Most Helpful Customer Reviews
85 of 86 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent reference for any serious woodworker, November 25, 2001
As a semi-pro woodworker I found this book to be invaluable. It has detailed drawings of just about any type of joint or furniture item you can imagine. The first section is a discussion of wood and it's properties and then there is a detailed comparison of wood joints. Mortise and tenons, miters, dovetails, etc. are all discussed. Then the book moves on with chapters dealing with various classes of furniture, desks, tables, beds, cabinets are all discussed with clear exploded diagrams. Although the book does not contain detailed, measured drawings, it shows the conceptual details of how to make functional furniture. Additionally there are references to detailed plans that you can access via the internet or purchase to make typical examples of each piece. Especially helpful are the "standards" sections at the start of each chapter. The "nominal" dimensions for tables, beds, kitchen cabinets are all given along with illustrations. If you're serious about woodworking and furniture making, this book belongs on your bookshelf.
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46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Reference, February 17, 2004
This review is from: Illustrated Cabinetmaking (Reader's Digest Woodworking) (Hardcover)
I like to check out books from the library before I buy them. I checked this one out, now I'm buying it. As a novice woodworker, I anticipate this will be an excellent reference as I move forward with designing and building cabinets, tables, and chairs. It's not a how-to book, it's a reference. So when I'm wondering how I'm going to design a small cabinet with four drawers and a television cabinet for the bedroom, this book will give me options and ideas from casework to drawers to what goes on the bottom and what goes on the top. I think it's a great reference.
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40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Introductory design for the novice cabinetmaker, February 17, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Illustrated Cabinetmaking (Reader's Digest Woodworking) (Hardcover)
As a novice woodworker, but a professional trades instructor, I found this book to be a wonderful source of information about traditional and contemporary styles and techniques in furniture and cabinetmaking. It introduces the fundamentals of furniture anatomy, styles and wood movement. You are then moved along to joinery and furniture subassemblies with detailed and very readable illustrations. The strength of the book is, indeed, in the illustrations. The project section illustrates, by example, the styles and techniques introduced earlier but allows Woodworkers the freedom to add dimensions of their own. It is a very useful guide for those who are looking for ideas and allows great freedom to customize the design without getting too far off track.
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