Building 18th Century American Furniture Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I ordered this book from Amazon before it was published, and having waited for it to arrive I have to say that I am somewhat disappointed with it. I don't object to the fact that nearly half of the pieces are 19th century rather than the 18th century of the title, and I don't object to the decidedly 20th century methods such as router joinery that are used in their construction - after all, cabinet makers can substitute whichever methods they prefer. What I do object to is the fact that this book is a cut-and-paste version of several earlier publications, a fact that is not disclosed in either the Amazon description or in the book itself. I found out because material I already owned from an earlier purchase is duplicated in the present book, so I essentially paid twice for the same information. Surprisingly, as of this writing, Amazon is offering this book bundled with an earlier one entitled "Glen Huey's Illustrated Guide to Building Period Furniture: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide". Amazon's logic escapes me because the five projects of the earlier book are included in this later one!
To make things worse, the cut-and-paste approach has been so poorly done that numerous errors have eluded the author and editors. For example, on five separate occasions the reader is directed to "See Drawer Basics: Hand-cut Dovetails on page 8". However, this information does not appear on page 8 or anywhere else in the book. Similarly, the information supposedly contained in "See Ogee-Bracket feet on page 7" is nowhere to be found. In another half dozen examples the information is present, but on a different page from the one indicated. At one point the reader is even invited to consult a non-existent DVD which was apparently supplied with an earlier book, but not with this one.

In spite of these editing lapses, the book does present some handsome pieces of furniture, the construction details of which make for some interesting reading. The exploded plans and parts lists seem generally adequate, although I wish the overall dimensions of each project had been listed. Figuring this out accurately from the parts list alone is a non-trivial exercise for pieces as complex, for example, as the Massachusetts High Chest shown on the cover. Also, some important measurements such as the spacing of drawer dividers are not always stated explicitly. The potential builder could have been spared a lot of figuring if these measurements had simply been included.

Overall, I would give the book an "A" for the appearance of the finished pieces, a "B" for the construction details, and an "F" for the cut-and-paste approach to publishing. The appreciably discounted Amazon price boosts my overall rating to 3-stars.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Building 18th Century American Furniture


FURNITURE FOR THE GENERATIONS
As a woodworker, you've no doubt admired examples of classic furniture. You know, the stuff that makes you go, "Wow! I wish I could build that." Now you can.

Glen Huey, senior editor at Popular Woodworking magazine, takes you through each and every step of how to build 18th-Century furniture. And when you're done, the projects will last for generations.

Complete plans, cutting lists and step-by-step photos with captions are included with each project. Here are some of the furniture pieces you will learn how to build:
Massachusetts Block-Front ChestPennsylvania Chest-on-ChestChippendale Entertainment CenterNew England Chest & BookcaseTownsend Newport High ChestFederal Inlaid TableShaker Small Chest of DrawersMassachusetts High Chest (highboy)

Click here for more information about Building 18th Century American Furniture