5 comments about How to Design and Build Your Ideal Woodshop (Popular Woodworking).

1. The best advice the author gives in this book is that the concept of the "ideal" workshop is the workshop that works for you. Most of us do not have unlimited space or funds to build a "dream" workshop as illustrated in many books and magazines. What you can afford and what you feel comfortable in is the ideal workshop for you. That is excellent advice.

   The other topics I found interesting in this book were the floorplans of real workshops (and the owner's principal machinery listed in order of importance) and the chapter on workbenches, especially the section about holding devices.

   The rest of the book is kind of thin in content. This book is priced similarly to the other 2 major books on this subject but is about half the size (in page count) which I think makes this book a little on the pricey side.




2. I found this revised version an invaluable reference book while planning my workshop. Bill Stankus writes in a style that is informative and entertaining - an important characteristic of any reference book. The floorplans of various shops, illustrations and photographs of professional shops were both useful and acted as a good tool to begin planning my shop. Information on shop safety, consideration of budgets and vairous tools and skills only increased my appreciation of this book. I have read other books on this subject and found THIS book to be the best read, with valuable and TIME-SAVING (very important!) advice. I would recommend this to any woodworker interested in maximing their workshop potential!



3. I appreciate the Bill Stankus' personal narrative regarding having a workshop. The book was both informative and a pleasure to read. I highly recommend this book.



4. I can not recommend this book to any qualified woodworker. It contains little useful information. The author devotes a lot of space to safety and tools and even spends an entire chapter on workbenches, but the title promises info on designing and building a woodshop. Is this his version of bait and switch? Also, few woodworkers need to be told that a table saw needs space in front and behind for materail handling. And fewer still need to know that a good shop requires adaquate lighting and electrical. Most prospective buyers should get some other book. If you are an absolute novice, then there may be enough ideas here to justify the purchase price.



5. A rehash of old info - neither interesting nor compelling. Many other books on building your woodshop are considerably better.

1 comments about Popular Mechanics Workshop: Miter Saw Fundamentals: The Complete Guide (Popular Mechanics Workshop).

1. This is a book loaded with information for both the novice and seasoned user of miter saws. This book is worth reading and keeping as a resource for cutting all types of miter and compound miters. My only concern is that they seemed overly in love with the Bosch brand. They were out of date for the Makita brand's option and the book is not that old.
   I do reccommend it however for the reasons above. Good price and fast delivery.Makita LS1013FL 15 Amp 10-Inch Dual Bevel Compound Sliding Miter Saw with Laser and Fluorescent Light

3 comments about French Furniture : From Louis XIII to Art Deco.

1. I am new to the techniques and methodologies of identifying French furniture. This book provides a good glossary of French terms which describe the characteristics of pieces and it provides a modest description for the common pieces made in the various styles. Line drawings and sketches provide examples of the characteristics described in the text. There are no photos, but the sketches are quite good. I'm rating the book a four because I think there should be more sketches. Not all the items described are exemplified with a drawing. Otherwise, this is a great book for getting started. The content is clear and does not bog down in minutia.



2. If you only have one reference book in your library on French Furniture, this is the one. For the beginning collector, the book provides clarification on terms and furniture types. For an appraiser, it's a great resource to help with identification of those forms which you do not see very often. There are only sketches, but they are clear, and provide very good detail. For those who simply want a better understanding of French furniture, this book is put together very well, and is easy to follow.



3. I'm an interior designer who collects important period 18th century French furniture. This book IS THE MOST EFFICIENT general reference to the particular periods covered and a minute step beyond the basics and generalities. For serious collectors & those who have already done their major homework - it is doubtful that you would attain additional knowledge from this book.

1 comments about Restoring Antique Furniture: A Complete Guide.

1. I found that this book has alot of information to take in. It has been helpful to me as a lot of old chair that I get need fixing and I am now more able to do it correctly.
   Thanks

3 comments about Press Brake Technology: A Guide to Precision Sheet Metal Bending.

