masters we revere have demonstrated the "way they got there". It is a step by step process. Odatesan guides us through the mentoring process in the tradition of the writer, with pictures, and stories.
   
   I can't get the master to guide me from the outside, so I am fortunate to have this book to guide me from the inside.
   
   The "spirit of wood" is a personal journey. This book is helping me through mine. Glad I found it.



4. The Linden Publishing edition has a lousy binding. After a few uses the pages came off in scores. Avoid the Linden Publishing edition.
   
   The content itself is of course ***** five-stars.



5. This is a tremendous example of the art of japanese woodworking. From the set up of a simple work area to the explanation of the tools, how to properly care for, sharpen, and use this text will fall apart you reference it so often. I just had to find another in hard cover....

No comments about Hardening, Tempering and Heat Treatment (Workshop Practice).

3 comments about Woodworker's Guide to Veneering & Inlay: Techniques, Projects & Expert Advice for Fine Furniture.

1. I have done a great deal of veneer work over the course of my woodworking career and I found this book to be a good all around guide to veneering. If you are new to veneering and looking for a thorough how-to or are experienced with veneer and looking for a couple new tricks I think you will find something worthwhile in this book.



2. Jonathan Benson has compiled an impressive guide to veneering, useful to both novices and the seasoned woodworker. The generous use of photographs make each chapter easy to understand, especially in the more complex areas of veneer matching and problem solving. An important addition to any woodworker's library.



3. I'm fairly new to veneering. The pictures are interesting and clearly illustrate what is being talked about. This covers about ever aspect of veneering. The book's tone is informative and interesting. And I finally got a good idea of what hammer veneering is. I didn't realize that PVA glues could be hammered/heated like hide glue. Also, spritzing water on veneer is something I ever thought of to prevent curling, but its so obvious to me now that I've read the book. Pictures showing types of veneer available is a feast for the eyes.

5 comments about Smart Workshop Solutions: Building Workstations, Jigs, and Accessories to Improve Your Shop.

1. Paul Anthony's SMART WORKSHOP SOLUTIONS tells how the right fixtures an accessories can transform a workshop. From assessments of clamp racks and wood storage solutions to router tables and tablesaws, this covers the basics to obtaining and building accessories which lend to the woodworker's achievements.



2. I recently had the chance to read this book and despite some initial reservations, I came away with quite a few good ideas for my small home shop. What took me a while to understand is that most books of this type simply give many different options for how to solve a problem in the workshop without giving detailed specifics on any one choice. This book does the opposite - there are few "solutions" to choose from, but the ones that are offered give a great amount of detail so you can easily reproduce the same results in your own shop.
   
   So, for example if you don't already have an idea of what you want to do to solve your clamp storage problem, then I would say look in other places first to gather a lot of ideas and get a feel for what will work as a solution for you. Then if the idea you like best happens to coincide with one of the solutions in this book you could turn here for detailed plans on how to build what you need.
   
   That's my advice, hope it helps in some way...



3. This book is excellent. Wonderful ideas for organizing any shop, big or small. Good drawings, and beautiful color photography, throughout make this a visually pleasing book to look at, and dream of one's "perfect" shop. If you want to get your shop running at peak efficiency, this book will get you pointed in the right direction!



4. ...just like the tittle says. The book focusses on nine specific problems and the solutions and workstation projects to handle the related challenges. A trademark of Taunton Press books is the abundant photographs and excellent illustrations. Each chapter has a logical progression in which the writer talks about the problem, suggests a solution with photographs, working drawings and a cut list to build the jig, cabinet or workstation. This is not a step by step instruction book but if you have a workshop, you probably have the skills to finish any of these projects. Even skilled woodworkers can appreciate the hints and tips that accompany each project. For example, how to fit the hinges on a blade storage cabinet and details of the mortise and tenon joint on an out feed table. I like the side bar articles such as the one on how to build a table-saw kill switch.
   
   The book is 172 pages long. Some of Taunton`s books are over 300 pages and others are broken up into several volumes, for instance The Workshop books and The Toolbox book. All of these books are wonderfully inspiring. Smart Workshop Solutions is new material that adds to earlier books and magazine articles from this publisher. Some readers may enjoy the pictures of shops that belong to other well know work workers like Brian Boggs, Andy Rae and Bill Hylton. I wish the book was longer so it could offer more ideas and solutions.



