Customer Reviews

Trim Carpentry Techniques: Installing Doors, Windows, Base and Crown

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

 

 

I am currently in the middle of a massive remodeling project in my house. I bought this book to learn some simple techniques for installing the molding that was so easy to rip out, but is a pain to put back in. I read the book from cover to cover and I found that the book lacked on illustrations/pictures. Most of the explanations are only given in paragraph form, and was hard to follow for me. This is the only do it yourself book that I regret buying from Amazon!

An outstanding book for anyone interested in trim carpentry from the novice to the more experienced carpenter! Very thorough, yet easy to understand dicussions of each aspect of trim carpentry with excellent illustrations to accompany the text. As an experienced do-it-your-selfer with quite a bit of woodworking experience, this book was a delight to read and use. Highly recommended!

Great book on trim carpentry techniques for pros or someone who wants to do a professional quality job. Written from the practical viewpoint of an experienced pro with high standards. A bit of overkill if you are in a hurry but I would recommend it before trimming several rooms yourself or even if you want to check your contractor's work.

Very good book for baseboard, crown, door and window moldings. It has tons of pictures and illustrations. On the top of the cover of the book it says: "For Pros/ By Pros". I would agree with this assesment; but it is easy enough for a handyman type with little molding experience like me to follow also. After looking through this book, I was tearing out old molding with abondon and the confidence that I could do a good job of getting nice new stuff back in.

I was looking for a well layed out reference guide that I could learn a few tricks of the trade. This book seemed to spend way to much time setting the reader up for the first day on the job (back in the 70's and 80's mind you), then long-winded yet sparse information on actual methods of trim carpentry.

If you are willing to read a book from cover to cover on this subject here's your ticket. But if your looking for concise writting, logical up-to-date illustrations, a book that you can easily reference in a pinch, you might want to steer clear.

That Savage is possibly the best trim man in the country is amply demonstrated in this well illustrated how-to book. In fact, there may be TOO many color photos of his projects, all impossibly intricate, unpainted, and perfect. Real-world DIYers, on the other hand, need to know what to do with coved corners that don't quite match up, or angles (like the one I encountered yesterday) that purport to be 90 degrees, but are actually 94, and, frankly, how to disguise their trim mistakes.

Savage has little time for the incautious amateurs among us, and in his impatience he sometimes appears to be showing off... as when he gives an impossibly intricate formula for figuring compound angles on crown molding. (A detailed table of bevel and miter angles would have been far easier to use.) Still, if your skills and equipment are top-notch, or if you plan to hire somebody to trim out a big project to museum-piece specs, Savage's book will give you plenty of ideas from many different trim styles.

Except for stairways, which are mysteriously absent from the book.

sorry to say but not well illustrated and not easy to follow look elsewhere for help in this area...I wish I could recommend options but other then Old House Journal(a monthly magazine) I could not recommend a good trim refrence. I will note a couple of my own tricks though. First remember that the most complicated trims are usually built in stages or layers. Second remember that good trim starts with good framing and straight bases (the object you are trying to frame ie: window door opening ect). Last but not least if your painting don't go nuts for the perfect joint. Caulking can save your day..that does not mean to be sloppy, measure twice, cut once, remember to factor the width of the blade waste; but then use a premium grade (GE Silicone II Extreme) caulk to join butt and corner pieces. Good luck ...

Nice illustrations, step by step procedures are easy to follow if you do not like to read. Detailed materials and tooling information is somewhat provided. Good for a jobsite quick refrence guide.

this is a great book, i remember back when, when my dad was writing this book, he was the greatest trip carpenter in california and idaho.