Richard Bissell Fine Woodworking

Jeff Bezos
President
Amazon.com

The books listed below are all ones that I have read to learn more about woodworking in general, individual woodworkers and their work, and the Shakers and their furniture. Prices show are list prices. Most of these books are discounted 10-30% at Amazon.com. Clicking on the title of a book will take you to the listing of this book at Amazon.com where you can place your order.

If you want to search for more books about woodworking (or anything else for that matter) just enter keywords in the search box below.

Books with plans for building furniture:

After a brief introduction which discusses the Shakers and their furniture making, this book goes on to show black and white photographs of a large selection of original Shaker pieces. Each piece shown has a paragraph describing it and the overall dimensions of the piece. In addition to the photos there are many detailed drawings made from measuring the actual pieces. These drawing are so detailed that in most cases the size of each dovetail on a drawer or case is shown. If you are looking to make accurate reproductions of Shaker furniture this is the book to get.

This book is similar to Kassay's (see above) but has a large section on the Shakers and Shaker furniture design. This is followed by sections on Shaker furniture construction and finishing. The final 3 sections have Museum-measured drawings of Shaker smallcraft (pegboards, mirrors, etc.), utility designs (log bin, hanging shelves, storage box, etc.), and furniture classics (trestle table, chairs, night stand, etc.). Each drawing is accompanied by a black and white photo of the piece. The drawings aren't quite as "pretty" (ie. the grain isn't drawn in) as those in Kassay's book but they are certainly accurate enough to build the pieces.

How to Build Shaker Furniture by Thomas Moser
List price: $16.95

This book has chapters on The Shaker style, materials, tools, and the building process before getting to the measured drawings with photos of the pieces you can build. The chapter on the building process does a very good job of explaining most of the techniques you will need to know to build the furniture shown. The drawing are pen and ink drawings which some might find a little crude but the dimensions are shown for all the key details. The drawing are of furniture in the Shaker style and not measured drawing of original Shaker pieces.

Measured Shop Drawings for American Furniture by Thomas Moser
List price: $21.95

This book has photos and detailed shop drawings of about 70 pieces of furniture designed by Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers. There are no explanations of how to do anything, just the drawings. The drawings are very detailed. If you know furniture building techniques and are just looking for furniture plans this is the book to get.

Make a Windsor Chair With Michael Dunbar by Michael Dunbar
List price: $19.95

This book leads you step by step through the process of making a classic windsor chair using the classic techniques. Plans and assembly instructions are given for a classic continuous arm chair and a sack back chair. If you want to try your hand at making a classic windsor chair using hand tools get this book.

This book is my most recent purchase. It begins with a history of Gustav Stickley then has a section with black and white photos of original Stickley pieces with overall dimensions. After a section on materials and methods which includes quotes for Stickley's own magazine "The Craftsman" there is a project section with detailed drawings of nine original Stickley pieces. Each drawing includes a cut list, photo of the piece, assembly photos and basic assembly instructions. The nine projects are a mirror, screen, combination bookcase/table, rocker, recliner, settle, dining table, bookcase, and clock case. If you are interested in making Craftsman style furniture get this book.

Books about the Shakers and Shaker furniture:

This is a new book about the Shakers and their furniture written by Christian Becksvoort, a furniture maker who worked for Thomas Moser before going out on his own. He also is a contributing editor for Fine Woodworking magazine. This book is due out in October 1998 so I haven't seen it yet but judging by the author's articles in Fine Woodworking and his skill at furniture making I'm sure it's a good book. Place you order for this now (as of this writing Amazon is offering it at 30% off) and receive it as soon as it's available. That's what I'm doing.

This a beautiful "coffee table" book about the Shakers written by a woman who has lived with the Shakers since 1972. It discusses their history, beliefs, work and daily life and is packed with incredibly beautiful color photographs taken in the Shaker villages and museums in New England, New York and Kentucky.

This book also starts out with background information on the Shakers. After chapters on Shaker Origins, Daily Life, and The Cultural Setting there is a chapter about Shaker Design as it relates to the furniture they made. The final chapter in the background section is Tools and Technology which details what tools and methods the Shaker furniture makers had at their disposal. The second Part of the book is title "The Bishoprics" and is divided into chapters about each of the Shaker communities and the furniture found in them. There are beautiful black and white or color photographs of the furniture (includes 400 illustrations including 117 in full color) and particular features of each piece are described in a paragraph or two along with its overall dimensions. This is a beautiful book and the most extensive and detailed book about Shaker furniture that I have seen.

Shaker Furniture Makers by Jerry V. Grant, Douglas R. Allen
List price: $35.00

I found this book particularly interesting. It gives profiles of 27 known Shaker furniture makers. If you've read all you want to know about Shaker furniture try this book. Of all the books about the Shakers that I have read, this one gave me the best feeling for what it was like to be a Shaker.

With the exception of a short introduction to the book and a paragraph or two at the beginning of each chapter this book has no text to speak of. It is comprised of black and white photographs and architectural plans and details, all with captions. The book is divided into 16 chapters each one about the architecture of a different Shaker community. Despite the fact that it has very little text I find this to be a very useful book. It shows details of Shaker architecture that I have not seen in other books.

Books that teach about woodworking:

OK, I admit it. I haven't read these two books. I have looked at them in bookstores though. They are on my book list because a similar book I do have is out of print. These two books are a replacement. These books teach the basics of woodworking.: what joint or construction to use and how to do it. Dovetailing, mortice and tenon joints, half laps, edge gluing, strip lamination, steam bending, kerf bending, veneering, it's all in these books. If you want to learn about woodworking and furniture making get these books.

The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking by James Krenov
List price: $16.95

This was one of the first books I read about woodworking and it got me hooked. It is very well written and reads as much like a novel or biography as it does a woodworking instruction book. It has three sections: Wood, Workshop and Tools, and Details of Cabinetmaking. In the first section Krenov spends 50 pages tell you everything you need to know about wood, grain matching, resawing, etc.. The next section deals with the tools Krenov uses and describes how to build your own wooden hand plane. The final section teaches some basic joinery. The section on cutting handcut dovetails is very good and I use the same technique myself to this day when dovetailing by hand. Other joinery discussed is doweling, coopered doors, mortice and tenon, and frame and panel.

Books about individual woodworkers and their work:

This is another truly beautiful book. There are many excellent black and white and color photographs throughout the book. This books is an autobiography as well as teaching about woodworking. The third chapter of five is entitled "What I do" and describes with words and pictures how Maloof makes his furniture: from design to construction techniques to finishing to crating and shipping the finished piece

This book is similar to Maloof's in that it is an autobiography that also teaches about woodworking techniques and Nakashima's philosophy towards woodworking. It also has many beautiful color and black and white photographs.

James Krenov Worker in Wood by James Krenov
List price: $19.95

Lots of photographs both B&W and color of Krenov's work with some descriptions of the process of making some of the pieces.

A Cabinetmaker's Notebook by James Krenov
List price: $16.95

Another very well written book by Krenov, this one is much more like a diary than an instruction manual. Lots of B&W photos with a few color. A very good read.