1 comments about American Modern.

1. Refreshing and inspirational. Does not disappointment. One of the best I have purchased in a while.

5 comments about The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture and Cabinet Construction.

1. I agree with a few earlier reviewers that this is an attractive book with opaque explanations and confusing illustrations. For me, it brought to mind Stephen Hawkin's "Universe in a Nutshell", a fascinating book of impenetrable text, beautifully illustrated with incomprehensible drawings.
   
   Probably experienced cabinetmakers would read this book and nod their heads that old Andy knew what he was talking about. But I'm NOT experienced and I could not find (or maybe, understand) the answer to any questions I've had about projects I have in preliminary stages. In my quest to develop a new hobby to go with my new retirement, I have found "The Complete Manual of Woodworking" by Jackson, Day and Jennings to be way more helpful - much more clearly written with illustrations that are much easier for me to figure out.



2. When I started woodworking, I checked this book out, along with about forty others, from the local library. All of the Taunton Complete Illustrated Guides stood out as exceptionally informative, but this book, in particular, is incredible. As a matter of fact, well into my woodworking journey, I have found that I need to refer back often to the information in this text to solve some design problem. For example, I needed to know how to build a base for and attach French bun feet onto the bottom of a cupboard, as well as where and what types of mouldings go around the top, middle, and bottom. It has proved itself so useful that I am buying my own copy.
   
   If all you do is build from plans from which you never deviate, you really have no need of this book. But if you design your own furniture, this book shows you how everything is built and put together. And I do mean everything since ALL furniture is simply case construction or frame-and-panel construction. You will not find a single project or plan in this book, but what you will find is the knowledge necessary to create your own.



3. I own over twenty various books on cabinetmaking and this is probably the best of them all for construction. The information contained in this title is not only for the novice woodworker, but many aspects can be incorporated for the more advanced woodworker as well. The book is laid out in a logical 'easy to read' (and understand) manner which is well worth the investment.
   
   It would be nice to have the imperical and metric measurements side by side for those of us who live outside the US. I use my conversion calculator to suffice this minor inadequacy.
   
   Buy this book, you will not be dissapointed.



4. I wish I knew about this book before I started building my own furniture. Just about everything I needed to know is in this book. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to know how well constructed cabinets are made. This book offers information on various methods, using traditional joining techniques as well as modern methods.



5. Very good book, my only knock against it would be that some of the chapters did not go into enough detail for me, otherwise a very good book.

5 comments about Woodworking Basics: Mastering the Essentials of Craftsmanship.

1. In the world of a power tool for everything under the sun and instant "craftsmanship," Peter Korn's book does a masterful job of explaining when and how to use the proper tool for the correct job. As a mid-level hobbyist, this book was perfect for my need, explaining how to use both power and hand tools, when to use them and why. The safety tips were excellent as well. I especially like the project progression as a method to teach and learn the basic techniques of working with wood. The book reignited a desire for high quality work with a personal touch.
   
   The book would be a good choice for those who have never done woodworking but would like to get started, as well as for those of us who have been away from it for many years.



2. I took a beginning woodworking course a long time ago, but have decided to refresh my interest. Korn's book is almost identical to the structure and pacing of instruction from my course. His project based instruction and step by step approach is exactly what newcomer's need. I also like Korn's lack of pretense when presenting tools or techniques. Many books these days wax the "poetic" of woodworking with seductive images and effusive text, being little more than a showcase of very expensive premium hand tools. Korn appears to take a more modest (and affordable) approach with essential hand tools. Although much of the machinery shown in the book may be beyond a beginner's pocket book, the alternative hand tool approach is well within reach and will drive home the fundamentals of woodworking more than machine milling will.
   
   The first 70 pages introduce the reader to wood, joinery and (power and hand) tools. The reader learns a great deal without being intimidated by too much detail. The sections are a bit terse (particularly sharpening), but the simpler introductions are appropriate to the scope of the book. There are other books that specialize in the topics of advanced machine use, hand planes and sharpening. Korn's book has just enough to get you going without making you feel it is too complicated to proceed.
   
