Customer Reviews

Make Your Own Tipi

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This has got the be the weirdest book I have ever encountered. The writing is awful; the organization, weird; the editing, non-existant; and the physical construction, homemade (ink-jet printing with spiral binding). Perhaps the best thing about this book is that it reminds the reader that you too can write a book and sell it on Amazon!

The intended audience for this book appears to be tipi affecianados with considerable background experience in tipi living and vocabulary. (Indeed, there is an assumption here and there that your tipi may be making the journey to a "Mountain Man" primitive gathering, whatever that is, and carefully judged by snobby tipi experts. (Who are these people?))

The book may do well by them, but as for me, I was making a tipi with a bunch of five to ten year-olds as part of summer camp festitivies. While I had read a bit about tipis before getting this, I found this little handbook to almost impenetrable (E.g. "Step one: Mark your spirit line!" Excuse me?)

That said, however, we were able to build a pretty nice tipi (by my standards anyway--I'm sure Jim Jones and pals would be entirely unable to restrain their giggles and snorts if they saw it). This required reading the book a few times, leafing back and forth a lot (e.g. the design of the "lacing strip"--yet another undefined term--is covered in three different parts of the book), and supplementing with some other, more simplistic overviews from the children's section of the public library.

However, a tipi was built, and this book had more of the details covered than the other ones I had found. (Note: I never did get the Laubin book, but maybe you should.)

I might also note that the first third of the book is low-quality, black and white scans of various tipis at these primitive gatherings. The photos seem to be more about patronage than information: it's the same darn view over and over, but at a different site, with a different paint job, featuring different pals, whatever. It would be far more useful to have photographs of the various steps of construction, and perhaps the inside, outside, front, and back of a completed one. And, Jim if you're reading this, how about a diagram labeling the parts of the tipi???

Make Your Own Tipi is a "connect the dots" type of craft book. Not only that, but, the Publisher was thoughtful enough to make a craft book which lays flat. Most books are made for the convenience of the book stores with a binding which breaks when you want to make it lay flat. This craft book is bound with a comb binding so it will lay flat on any surface or even in your hand when you are working on your tipi...

Make Your Own Tipi is written for the person who has never sewn before. You don't have to be a seamstress or tailor to follow the instructions in this book. Ask for a demonstration on basic sewing such as how to thread the machine, forward, backward and serving a bobbin from a sewing store and and you're ready to make a tipi. You can learn enough to make a tipi without previous experience. The author obviously draws from a great deal of experience showing you how to eliminate common mistakes in all aspects of making a tipi including; painting a tipi, gathering & preparing tipi poles & setting up the tipi. You will not need to hunt for your favorite picture as the author put them all in the front so you can find them easily. And, all the drawings are located in the back of the book for easy referral. There is even a check list of materials and steps to making the tipi. And, drawings of parts for you to record the important dimensions for the size of tipi you want to make. The author has shown that making a tipi is fun and very easy if you follow his guidance. It is really just large pieces of canvas with simple stitches. I give this book an Amazon 5 Star Rating and recommend this book to anyone who wants to make a tipi or just learn more about the art of making one.

This book gives very little information to the first timer on how to make a tipi. You will find it very hard to make a tipi from his instructions. There are few diamgrams to help you and what pictures there are, are very grainy. There are also some very strange terms given such as Spirit Line and hurricane rope. The particurlar rope he talks about is called the tri-pod rope and is used for putting the tri-pod up that supports the poles and then the cover. They have "Hurricans" on the Plains? His research examples are very lacking. In his text he states that he has done a great deal of research on how to make tipis and could find nothing in "unnamed books and author's memory", but there is much historical information he did not bother to look for or at. However, he does state that this is a craft manual on how to make tipis and not historical in research. It is too bad he didn't have more experience at making lodges, cloth or leather, before writting this book. It could have been better for the beginner. The "Indian Tipi" by Laubin is still the best bet for the first time tipi maker.

Truly a "connect the dots" type of craft book. This is the only tipi making book that provides information on how to select painters drop cloths for economic tipi making verses using expensive regular commercial tent making canvas, fire safety, how to avoid hornets in the woods when cutting tipi poles, chain saw safety when cutting tipi poles with a chain saw and the dangers of chemical hazards when spray painting or using chemicals to preserve & water proof canvas. And it provides techniques on how to have a smoke a free fire in a tipi. It is worth the price just for the information on how to have a smoke free fire in a tipi. It also includes technical mechanical engineering information and engineering formulas on the truth about whether a liner provides insulation or not in a tipi. You can tell the drawings were prepared by a professional architect as they are easy to understand with no previous training in how to read plans and construction details. The author is even thoughfull enough to recommend other publishers books on the history of tipis and other general Native American & tipi accessories information. The author even discusses an ultra light weight tipi he made so that he could take it on a bicycle or back packing trips so he did not have to transport or use tipi poles. That opens a whole new era of tipi camping. You can now go back packing and have a tent with a fire in it using his book to make an ultra light weight tipi. The authors bulding expertise as an architect, his teaching and environmental law background is definitely an asset to teach people how to make a tipi safely in the 20th century. And, the author will even talk to you on the phone if you call him about your own tipi making project needs. The book includes a coupon to send in to get a free plastic laminated billfold card on how to set up a tipi so you never have to remeber. I highly recommend this book for your tipi making project or tipi book collection.

This is simply the best book in print on how to make a tipi. I also own all the others and they are good. But no other book has the detail and step by step description from start to finish with easily understood drawings. No other tipi making book has as many tipi photos or pictures of painted tipis. It even provides a list of all tools, supplies and correct size needles and thread to buy. Buy it you will like it!

This is a very thorough book. I think it's worth the price just for the cover picture of the author's leather tipi & the other painted & colorful tipis on the cover. Well organized, well written and easily understood instructions & drawings for the beginner.

"Make Your Own Tipi" is well written and superbly organized. You can easily find anything you want to review again. It has all of the pictures in the front, the detailed and numbered Instructions are in the middle and the detailed Drawings are in the back. This type of organization makes it very easy to locate everything. "Make Your Own Tipi" even includes a numbered Check List which contains every step in making the tipi and the pages on which each step can be found. I highly recommend this book for tipi lovers.

Hey!! I just received my TIPI and what a wonderful gift from a dear friend!. How much more concise and easy can someone make a book? And the binding? No matter where I had it, in all my different positions, I never had to worry about losing my place! This is a MUST HAVE for tipi enthusiasts. THANKS, JIM!!

This book led to a fabulous family experience; we were all able to get in on the act and had so much fun. Testing out the finished product we learned exactly how expert the author really is. Thank you, James E. Jones, for writing a truly accessible, easy-to-follow guide.