Building for the lawn and garden (Paperback)

~ John Kelsey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

From benches, gates, and planters to swings, birdfeeders, tables, and more--this guide shows how to build great-looking projects in just one weekend. 1,000 photos & illustrations.

About the Author

Master craftsman Ian Kirby has been designing, building, and teaching about furniture for decades. He and how-to guru John Kelsey have teamed up to write several books.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Readers Digest (March 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762101644
• ISBN-13: 978-0762101641
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,042,247 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Projects, Great Book, February 4, 2000

By	"tuscahoma" (Ossining, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Buying high-quality outdoor furniture a little out of your current budget? Then buy this book, and make it all yourself.

This book has great projects, the designs are easy to follow, and the descriptions take you through the build step by step.

Aside from general home mainenance -- installing a new doorknob, putting up a wall shelf, etc. -- I had never actually built anything until getting this book. In three separate weekends in January I was able to make an Adirondack chair and ottoman, and a arts & crafts looking outdoor endtable to go with it. Plus, by making just those three things, I've already recouped my costs for the tools I needed to buy to build them.

This book has been great for me (a woodworking BEGINNER), and has inspired me to build and learn more about making furniture.

I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is either interested in getting into woodworking, or just wants some good, easy plans for outdoor furniture.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for weekend projects!, May 22, 2000

By	Life Writer (Fallon, Nevada USA) - See all my reviews

This is a terrific book for weekend projects-my husband and I built the glider swing in a weekend and it was very easy. We do have lots of previous woodworking experience but could tell that someone with less or no experience would be able to follow the instructions. Since we do have some experience there were a few things we noticed-check your shopping list against your cut list and see what the cheapest way of buying your wood will be. We found that we didn't need a few of the boards we bought (but if you plan on building more of the projects, this is not really a problem!). Also, look at the picture of the finished project and check it against your hardware list. We found that we were missing 4 spring loaded snap rings (the book calls for 4-you will need 8). All things considered, the book is great and has projects that anyone can build! If you were to buy many of these items they would cost you three to four times as much as it does to build them.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book but watch the measurements...., April 27, 2003

By	"jane3246" (New Middletown, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews

I really love this book. It shows you step by step with easy to follow instructions how to build each project. However, when I built the rectangular picnic table I found that the measurements given in the book for the legs were wrong. The book says to cut the legs 29". Unless you are Asian and plan and sitting on the ground or floor to eat, these are way to short. I found that 39" was too tall. So I think the correct measurement should be around 35". Anyway, check the measurements for feasibility before you cut your lumber.

Good book overall.