5. I found this book to be very good in listing useful shop jigs/solutions. It is rare in that it gives enough of the key dimensions to actually build the items. What I think I like best is that in some cases, it shows several similar jigs. You can combine the best of all if you like (which is what I usually do). This book is a great value.

5 comments about The Backyard Lumberjack.

1. There's more to cutting wood than swinging an axe. Learn the finer points of wood splitting in this book.



2. This is a great all-purpose book if you have a woodlot or even if you don't. It covers just about everything you ever wanted to know about trees, identifying them, felling them safely, splitting, stacking, aging and burning them! We heat our house exclusively with wood, most of it taken off our property, and have found this book (like most Storey publications) to be genuinely useful.



3. I just bought a chainsaw for my 12-acre woooded property, and after reading the manual cover to cover, I was terrified of using it. This book was very helpful, and the pictures were great. It has given me some confidence that when I get out there, I will know what I am doing.



4. This is an ok book. Probably the most helpful info was the section on how to cut down a tree. Not worth keeping on the personal library shelf and I don't recommend buying it. I'm sorry I bought it.



5. Lots of pretty pictures and cute writing. 23 full color pictures of the authors swinging splitting mauls. Lots of pictures of them doing all sorts of things. A really eccentric felling style. I wouldn't try it. There are much better, safer and more accurate methods in general use.

4 comments about 500 Chairs: Celebrating Traditional & Innovative Designs (500 Series).

1. Each page contains a beautiful picture of a modern chair made by artists who take pride in creating usable furniture that adds beauty to any home. A fabulous study if you like modern furniture.



2. I bought it for my husband (woodworker). We are both artists and we LOVE it. Some very interesting and creative pieces are featured in the book.



3. Lark Books' "500 Chairs: Celebrating Traditional & Innovative Designs" is typical of the increasng catalog of "500" books ("500 Earrings", "500 Necklaces", "500 Vessels", etc.). Each of these books is basically a compendium of color photos and a little information about the works of many contemporary artists. The way it works with all these books is, the Lark editors invite artists from everywhere to offer, royalty-free, photos of their works in return for possible inclusion in the work at hand. Then the editors pick the 500 works that they like the best and put them in the book. This formula means that costs needed to assemble the content of the books is minimal, and significant effort and resources can then be put into the production values of the books, while keeping the selling prices reasonable. It's generally a winning formula. Although all the books in the "500" series are paperback, the quality of the paper stock is outstanding and the quality of the hundreds of color photographic reproductions is also excellent. The size of the photographs is such that only one or two are placed on a page, with the result that the reader can get a very good look at the work, sometimes from multiple views. Next to each photograph is a caption that lists the artist's name, the title of the work, the materials used in the fabrication, the year in which it was produced,and a photo credit. Occasionally a short quote from an artist is also included. The only other text is a short one or two page introduction to the collection by a distinguished artist or collector or archivist. All the Lark "500" books follow this formula.
   
   "500 Chairs", like most of the other "500 Series" books,while delightful, is not perfect. For example, there ARE discernable differences in the quality of the original photos. The photos are not done by Lark, but by the artists themselve, or by professional photographers contracted by the artists, and then submitted to Lark. So, backgrounds, lighting, composition, and, frankly, quality vary from photograph to photograph. Don't get me wrong, the editors of the book didn't let any dogs into the book. But there are differences, and not all the works have been shot to display the work optimally.
   
   Another quibble I have is with the paucity of information about the artists and the works. Often I want to know more about the artist or the piece, or something about fabrication technique that was used ("Man, how the heck did she do THAT?"). Obviously, with 500 works in the collection it is necessary to limit the amount of text information so as to maximize the size and number of photographs, and quite rightly so. But, if you want more information you'll have to get on the internet and do some research, as the table of artists in the back of the book only lists the name and city and country where each lives.
   
