Customer Reviews

Dining Tables: Outstanding Projects from America's Best Craftsmen

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If you need to construct a dining table you would be hard pressed to require a design or construction technique not found in this book.

The introduction covers design criteria specific to dining tables: space required per person, height requirements, and seating arrangements.

The first chapter covers a basic kitchen table using mortise and teno joinery with solid wood. The author then moves through a variety of designs including trestle, circular, queen anne, expanding, and "boat shaped" (i.e. conference) tables, among others. The vineyard table is quite unique.

In addition to the designs a variety of construction and decorative techniques are presented. Mortising machines are discussed side-by-side with mortising chisels. Veneering is in three chapters and curved and circular work comes up in several chapters.

Most of the ideas can be adapted to other types of tables, and the discussion on veneering alone is worthwhile to almost any project. I found it one of the better guides to basic veneering techniques. This book would be suitable for entry level woodworkers as well as experienced ones looking for fresh design ideas and inspiration. Highly recommended.

I've purchased numerous woodworking books and found this one of the more useful. The photos are excellent and coupled with the text and tips are close to looking over the craftsman's shoulder as he completes each technique.
The book covers a wide range of table styles and techniques. It is useful to the range of woodworkers from beginner to advanced.
Basic operations such as jointing, gluing, mortising are covered as are pattern cutting and veneering. Design, dimension, structural considerations and material selection are discussed in detail. The several chapters are veneering are especially helpful. The table projects themselves range from a basic kitchen table to Queen Anne to torsion box veneered conference tables to veneered circular table. The book is helpful for some one designing a table and uncertain of the size, design or materials to use.
Some good general shop and tool information is also available on K. Carleton Graves web site.

Tables...design, techniques, joinery, finishes....it is all covered in this book. I have looked for a book on tables for a long time and I finally found this one by Kim Carleton Graves. If you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced woodworker, you will learn something from this excellent book. This book is clear, concise and to the point for all skill levels. Even if you are just wanting to learn something about tables, this is still the book to buy. I very highly recommend it to anyone interested in designing, building or learning about tables. You won't be sorry you bought this book!!!!

Taunton puts out great books with great authors, this book is no different. Great layout and information.
I can't add much to what was already stated in the earlier reviews except that Kim Carleton Graves was easy to contact through email. He responded quickly, professionally and was very informative.
In summary, buy the book you wont be disappointed.

I bought this book to learn about dining table construction.
The instructions are clear and concise and includes ALL the steps required to make 9 tables.
Kim Carleton Graves is obviously a very good teacher and it really comes across in this book.
I found this book a great learning aid and I'm sure I will refer to it time and time again.
Please publish a book on chairs.

An outstanding example of a how-to woodworking book. Lavishly produced. Outstanding color photos, and crisply labeled diagrams, complement a clearly written and lively text. In total, excellent designs for interesting projects with appealing end results any artisan would be proud of. Highly recommended.

Hi, I love this book. As usual, it is difficult to go wrong w/ the newer Taunton books and this is another winner. Fresh designs, great photographs, lots of details to assist a woodworker in making a showpiece of a dining table. It breaks otherwise intimidating designs into easy steps. While the focus is dining, I can see some of these designs being used in other types of table. The author is also on the Fine woodworking web site from time to time and was quick to answer my questions and discuss my project, This is a neat thing!
Definitely a keeper!

Dining room tables are different in complexity than smaller tables, so its apropos that Taunton chose to put these tables in a separate book from their Tables book. I have both, and have built projects out of both. The Dining Table book deals has a nice layout and design section in the beginning where it describes the minimum and ideal dimensions for tables built for certain numbers of people.

The book contains a nice selections of projects, including a trestle table (pictured on the front cover), a shaker style kitchen table (which I built), various expandable tables, and a boat table constructed using a torsion box.

I would also recommend reading the Tables book by Taunton, as it has a dining room table designed by Frank Klausz which is awesome.

Great Book. Combination of Furniture Making 101 with graduate instruction in advanced techniques. Clear descriptions and easy reading.

Anyone interested in making any kind of a table should get this book. This book covers it all. There are so many things you think you know but are not aware of. This book shows how to design and make tables with ease. I read it and went on to make a table. This is a must for every woodworker.