Customer Reviews

Thos Moser's Measured Shop Drawings for American Furniture

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Moser's book has detailed drawings for many of the beautifully simple furniture products his company sells. The elegant proportions and simple lines are in a semi-Shaker style. Details are shown blown up with the project for minor details, or in an appendix for features (drawers, web frames) common to several projects.
Many color photographs of the finished pieces are given as well, but they are not working photos, they're more like sales photos to show what the finished piece is like.
This book is much more useful than some of the compilations of hundred-year-old plans that are available. Some of those are little more than measured drawings of the finished item. Recommended companion volumes are Taunton Press's "In the Shaker Style" for plans and Moser's "How to build Shaker furniture" for tips and techniques.
The drawings are accessible to an average-skilled woodworker but they are not plans as such, no cut-lists or instructions. I also have found additional construction details in the gorgeous sales brochures his company mails and on the Moser furniture web site.

As a woodworker, I can say that Thomas Moser is a living legend in the world of furniture design. His thriving company is a testament to that. As a librarian, I am here to say that this book is invaluable to anyone interested in building Moser's furniture designs for themselves.

Thomas Moser's furniture, influenced heavily by the Shakers and Moser's own desire to create lasting quality, has become nearly a style unto itself. This book is his attempt to give amateur woodworkers the ability to copy his designs for their own homes.

What I really like about this book is that is spends zero time covering the basics of furniture building. To a beginner, this book might seem too sparse to be useful, but to anyone who has successfully built a piece of fine furniture, this book stands as a guide to producing many classics. With over 70 projects included, all with measured drawings and excellent attention to detail, this is a treasure trove for those who appreciate Moser's artistry. Though this book is not new (the designs in the book are mainly from the 70's and 80's), every one of these projects is still "in style" due to the classic Shaker influences in his designs.

I highly recommend this book to all furniture makers who want to copy a Moser piece and to any library wanting to collect in this area!

The text is clearly presented. I enjoyed the drawings but found I needed additional drawings that required careful calculations.