Customer Reviews

American Country Furniture (Reader's Digest Woodworking)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is perfect for the beginner/intermediate woodworker who loves early American country furniture. All of the plans are either exact replicas or very close to the real thing. David's attention to detail is excellent. So far I've built about 7 of the pieces and am furnishing my home at a fraction of the cost of buying the real thing. I only wish he would print another volume with more projects.

This book has inspired me to excell my interrest in old American country furniture. It is so easy and well written that its truly a joy to read. The book leaves no unanswered questions on the progress of making furniture its all here in the book. I have never seen any book like it. Its like a cook book follow the receipy and you will have sucsess.

I have at least 50 books on the design and construction of furniture - this one is my favorite. I've made six projects from this book and the instructions are clear, dimensions accurate and the designs, while not very sophisticated, are well proportioned and great examples of country furniture. The section on finishing is particularly useful, covering milk paint, crackle finish and antiquing/distsressing. The corner cupboard and sofa tables which I built in highly figured woods, are wonderful pieces which I always get compliments on. I can't imagine why Rodale hasn't published it again. If you find, buy it!

The first project I built from this book is the Chimney Cabinet. Either the top Door Stile is too narrow or the door too short either way I lucked out and layed the door frame and doors out first before installing finding a 1" gap above the top door to the Stile. The dimensions are wrong. Second, The placement of the top door handle will hit a shelf darn near dead center!! These types of dimensional errors are totally in-excusable, and I recommend that all projects in this book be checked dimensionally before building.

Let me think. How many projects of David have I made? Five or six I believe. The most time consuming was the Ohio corner cupboard, about four or five months. A fun easy project was the shoe-foot settle table. In about two months you will get a nice 46 inch around four person kitchen table.Current project is a work table. So why five stars for his book? First- few if any omissions in directions. Second- difficult aspects are anticipated and explained. Third- even individual joints are explained fully in the easy to read directions. Last but not least- if you enjoy,say, Fine Woodworking or other magazines, it is a fun read- and you may learn a few tricks of the trade. Have fun with the book!!!

I have to agree with the reviewer about the dimensions - things don't always add up. But the projects are nice, you get a pretty good idea and since you are checking dimensions anyhow you can make modifications to personalize. I made two of the smaller items and they look great. The little history behind the items was interesting too.

I found this book at the library and I marked so many projects that I knew it would be worth the investment(but it is out of print as of 3/99). Most projects are simple to build and represent utilitarian, functional design. Pictures are black and white. There are good notes and comments on the construction methods in addition to finishes.

I could go on and on about how fun and easy David Smith makes woodworking! Great projects, outstanding plans and instructions, and the "Know How" sections are fantastic! The "Know How" sections takes the reader through unique procedures, provides tips of the trade, and each "Know How" section has many clear and detailed photos. [...]

Whether your new to workworking or a seasoned pro, you'll love this book!