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by: Andy Rae
Topics include: half overlay, pinch rod, scrolled base, wood movement, furniture glides, rip fence, spindle sander, half mortise, seat blank, fitted drawer, kick space, dust panels, flush fit, woodworking catalogs, wood buttons, overlay doors, slotting cutter, top expands, felt block, stub tenon, your clamps, dado blade, hardwood plywood, router table, miter gauge
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From Booklist The second installment in this planned three-volume guide will, no doubt, join the first and third (to be published at the end of this year) in offering woodworkers of all competencies a great set of reference books. More important than words here are the high-quality photographs illustrating each step, especially if there's no expert or teacher nearby. Former magazine journalist Rae does a creditable job of organizing concepts and contents, and explaining the most technical of terms in plain English. Techniques are presented in a range of skill options, catering to both novice and highly professional craftspeople. Some of the tips on how to save time and money are ingenious; for example, recycling Popsicle sticks and gluing them to sandpaper to clean up tool marks in hard-to-reach corners. Barbara Jacobs Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture and Cabinet Construction is the ultimate reference work -- a graphic, step-by-step presentation of basic furniture-construction techniques. Expert woodworker Andy Rae brings organization, enthusiasm, and more than 20 years' experience to this essential book. Readers will acquire a working knowledge of woodworking materials, a higher level of control over their work and tools, and an understanding of basic design principles.
First Sentence: BUILDING FINE FURNITURE hinges on three critical components: an understanding of the material, the proper tools, and old-fashioned know-how.
Reviews:
Its really quite good! Through my work as a public librarian I recently ordered this book, and subsequently had the opportunity to be the first at my library to read it! I am very impressed with the sheer scope of the work. Having long been a fan of the Taunton Press I expected this work to be very good quality, and I was not disappointed. I agree with most of the favorable comments made by other reviewers, but I have to disagree with the claim made by another that this book is disjointed. I found it to be very readable and informative. To me the beauty of this book is that there is something in it for everyone. Beginners will of course gather the most new knowledge here, but even seasoned woodworkers (and woodworking book junkies) will find it interesting and above all useful. Besides the grand scope of the book, I was impressed most with the fresh and creative ways that common woodworking knowledge is presented. I found that the way the chapters were laid out, the order of presentation, felt very natuaral. Each subject flows nicely into the next. I particularly liked the sections illustrating the most common forms of a particular component of woodworking. Such as, the most common methods for mounting and fitting drawers and doors, the most common edge details for shelving, the most common dimensions for various categories of furniture, etc. If I had to sum up why this book is a great buy I would have to say it is because this book serves as both an encyclopedia of woodworking facts (usefull to all woodworkers among us) and a comprehensive collection of tips and advice (which novices will find especially helpful). I highly recommend this purchase.
An Excellent book meant to be used in the shop: This book shows all the techniques that can be used to build cabinets, which is the structure most furniture is built from. It is abondantly illustrated, is not necessarily targeted at accomplished enthusiast (I only own a few power and hand tools, no table saw, jointer, planer, and still do not feel left behind when reading this book), and well chaptered. It is not meant to be read from page 1 to page 300, but rather on a when-needed basis. I would have liked it to be a bit more developped on each subject, but at 300 pages it is already a big book. Recommended for everyone, perhaps especially for those who are rather new to woodworking.
Excellent Work: This is yet another excellent volume in Taunton's 'Complete Illustrated' woodworking series. Focused on (but not really limited to) furniture and cabinet construction, the book takes the reader through 1) Tools and Materials, 2) Box and Case Construction, 3) Doors, 4) Bases, Feet, and Stands, 5) Frame Construction, and wraps up with 6) Tabletops and Work Surfaces. This is an ambitious undertaking under any circumstances, but Andy Rae finds an approach that is both broad in coverage and tightly organized. After a few initial wobbles as the book gets underway, the reader will grasp the overall approach and discover that there seems to be an endless supply of techniques and idea one can draw on. Whatever your level of building there is good material - this is one of those efforts that can help you make a breakthrough in quality of work. Unlike many how-to books this series stays away from getting bogged down in projects. This allows the writer to move around and offer a lot of alternatives rather than get bogged down in one way to do things. It doesn't hurt to have a project in mind when reading the book, but be sure that it will change several times as you read and absorb the ideas. I have a buffet table that owes a great deal to Andy Rae's ability to communicate both technique and design. Thus the book paid for itself in one fell swoop. Happy woodworking!
Great pictures and information, but a little disorganized: I really like this book. I find that it has a lot of great information, not just about making cabinets but for organizing a woodshop in general. The stuff like "anatomy of a cabinet", comparison of different types of joinery as applies to cabinet making, and some of the suggestions for tools and jigs are quite good. The only problem is that the text is sometimes hard to follow. He isn't really very methodical, and will go off on tangents, sometimes forgetting to go back to the main point. All in all its worth having though. Overall I have found "Building Traditional Kitchen Cabinets" much more detailed, complete, and methodical - anyone who wants to make cabinets really ought to get both books.