Customer Reviews

Making Authentic Shaker Furniture: With Measured Drawings of Museum Classics (Dover Woodworking)

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3 star:		(1)
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John Shea's "Measured Drawings of Museum Classics" is itself a classic. It is not just a book about furniture; he carefully includes enough information on the Shakers, their history and their religion to give the reader an appreciation and understanding of the people and their passion for piety, humility, industry and kindness. It was these virtues that gave birth to their beautiful classical simple and elegant furniture -- which has been admired by "the world's people" for two hundred years.

During his preparation to write his book, John visited several Shaker communities and museums. At Sabbathday Lake and Canterbury, he was fortunate to meet the surviving members of the Shakers including Mildred Barker and Gertrude Soule, both of whom have now passed away. Written in 1971, it includes pictures of Shaker buildings, woodenware and furniture from five of the Shaker communities and ten museums.

I have owned my copy for several years. I recently bought copies to give to two friends for Christmas, both experienced woodworkers, who indicated a desire to build furniture. It is inexpensive and completely in black and white but it contains pictures and measured drawings of 87 Shaker furniture and woodenware. In addition, it has pictures of hundreds of other shaker items and a wealth of information about the people and their communities.

He includes adequate step-by-step instructions of the assembly and finishing of three simple projects - a candle stand, a step stool and a bench. The instructions for cutting dovetails for the step stool is particularly helpful to a new furniture student.

Of all the books about the Shakers and their furniture, this is probably the best low cost, balanced introduction to the Shakers, their way of life and their furniture.

Book was very informative. Covered the history of the Shakers and provided excellent pictures of antique furniture constructed by them. The measured drawings will be helpful when building some of the furniture in the book. Book arrived in a timely manner and was all I expected.

If you are truly looking to build some Shaker reproduction furniture, keep looking.
I will probably sell this one back to Amazon if given a chance.

I was impressed by the detail of the Shaker way of life. I was looking for ideas and drawings,and I found out that the Shakers were very resourceful and inventive. This is a must read if you want to make Shaker furniture.

Useful in some ways, but not for the project I had in mind. I made a Welsh style dresser, but used info from the book to panel the doors and sides, dowelled the Mortice and tenon joints on the doors, and bought Shaker style door knobs from the USA. I left the shelves open ,as this is more the style in the UK, also did not have the time. Regulations in the UK state that any glass used in doors must be toughened, which is too expensive for this project.The item was very well received by my youngest daughter in her new kitchen