   The works included in the book are all by contemporaty artists. So, you will not find classic works by classic artists over time. And while the subtitle of the book speaks to "traditional and innovative designs", the actual emphasis is more on innovation and less on tradition in my opinion. Many of the pieces (too many in my opinion) are of "art" pieces that are totally unfunctional and could never be utilized as real furniture, even for special occasions. As with many contemporary artists in many fields the emphasis seems to be "look at how wacky and weird I can be" in an attempt just to be different and stand out. This is "innovation". You may love such "art furniture", but, while I find many of the pieces interesting, whimsical, or just curious, many leave me rather cold. But that's contemporary art and that's just me. Overall, the content of the book presents a terrific visual essay on the state of the best of the "best and upcoming" in contemporary chair design. As an introductory scan of what's being done on the scene today this book is hard to beat.



4. Simply excellent. Beautifully photographed and laid out, the work in this book is broad ranging, open minded and each one a sincere and intelligent design direction. Powerfully inspirational and helpful if you're needing a nudge to get out of the box with a design!

5 comments about The Woodwright's Shop: A Practical Guide to Traditional Woodcraft.

1. This is one of the finest things ever written! I sincerely hope that a copy of this book lives on the shelf of everyone who has a love for tools and wood and what happens when the two come together. Underhill gives us a look into the world of real hand tool woodworking - no electricity, please. "Start with an axe and a tree and make first one thing and then another until you have a house and everything in it." It can be (almost) that simple, but you have to restore a fractured culture first, and also learn to speak the language of trees and wood and steel. This book will accomplish both those aims.
   
   Underhill, former Master Housewright at Colonial Williamsburg, did the amazing hat trick of turning something as offbeat and esoteric as pre-industrial woodworking into a highly successful career, and became a beloved personality and celebrity in the process. When you read his books, you'll know how he did it. Instantly, you get the sense that his deep affection for his trade, and the trades that support it, illuminates his life. He "sees" things, he doesn't just look. Like ripples in a stream allude to rocks below the surface, he looks at the bark of a tree and understands what lies within - twisted firewood or beautiful furniture? Dissecting an old piece of furniture or part of a house tells you about the tools that made it, and the men who used the tools, and the community they lived in, and what their lives were like. But all of this could be ponderous and self absorbed if it weren't infused front to back with an infectious sense of humor and a Tom Sawyer/Peter Pan view of the world, where if we're lucky we'll all get to run away and be pirates together.
   
   Poetic, lyrical, sad, happy, this book has it all. A true classic from an amazingly talented person. Maybe the 60's hippy culture did ONE thing right - it gave us Roy Underhill, boy genius, and set him loose upon a (hopefully) grateful world. His books, and the first two particularly, make a perfect gift for that tired, world weary person in your life who is thinking that there is something missing in his or her work, that their long days are filled with meaningless seeking, and who might like to turn their hands to something slower, calmer, more beautiful, and decidedly valuable for a change.



2. I bought this book for my husband for Christmas, as he loves this show and the shows are not out on DVD yet. He loves the book and can't put it down. He advised it is very easy to read and understand.



3. I first saw Roy Underhill on a local PBS station back in the early 1980s. Instantly, I knew that this was the kind of woodworking for me. Screaming routers, finger-chopping table saws and jointers, and multi-horsepower lathes seemed not just dangerous but downright obsolete after witnessing Roy's talents. Honestly, who needs modern woodworking technology when the old methods are clearly better in so many ways? Better for your health and the health of your bank account, and better for the environment. Roy's wonderful series of woodworking books tell you everything you need to get started. They will positively change your woodworking, and your life. Thanks to Roy's books, and others, like Dunbar's _Restoring, Tuning & Using Classic Woodworking Tools_, power tool woodworkers look at my woodworking projects in awe... those amazing and elegant hand-cut dovetails, those silky-smooth hand-planed surfaces, those sweet touches that set my work apart as obviously hand-made. Once you've mastered hand-tool woodworking, you see that the products of woodworking machines stand out as brutal and clumsy. Guys, do not hesitate to purchase the entire series of Roy's woodworking books!



4. Any of Roy's books are awesome for woodworkers who know how to read. Oh sure, you love Norm and his $8000 drum sander, but if you truly want to learn how to work with wood with nothing more than the bare essentials, then pick up this book as well as all the other books Roy has written. Otherwise, just buy all the garbage books about "How to Master a Biscuit Joiner" or "Setting up a Leigh Dovetail Jig". Just make sure you add a box of 80 grit sandpaper for your random orbital sander to your order.



