Customer Reviews

Tabletop Fountains: 40 Easy and Great Looking Projects to Make

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

 

 

As I was desperate to begin fabricating a few of these fountains for Christmas gifts (with only a short time to do so!), this book not only provided the basics in very easy-to-follow instructions (oh, so important), but the instructions are provided with touches of humor which helps quell some doubts and fears. It's not as easy as it looks; however, making a fountain can truly be mastered in a short amount of time - depending on your own creativity.

The color photos are beautiful and beneficial in providing many, many interesting ideas. These are not the mass produced fountains found at every department store during this Christmas season! These are works of art.

The only missing element which would have been helpful was a listing of ideas where the designers (and subsequently I) could locate/purchase some of the items pictured (most especially the black fountainhead on the author's own design on page 115 and the adaptor necessary to combine two sizes of tubing). I searched 15 stores before giving up on that fountainhead.

Overall, I'd recommend this book for its simple instructions, beautiful photos, and myriad of ideas for the novice.

I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to make their own beautiful fountains. I was easily able to create impressive fountains that rival any in stores at a fraction of the retail cost.

The book starts out with the basics including a detailed discussion of material preparation, mechanics & assembly. Design accents & concealers are then described. There is even a section on preventing problems.

Forty projects then follow. There is full-page color photo of each fountain. It is accompanied by a materials list & detailed step-by-step instructions. My favorite is a mask fountain with water pouring from it mouth.

Other fountains are made with a wide variety of easily found materials including tiles, shells, Corian, cement, glass, wood, copper, marbles, clay pots, bamboo, Lego blocks, used circuit boards & old CDs.

Never a real handy person with a drill, I was surprised to see myself using it and thinking about what else I can drill a hole to use for my fountain. I am working on my third fountain since reading this book four weeks ago.

This is the best how-to book I've got so far. It makes you think of what else you can do besides following the projects in the book. The easy to follow intruction, the clear steps on how to solder and water-proof things you want to use on the fountain. It makes water-fountain building fun and easy!

This is a very good book to get the novice started making fountains. It offers many suggestions for materials and gives accurate information for creating a fountain. The photographs depict artful creations which coincide with a materials list, and easy 1,2,3,instructions and trouble shooting advice. It even gives soldering lesson.

I'm happy that I bought the book.

In all fairness, this is a pretty good book. I was somewhat disappointed in the photographs of the fountains as I felt many were on the "tacky" side. I was looking for more sophisticated designs on a larger scale. I would have also appreciated a section on resources through the mail as opposed to your local garden supply, and a ratings on the best and most quiet pumps available. Anyone who could write this book and create so many fountains surely knows the best pumps to recommend. It would have been helpful to have her expertise passed on to her readers.

I purchased this book in the hope of learning more about how tabletop fountains were built. The photo's are very pretty and the diagrams are drawn very well. However, there are several mistakes in the book beginning with minor spelling to mislabeling of at least 1 project.

As an example, the project on page 104 titled "Hand-Crafted Wood Basin" properly indicates "Tung oil finish" in the materials list. However, in step 17 on page 107 she later calls it "tongue oil." Proper proofreading could have avoided simple mistakes as this.

Moreover, the author does not include a comprehensive list of distributors wherein one can find certain components. She does however, indicate various materials can be found at your local "garden centers, gem shops," and also mentions "yard sales, and antique stores including gift and toy stores." While she describes pumps and their design, she does not give a comprehensive list of the pump brands and where they can be purchased.

The author seems to have contacted several builders of tabletop fountains and had them describe how they built a particular fountain. It seems (to me at least) she then transcribed this into her work. Over all, the book is interesting and written toward a woman's point of view. However, as a man (and ladies, don't hold this against me), I know how to use tools. I therefore find her somewhat superficial manner of encouraging women in their use inappropriate. Whether driving a car, flying a plane, or frying eggs... there are proper methodologies to each. And women (as well as men) should learn the proper way to use simple hand tools. The tools she describes in her book are very simple to use and anyone building one of the fountains will have no real problems using them.

At least two of the fountains in this book I feel were totally useless. One uses circuit boards and another is an ugly concrete circle.

As a computer expert for 38 years I know circuit boards very well. While this may be an interesting fountain to some, finding proper circuit boards of the same size may present a challenge. Furthermore, there are very sharp edges to many solder connections where the IC's connect to the board. If one isn't careful, they can cut their fingers. Over time simple galvanic action will also discolor these boards.

The very next project is a "Picnic Basket Fountain" on page 51. The photo is very pretty but I don't think this type of fountain very practical. First, water and wicker don't work well. She has a plastic basin fitting inside the picnic basket and the basket filled with moss. Both the moss and the wicker will absorb moisture even if the water from the fountain never directly hits them. Water will soon be absorbed from the micro spray droplets in the air and the normal humidity which is created around a fountain. This project is also precariously balanced on an open window ledge. As I said: A "pretty" photo but not very practical.

I thought the concrete monstrosity presented toward the end of the book (pages 120/121) nothing but a waste and totally ugly. Furthermore, if one looks closely at the photo, you will note there are two large cracks on both the left and right sides near the top. The base is also leaking and has water discoloration. This would be a very heavy piece to build and the concrete would soon be saturated with water. If the concrete were sealed properly and were painted attractive colors, this project might turn into something appealing. I don't however, find a huge chunk of gray, circular concrete in my den or library to look attractive.

Lastly, the author could have presented far better methodologies for sealing her wood boxes from moisture. Remember folks, moisture and wood don't mix. Oxygen and humidity create wood rot and of course, wood expands and warps when exposed to water. I would therefore rethink the sealing methodologies she proposes for her wooden fountains.

If you are looking for beautiful photo's of tabletop fountains... if you are looking for a beginning "how to" type of book for tabletop fountains, I would purchase this book. For all of its limitations, it does present some very lovely and interesting projects and is easy to read. The price is right for this book and I don't regret buying it.

Great book for beginner fountain makers! I'm not so keen on the 40 different fountains that they show you how to build, but all of the ideas for fountains that they have listed give way to your own ideas and give you a better grasp on how you can actually make what you want. This book is great for learning the basics of, in home fountains. Very recommended if you are interested in building your own fountains!

This was a great book. I've already made my first fountain. Good steps to follow to make fountains. I plan to make more

Don't waste your money on this book. Most of the fountains displayed are either very tacky or have very minimal water action. I was very disappointed with this book.