Mission Furniture, How To Make It: Parts I, II, and III, Complete [Paperback]

Henry Haven Windsor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1980

Nearly 100 of the finest, most desirable pieces of Mission furniture that you could ever want to make: chairs, desks, sideboards, buffets, and many smaller pieces. 213 illustrations, including measured drawings.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

H.H. Windsor was the editor and founder of numerous trade magazines, including Popular Mechanics Magazine. He was born in Iowa and lived in Chicago until his death in 1924. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 342 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (May 1, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486239667
• ISBN-13: 978-0486239668
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #682,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

109 of 110 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Reproduction of Three Old Manuals, December 12, 1999

By 

Donald C. Thompson (Miami, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mission Furniture, How To Make It: Parts I, II, and III, Complete (Paperback)

This book is a reproduction of three Popular Mechanics Magazine publications from before WW I, at the height of the Mission furniture craze. It includes about 100 projects. Each one consists of a parts list, one to two pages of text (a total of about 200-500 words), a black-and-white shaded drawing of the finished piece of furniture (sort of like a bad photo) and minimalist plans. The plans are simple front and side elevations. Don't expect exploded views like one would find in a modern woodworking magazine.

A paragraph from the text for a five-drawer dresser/mirror combination is illustrative of the brevity of much of the instructions:

QUOTE: In working up the various parts, proceed in the usual manner. If not thoroughly familiar with the various tool processes involved, it will be necessary to investigate pieces of nearby furniture and to read up some good text dealing with the processes involved.

In other words, don't buy this book if you are a novice woodworker looking to have your hand held, step-by-step through the construction process.

What one really gets with the purchase of this book are two things. First, an interesting look at turn-of-the-century America and the arts & crafts period, from the perspective of a middle-class magazine for home craftsmen. Second, one gets a collection of designs for generic mission or arts & crafts furniture. To me, the vast majority of the designs are unappealing. At best, they seem just a little off target, as though a high-school woodshop class student were given an assignment to make an original mission furniture piece. However, there are a few interesting pieces.

I bought this book because I buy *EVERYTHING* about Stickley/Mission/Roycroft furniture. I do not regret the purchase, but I will probably never make any of the projects, and if I did I would have to spend a half a day (at least) making production drawings of the parts for the furniture.

71 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for the furniture maker., September 5, 2000

By 

Scott Pointon "Former Marine, Librarian, Wood... (Crest Hill, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mission Furniture, How To Make It: Parts I, II, and III, Complete (Paperback)

I recently bought this book because I was intrigued by its old-time style. It is a reproduction of three old how-to manuals from the early 1900's. The preface states that the writing was left alone, but that the indexes and page numbering were altered to make sense in this volume. I am well pleased with this purchase because of what it is and what it is not:

IT IS - a great collection of Mission Style furniture plans, complete with materials lists and drawings to give a modern furniture maker plenty of ideas for design.

IT IS NOT - a basic how-to manual which spends half of the book explaining the basics of tools and workshop safety. It is also not a step-by-step cookbook for building the furniture listed. In many places, this book states that you should save time by having the lumber dealer surface and cut all of your stock to size to save time and effort! (apparently this was cheaper in 1910!)

The real value of this book is as an idea generator and an aid to someone trying to design their own furniture. It also provides some interesting insights into finishing practices common to this furniture in the good old days. Check it out, its worth a look.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Historically interesting, August 3, 2005

By 

Lawrence Albert (Morehead, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mission Furniture, How To Make It: Parts I, II, and III, Complete (Paperback)

This book succeeds at depicting furniture designs that in their time held a place in the Arts and Crafts movement along with the great designs of the Stickleys and a few other masters. Are these pieces as pleasing in form and sturdy in structure as those designed by Gustav and his brothers? Do they all adhere closely to the design principles of the Arts and Crafts movement? Is Harvey Ellis' influence apparent in any of these designs? Not to my eye. However, much of what's in the book appears simple to build, and some would be useful to have around the house. By way of contrast, I find the designs presented in Robert Lang's books and in the Bavaro and Mossman book to be more to my liking. Those books also include more information about construction processes and details.