Hardcover 9-1/4 X 10-7/8 in. 320 pages, with color photos and drawings
Published 2001 ISBN 978-1-56158-402-4 Product #070534
Expert woodworker and writer Andy Rae takes the construction of furniture and breaks it into components -- from boxes, cases, doors and drawers to shelves and feet. He explains all the techniques used to build them, so you can choose the ones that are best for you. Then he shows you how to put the pieces together to make great furniture.
You'll acquire a working knowledge of woodworking materials, a higher control over your work and tools and an understanding of basic design principles.
- Graphic, step-by-step presentation of key techniques and methods
- Visual maps, cross-references and indexes make information easy to find
- Covers the many woodworking methods and tools available
- Modern, up-to-date coverage of tools and techniques
- Part of a three-volume encyclopedia of woodworking
"After 20 plus years of practicing the craft, I still search daily for new ways of working. Once you discover something that works, call it your own and stand by it." -- Andy Rae
The Complete Illustrated Guides Introducing a new series of books in the tradition of Tage Frid. All the techniques and processes you need to craft beautiful things from wood are compiled into three comprehensive volumes:
The Complete Illustrated Guides. Highly visual and written by woodworking's finest craftsmen, these three titles --
Furniture and Cabinet Construction, Shaping Wood and
Joinery establish a new standard for shop reference books.
Making furniture is one of the most satisfying ways to pass time: The schiiick of a plane iron on wood; the dizzying aroma of freshly sawn sugar pine or East Indian rosewood; the endless array of color, texture, and feel of woods from around the world; the tense but joyful final assembly, when all work and toil come together in a conclusive burst of completion. What excitement! This is the fine -- and fun -- art of woodworking. The reward is beautiful furniture.
To experience this excitement, you'll need to have a degree of control over your work and your tools, command a working knowledge of your materials, and understand some basic design principles. Unlike most other crafts, furniture making and cabinetmaking demand vast knowledge -- and attentiveness. You must know what tools and techniques to use and how to arrange the correct sequence, or order, of events when using them. You should listen with attentive ears and eyes to the material you're working and choose wood wisely, allowing for its eccentricities. With its countless pieces and parts, cabinetmaking involves a high level of organization, and organizing your work and your shop space are part and parcel of the craft. By combining all your skills, you can make any type of furniture your dreams conjure up. You're limited only by your imagination. I hope this book will provide you with a starting point for these skills. With practice, many small joys are waiting for you. They're worth seeking.
Above all, be patient. It takes time to master some of the smallest things. There are tricks and shortcuts, of course. They come with experience, and many are shown in the pages ahead. More important is the awareness that comes from trying many approaches and finding one that works for you. In a very real sense, woodworking is a personal journey. That's because there is no right or wrong way of making furniture. What counts is what works. After 20 plus years of practicing the craft, I still search daily for new ways of working. Once you discover something that works, call it your own, and stand by it. You'll have found something that will make your woodworking more pleasurable. And your fine furniture will reflect the results.
Customer Reviews from Amazon
Average Customer Review:
Outstanding, exceptional reference!, November 13, 2009
When I started woodworking, I checked this book out, along with about forty others, from the local library. All of the Taunton Complete Illustrated Guides stood out as exceptionally informative, but this book, in particular, is incredible. As a matter of fact, well into my woodworking journey, I have found that I need to refer back often to the information in this text to solve some design problem. For example, I needed to know how to build a base for and attach French bun feet onto the bottom of a cupboard, as well as where and what types of mouldings go around the top, middle, and bottom. It has proved itself so useful that I am buying my own copy.
If all you do is build from plans from which you never deviate, you really have no need of this book. But if you design your own furniture, this book shows you how everything is built and put together. And I do mean everything since ALL furniture is simply case construction or frame-and-panel construction. You will not find a single project or plan in this book, but what you will find is the knowledge necessary to create your own.
Another excellent Taunton title., August 23, 2009
I own over twenty various books on cabinetmaking and this is probably the best of them all for construction. The information contained in this title is not only for the novice woodworker, but many aspects can be incorporated for the more advanced woodworker as well. The book is laid out in a logical 'easy to read' (and understand) manner which is well worth the investment.
It would be nice to have the imperical and metric measurements side by side for those of us who live outside the US. I use my conversion calculator to suffice this minor inadequacy.
Buy this book, you will not be dissapointed.
I wish I knew, May 25, 2009
I wish I knew about this book before I started building my own furniture. Just about everything I needed to know is in this book. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to know how well constructed cabinets are made. This book offers information on various methods, using traditional joining techniques as well as modern methods.
Very good book, January 7, 2009
Very good book, my only knock against it would be that some of the chapters did not go into enough detail for me, otherwise a very good book.
Andy Rae is the go-to woodworker guy, December 21, 2008
This book should be a part of any woodworker's library. Criticisms pertaining to its superficiality may be valid; however, given its breadth, the inclusion of considerable detail is impractical. (Imagine an illustrated book on how to build a house . . . there will be some omissions.)
There are many excellent books on routers, planes, finishing techniques, etc. that you may wish to include in your library.
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