1. With not very many books on this subject, this one is good for the novice as well as the journeyman. Well written and easy to follow, could use more bending instructions and examples. All-in-all, a good starting point!



2. Great resouce. Well presented and easy to understand. A must for any operator who has to fix the problems the engineer couldn't!



3. As a journeyman sheetmetal worker this is an excellant textbook cover ing brake press technology. A must have reference

No comments about The Black & Decker Complete Guide Maintain Your Pool & Spa: Repair & Upkeep Made Easy (Black & Decker Complete Guide).

4 comments about How to Make Your Own Picture Frames, Revised and Enlarged 3rd Edition.

1. Excellent book for the beginner (me!). Clear and concise. Excellent step-by-step instructions with photos for each and every step. This book covers all aspects of frame construction, painting, mats, glass-cutting and usage. A great book to trigger your own ideas to create custom frames.

   Drawbacks: Original publication is 1958, and the tools and techniques used are pretty old (e.g., use of a hand saw and miter box versus an electric miter saw or radial arm saw). Photos are all black and white, so some detail is missing.




2. This book is a good book for the beginning woodworker, or someone who wants to make a few frames for their photos.

   It offers step by step instruction for building standard mitred frames, cutting mats and glass, and construction techniques.

   If you want to simply make some traditional frames this book will definitely help you out.

   On the down side the book hasn't been updated since 1958 and as such it's woefully out of date. It uses and describes all hand tools, some of which are not even available any longer.

   There is no information about the benefits of a power mitre saw, radial arm saw, or any other power tool which would greatly help in making frames.

   Additionally I was hoping that the book would outline some non traditional frames, such as mortice and tenon jointed frames. It did not, only standard mitred frames.

   Overall I would recommend this book for someone totally unfamiliar with frame making. But if you have a basic understanding of woodworking and understand mitre cuts then this isn't the book for you.




3. This book is a good book for the beginning woodworker, or someone who wants to make a few frames for their photos.

   It offers step by step instruction for building standard mitred frames, cutting mats and glass, and construction techniques.

   If you want to simply make some traditional frames this book will definitely help you out.

   On the down side the book hasn't been updated since 1958 and as such it's woefully out of date. It uses and describes all hand tools, some of which are not even available any longer.

   There is no information about the benefits of a power mitre saw, radial arm saw, or any other power tool which would greatly help in making frames.

   Additionally I was hoping that the book would outline some non traditional frames, such as mortice and tenon jointed frames. It did not, only standard mitred frames.

   Overall I would recommend this book for someone totally unfamiliar with frame making. But if you have a basic understanding of woodworking and understand mitre cuts then this isn't the book for you.




4. I like to do it myself. This book takes step through for frame making. Easy to follow and every time I read it I get more out of it. Get your own, I am still using mine.

3 comments about Good Housekeeping The Complete Household Handbook: The Best Ways to Clean, Maintain & Organize Your Home.

1. This book is chock full of valuable information,would make a wonderful gift for a newlywed couple or do-it-yourself couple.



2. I bought this book for my young bachelor son; but after going through it, I am going to keep it and buy him another one. It is up to date on cleaning products, and tells you about so many things that most other books of this type don't tell you; such as, diagrams on how to iron, how to sew. It tells you when fruits and vegetables are in season and how to tell when they are ripe. I think it is the most complete book of it's kind that I have ever seen. It would be excellent for newly weds, bachelor sons or daughters just getting their 1st apartment. And it is great for someone that has been housekeeping for over 30 years...like me!! Buy it, you won't regret it!



3. This book isn't very exciting. I was hoping it would encourage me to get going on the management/maintenance of my house. Instead, it was a snooze. Not really giving anything exciting as far as info and presenting it in a boring way. Might be useful if you have never ran a load of laundry, etc.

5 comments about Home Theater Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools (Hacks).

