Customer Reviews

Great-Looking 2X4 Furniture

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

 

 

I was disappointed with many of the designs in this book. I think the pasted on fabric was tacky and extra-homemade looking. The colors she chose for the painted pieces are hard to look beyond. There is a great buffet and an interesting kitchen cabinet piece in here, though. I would recommend her previous book entitled "2 x 4 Furniture - Simple, Inexpensive & Great-Looking Projects You Can Make" over this selection.

Unfortunately, this is not a book of plans for building solid, simple 2x4 furniture. A more accurate title would be: "21 Home Woodcraft Projects for Women". The first half is an overview of woodworking tools, and the second half describes 21 projects. Only two of the projects use actual "2x4" lumber, many are not "furniture", and "great-looking" depends on your taste.

This is a fine book for people (women and men!) on a budget who want nice furniture and are willing to put some sweat equity into their decorating. I am a beginner at woodworking and I learned a lot about the basics. Plus, I have some good looking furniture that was inexpensive and fun to make.

As a beginning woodworker, I thought this book might be a good place to start, and I was right. It begins with a discussion of tools you'll need, with a picture of and writeup about each. It gives options about differing tools you could use and explains their pros and cons. Next it discusses wood, explaining how wood is sized and graded, and discussing how to select and purchase wood, nails, glues, screws, and nails.

The projects are simple and I feel they are well documented, with lots of drawings depicting key techniques of construction. They do a good job of using simple shapes and pre-made parts to simplify construction.

In all, I recommend this book to beginning woodworkers or anyone looking to make relatively simple furniture.

I really was looking for a book on furniture made of 2x4s...a bunkbed frame in particular. This book didn't have it and didn't have much else made from 2x4s after a quick look.