5. I guess it's time I wrote a review, now that the covers are about to fall off of the book. Few books in my shop library are as practically useless for me yet so fascinating as this first Woodwright book by Underhill. I will never actually make anything he displays in here, but I've made everyone of them in my head at least once a winter for a couple of decades.
   
   If you've never seen his program on PBS, then please look for it. In my area it's shown Saturday afternoons. You'll be in nostalgia heaven. Both on the show and in his books, no electricity is allowed, much less power tools. Start here then get the other five.

5 comments about Making Mad Toys & Mechanical Marvels in Wood.

1. First of all if you already have Rodney Frost's book, "Whirligigs and Whatchamacallets" don't bother buying this book. This is just the revision title. I ordered it, because I lost my last copy. No matter what title it's called, this is a great beginner-friendly automata project book. Each project is well explained and you get traceable template patterns for each project. I've made 3 of them and it was fun. If you're looking for an artistic way to impress your friends or wanting to enter the world of Automata and don't want technical terms no avergae joe can understand, this is the book for you.



2. Great book but as noted below, exactly the same as the other book still being sold here. 5 stars if you don't have the other book, one star if you do.



3. Although this book has lots of intersting ideas it is difficult to follow the plans to complese these projects. Other than that is is a good resource.



4. This is an excelent book for advanced toymakers.
   I have made several of the mechanisms.
   
   For old timers be aware trhis is just a reprint of his pevious book
   "Whacky Toys,.Whirligigs & Whatchamacallits."with a new cover.



5. This author is somewhat neurotic. These projects rather qualify as kinetic art for a sculptor who might just as easily be a recluse hiding in the desert making cats disappear. The projects seem just a little disturbing the finish work is ... rustic. Much attention is given to making a frenetic movement in an old-worldesque style. One whirlygig has a allied machine gunner noisily blasting away at german keiser helmeted targets. It may work for some, but none of the projects would make me proud I made them, or proud to show them. Some would even make me worried that the neighbors thought that I aught to be institutionalized. There are a couple of schematics showing how he got arms to move from rotating shafts. But there are better sources for that.
   
   This book just feels creepy.

5 comments about Classic Carving Patterns.

1. I have to admit, I should have taken the title more literally. This book has some beautiful patterns for those who are lacking the artistic inspiration (myself included in that list). What the book is lacking is the transformation process from drawing board to the actual works rendered in wood. The line drawings are truly beautiful, but some appear to be almost impossible to complete as outlined in the pattern. I would have appreciated more input from the author as to the techniques she prefers to achieve some of the artisitc effect of her drawings. The photos are too few and incomplete, and there is no reference to the rendering process for these lovely patterns. I was fooled by the cover photo depicting a woodworker's bench with a roll of carving tools and a partially carved project. I will keep the book for a reference should I ever become stuck for ideas on a particular project. I don't think it will become one of my most frequently used books.



2. Lora Irish is one of my favorite designers as her patterns are easy to follow and are very detailed. This book is one you will never want to part with. There are many different useful designs in this book well worth its cost. Now make some wood chips!



3. This books contains only patterns for people who has no chance to draw their own (including myself). Patterns are nice but I rated a book in four stars, because, first of all, I did expect little bit more different kinds of patterns and secondly, I did expect some descriptions or recommendations.
   But it's really worthly bbok for those who needs only patterns.



4. This book is just what the title says - "Classic Carving Patterns". It is not a "How to Carve" book. If you don't already know how to carve, don't buy this book.
   
   Once you know the basics, most people want more challenging projects but don't have the experience to draw their own designs. This book picks up right at the spot. It contains patterns of intermediate complexity which will challenge journeymen carvers to improve their skills.
   
   There aren't many books like this available - books with lots of patterns that are intended to be carved. If you're a developing or experienced carver looking for new challenges, or even ideas to incorporate in your own designs, this is the book for you.



5. I just needed patterns to practice sculpturing on rock. I received more than I expected. Lot's of information on patterns,how to arrange them etc. Learned a lot. A lot of book for the money.