Prac Design Solutions & Strate (Essentials of Woodworking) [Paperback]

Fine Woodworking (Author), Editors of Fine Woodworking magazine (Author)

Book Description

Series: Essentials of Woodworking | Publication Date: February 1, 2000

A collection of classic, informative articles from Fine Woodworking magazine. This series is designed for easy reference and organized for quick access. All six volumes are highly practical and easy to use; together they form a cornerstone woodworking library.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

These titles, part of Taunton's new six-volume "Essentials of Woodworking" series, consist of articles that originally appeared in Fine Woodworking magazine during the last six years. (Other titles in this series include The Basics of Craftsmanship, Finishes & Finishing, Joinery, and Ingenious Jigs & Shop Accessories.) Authored by such well-known woodworkers as Jim Tolpin and Garrett Hack, the essays cover a specific set of woodworking skills in detail. Practical Design takes a project from concept to finished product, covering the use of scale models, engineering, and construction options for tables, cabinets, and chairs. Woodworking Techniques shows how to build a variety of projects (tables, drawers, and doors) and covers specific techniques (hinge installation, veneering, and inlay). Because they are from Fine Woodworking, the selections are colorful and well written, and the inclusion of an index is helpful. These titles will appeal to woodworkers of all skill levels and are recommended for public libraries.DJonathan Hershey, Akron-Summit Cty. P.L., OH
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561583448
• ISBN-13: 978-1561583447
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding the Golden Path, September 22, 2004

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Prac Design Solutions & Strate (Essentials of Woodworking) (Paperback)

Taunton Press has two collections of articles on woodworking design in publication. As the title indicated, this collection focuses in the practical issues of furniture design, primarily to do with construction decisions. Speaking as someone who has occasionally 'created' himself into a corner, this is important material. After all, it never hurts to have a good grasp of what it really is going to take to make an interesting idea into a good piece of furniture.

Well illustrated and lucidly presented the six sections are Conceiving Your Projects, Organizing Your Projects, Engineering Furniture to Last, Construction Options for Tables, Construction Options for Cabinets, and Construction Options for Chairs. Each section contains articles of considerable interest. The detailing on table construction and the two articles on chair making are particularly interesting. Both focus on the 'holistic' factors of the project rather than simply covering joinery.

By fitting into the niche that sees design and construction as a process, the reader will come to see how each decision effects the final outcome. This means that what you see in your imagination is more likely to appear in front of you as finished work. While this is not a volume for beginners, taking the time to go through this book and understand the principals will keep you out of trouble and increase your satisfaction with the final product.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Furniture that's built to win, May 14, 2003

By 

Scott Burright (Washington, DC area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prac Design Solutions & Strate (Essentials of Woodworking) (Paperback)

The furniture in this book isn't just built to last. It's built to win. As in, if you hit it with a car, the furniture will win. Or if you drop it out of a window onto the sidewalk, the furniture will win.

You don't have to build everything the way they do. I'm about to make some end tables with drawers, and I'm not going to use dovetails and haunched tenons. I'm going to use dowels. But the important thing is that I now know the right way to do it, and I know my way will at least work, and I know why some other designs won't work. I won't blindly follow plans or make design compromises out of ignorance. And one day soon, I'll make something the right way.

I knocked a star off of the rating because the book is an anthology of previously-published material and kind of a broad-ranging hodgepodge. But it is an excellent hodgepodge nonetheless.

I think books like this should be read not just by people who aim to build furniture but by anyone who uses furniture.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beef Up Your Design Knowledge, January 9, 2002

By 

Mark A. Fox "markafox" (Calgary, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prac Design Solutions & Strate (Essentials of Woodworking) (Paperback)

I would not recommend this book to a complete beginner. There are more important books that should be read first (like Tage Frid's books and Taunton Press' "Basics of Craftmanship"). However, assuming that you have a bit of background and experience in woodworking this book is a great way to build your skills in designing great furniture or cabinetry as well as confronting the occasional design decision that creeps into "cook-book" projects.

Since this book is compiled from articles from Fine Woodworking Magazine there is a great breadth of topics and each topic that is covered is explored in depth. However, there are still a great deal of design related topics that are not touched upon. Make no mistake, this is not a textbook of furniture/cabinetry design. It is a collection of design focused magazine articles. Infact, some of the articles aren't even that focused on design. If you want to focus on design and design alone, this isn't the book for you.

Some of the articles are better written than others, although all are well written and applicable to pretty much any woodworker. The way the articles are grouped together is sometimes baffling, but if you just treat this as a thick magazine with no advertising and no fluff, you'll be impressed.

This is a great read and an important book to have in your woodworking library. As a woodworker that builds "stuff", you won't be able to avoid design decisions, and this book is a great way of getting your feet wet and stepping away from the complete construction plans you see in every woodworking magazine.