1. Home Theater Hacks is the perfect book for anyone in the planning, building, or improvement phase of their home theater. This book really covers everything that has to do with a home theater: from selecting the right components, to component configuration, to cabling, to making your theater look awesome. This book is a must read before you start your home theater.
   
   The book begins with a very thorough and impressive discussion of how and where to buy home theater components. The author discusses receivers (both audio and video), DVD players, TVs (both HD and standard), as well as the ins and outs of buying online versus at a local store. This discussion naturally leads to a very large section on "configuration", which includes such things as how to install and configure a terrestrial television antenna, how to match your subwoofer to your room, and everything you ever wanted to know about cables. I particularly enjoyed the author's discussion of the modern myth of expensive cabling. He provides a very good explanation of what "good enough" means (you wouldn't put gold water pipes in your home, why spend $100 on a gold cable?).
   
   As mentioned, this is a very interesting and useful book for anyone planning or currently working on a home theater. It dispelled a lot of myths I had heard in the past, and provides clear explanations as to why many of these myths are false. Additionally, I found that the book provided sound advice in the purchase and configuration of home theater components.



2. This book covers it all. Very well written and easy to understand. He covers everything from TV's to recievers, amps and speakers. A must for any home theater enthusiest.



3. This is a good choice to learn about home theater, and the author has a number of great ideas to get you started. I recommend the book, but I was disappointed with several aspects. 1) It seemed to be aimed more to the high-end user; no information about home-theater-in-a-box or virtual surround sound was given. I can imagine the author's opinions on these subjects, but he should have at least addressed them. 2) Some information is rapidly becoming outdated, especially in the video processing and connectivity sections. This book should probably be updated once a year. 3) Too much unnecessary detail in some areas. For example, a large section on antenna construction should be shortened, since most people probably use either cable or satellite anyway. And while the long section on user service codes is good, most of it will be out of date by the time the book is published. 4) Too much emphasis on projection displays, and not enough detail on flat panels (e.g., mounting issues, care/maintenance issues). 5) I would like to see more information about wiring strategies: different ways to hide wiring, the status of wireless speakers, etc.



4. Saw this at my local bookstore and checked with Amazon.com and was happy to purchase it online for a substantial discount here. This book is great for anyone beginning to setup their own home theater and for those that really like to get into the meat of this hobby. The pages are easy to read with good, clear black and white photos spread throughout.
   
   What this book offers are those uncommon tips and tricks that big name electronics stores don't want you to know about. This book alone will save me hundreds of dollars from all the information provided inside. It's doesn't have too much techno-babble but it won't feel like a crash course booklet leaving you wanting more. Intelligently laid out and highly recommended.



5. I was excited to get this book since while being fairly technical (mechanical engineering), I really did not know that much about home theatre. It's a very in depth collection of general, specific and ecclectic tips and tools from which the novice will glean about 20% useful information. Those more experienced A/V hobbyists will relish in this comprehensive industrial-strength expose of information that ranges from the practical to the sublime. Like many other technical subjects, this book let's you take your home theatre system as far as you pocketbook is deep, but does offer practical advice as to how to get the best bang for your buck. But be prepared to understand a lot of technical mumbo-gumbo that the mainstream installer would probably fair better using the services of a pro. If you found your self wanting from "Home Theatres for Dummies", this book is for you.
   The best advice the book had to offer for me was to visit your local big box A/V retailer and talk shop with them, something I was reticent to do without some intellectual backup. This book makes that visit less challenging, you can walk in the door and communicate and understand things better, and get a chance to see and hear what the book is talking about. As with many books in this field, info is a little dated (true with the Dummies edition too). Certain advances in technical quality that the book warns of (e.g., burn-in on plasmas) have been on the large part addressed by the manufacturers in the three years since this book was published. It's a good text for those prepared to do their homework. Considering the cost of the book versus what you could spend finding this stuff out the hard way, it's a very small investment (<0.1-1%). That is to say, you'll save this much buying your first cable.

No comments about Buenos Aires Style: Exteriors, Interiors, Details (Icon (Taschen)).