No comments about English Vernacular Furniture, 1750-1900 (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in Britis).

3 comments about Making Wood Folk Instruments.

1. This is really two books. The first part covers a variety of simple insturments aimed at children. A few, such as the psalter, could me more complex if you wished. The second part presents some more complex insturments, including hammered and mountain dulcimers, a banjo, country fiddle, and celtic harp. This are not for the faint of heart, especially the harp. If you want some step-by-step instructions on making a simple, but quality folk insturment, either as an introduction to insturment making or as your final goal, this is a good place to start (I bought it for the mountain dulcimer instructions alone).



2. This book covers a wide range of possible instruments. At the low end are items that are unlikely to interest your child, such as a bleach bottle banjo and rubber band harp. At the high end are real instruments which require significant woodworking experience and time, such as tear-drop fiddle and celtic harp. In between, however, are a few projects, primarily woodwind and percussion, which would be manageable to do with and for your kids. I think that, given the price, there are enough different projects in the book that it is worth getting if you enjoy making things and have kids who are interested in experiencing different kinds of musical instruments.



3. This was the first book that I had ever seen that seemed to offer full plans(well, yes, you need a photocopier with "zoom" features, but it still qualifies) and instructions for a nice-sized Celtic-style harp. I purchased the first edition of this book, and began to make the instrument. I found, however, that some parts of his harp instructions suffer from poor editing or printing errors. One paragraph mentions an appendix section that does not exist in the book. Others promised more coverage of finishing or building details that were never included, i.e. the rest he mentions for supporting the harp to make it easier to play is never detailed, though he did infer that there were plans/instructions later in the book. It is likely a very simple piece to make, but I think that his instructions should have been more complete. While his instructions are still useful for the beginning luthier, and you might still find it possible to complete the harp project, I would still be very cautious about using this book as your sole source for the more complex instruments. When the second edition became available, I had hoped that these errors would have been corrected, or at least removed. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. No editing seems to have been performed, at least not in the harp section. I cannot speak for the other instrument sections, as I haven't built them, though their instructions aren't as involved as the harp instructions. Any budding harp-builders out there might want to first go and purchase from a company that sells harp kits, just to get an idea of the materials/effort needed. Hopefully this will give you the confidence needed to build one from scratch later, using Waring's book as part of your reference materials. ... The main thing is to enjoy what you create. Even with mistakes, viewing and playing your hand-crafted instrument can still provide you with a sense of pride and accomplishment, because you went though the effort. Good luck to those who take on this challenge.

No comments about Wall Systems and Shelving.

2 comments about Success with Sharpening.

1. Of course, I haven't read this yet as it will not be available until March but I know Mr. Laughton (sort of, we both post on the same woodworking forum) and he is one talented individual. His posts and advice on the forum are always spot on and he writes in a way that is very understandable. Should be a great read.
   
   Saddletramp



2. This book is a well written book with nice pictures and so. You could buy it, but I would rather buy Leonard Lee's book. After reading Mr Lee's book, you won't need this one.

No comments about Success with Routing.

No comments about Prac Gde Dec Antique.

No comments about Build It Together: Twenty-Seven Easy-To-Make Woodworking Projects for Adults and Children.

1 comments about The Flat Bow.

1. This book is a good book for anyone interested in traditional bow building.

2 comments about Duck Calls of Illinois 1863-1963.

1. Although Duck Calls of Illinois, 1863-1963 by Robert D. Christensen is limited to Illinois calls made prior to 1964, it encompasses all of the early documented history of the modern duck call. This is because all of the documented history happened to occur in Illinois.

   This is a fascinating and very well done book that no duck call collector could possibly do without. Over 100 Illinois call makers are represented including Charlie and Haddon Perdew, Clifford, Grubbs, Martin, Trutone,Barto, Olt, Allen, Ditto, Leonard, the Glodo family, and the Roseberry family. The great photography will help in identifying many of your unknown calls.

   $65 might seem like a lot of money for a book, but considering the rather limited market it is a bargain. The best $65 I I've spent since I started collecting calls.

   Nate Richey




2. There is a typo on the last sentence of my review that I did last week for this book where it states I I've, please remove the I.

   Thanks Nate Richey

1 comments about Painting Waterfowl With J. D. Sprankle: Step-By-Step Full-Color Instruction for 13 Projects.

1. Jim Sprankle is a world class master waterfowl carver and painter. He has published a number of remarkable books and video tapes to help others with their carvings. This painting book is outstanding. Jim has a unique method of painting wood carvings with thinly applied washes of acrylic paints, masterfully blended. This book shows in color how he paints several species of waterfowl, step by step. He even gives the formulas for the correct mixtures of paint. The book is an invaluable source of information for anyone wishing to paint waterfowl carvings.