   The first project, milling a board four square, is a fundamental task of woodworking that deserves the attention it gets in this book. Korn does a superb job of providing step-by-step instruction using hand tools or power tools. For me, Sharpening was the first "project" in the WW class I took since it is also a fundamental.
   
   The second and third project is to take the boards you dimensioned and do some basic joinery (before working on any furniture). First, the basic mortise and tenon and then the through-dovetail joint. Joinery is also a fundamental, and these particular joints are the most widely used. Korn takes us step-by-step through the process with plenty of clear photographs showing the technique. The milled boards are long enough that the reader can practice the joints several times. Each time your joints will get better, and you will gain valuable experience and confidence.
   
   The last 80 pages include two small projects, a handsome stool and a side table. These projects are big enough to introduce several more fundamentals without being too complex that the reader will never finish. The stool introduces half-blind dovetails, pinned tenons, glue-up procedure, and basic finishing. The side table introduces basic carcase and drawer/panel door construction. Again, all steps are well documented with plenty of photographs.



3. I bought this book as a supplement when I enrolled in an introductory woodworking course (at the recommendation of the tutor), I have since completed an intermediate woodworking course and this book has been an invaluable reference. Sure I knew in principle how to make a tenon and mortise joint- but this book give lots of helpful hints and practical guides/examples. It is very clearly written and easy to follow, with wonderful pictorial guides. If you only buy one woodworking book- this should be it!



4. Recently got back into woodworking after almost 25 years away from it and this was a good book to review the basics.



5. I have done small woodworking projects such as shelves but wanted to learn more so I could possibly complete larger projects. This book has been an invaluable tool. Gives you information on different types of wood and their qualities, gives good information on tools, how to use them, which ones to buy, etc. There are lots of pictures. I learn more visually than reading. This book has all the information you need to get started. It even has a small bench project to complete. I made the bench using the book. Turned out great.
   
   This book is a must have for any novice or even experienced woodworker. I would highly recommend the book.

5 comments about Extreme Lo-Carb Meals On The Go: Fast And Fabulous Solutions To Get You Through The Day.

1. ARRIVED IN NEW CONDITION! BOOK LOOKS GREAT AND RECIPES SEEM DELICIOUS. NEVER HAD AN AUTHOR SUGGEST THE USE OF LARD AND COCONUT OIL, THOUGH!! I LOVE BACON A LOT, SO I WILL DEFINITELY TRY THEM!!



2. Wow, this is such a good cookbook for those who work, the recipes are fast and easy and they're not short on good flavor, yet they have only a few ingredients. If you are wanting to take weight off fast, there are great combinations for snacks and easy dinners...This is worth the buying particularly if you need ideas for lunch that won't kill your diet away from home!



3. The book is helpful because it offers quick, very quick, solutions to the "what can I eat?" dilemma we lo-carbers experience.



4. I always worry when I see poor reviews but still order the book that I will be let down. This was not the case at all with this book.
   
   Being diabetic, I need to really watch my carbs. I thought this book was helpful for many reasons:
   
   1. Snacking - I need to eat 6 times a day to keep my blood sugar stable. I need snacks. Sharon Long gives two lists of snacks. One is those under 5 carbs and the other is under 10. What I liked was that the lists were not just of acceptable low carb foods ( low carb veggies, cooked meat, etc) but were actual recipes of things like (5 carb) orange essence almonds, smoked salmon dip and (10 carb) pumpkin granola and nutty caramel roll ups.
   
   2. Advice - The author discusses the truth about food bars, discusses ketosis and her experiences with both, talks about different types of restaurants and options you have, and gets real about handling cravings. Sure, most of this advice is common sense. However, the author tells it all from her own experiences as she has followed the low carb lifestyle for many years.
   
   3. Set Up - The book is split into sections for breakfast, lunch, main courses and desserts. There are shopping list, smaple menus, sugar conversion tables, susstitution lists and other indexes at the end. I found the book to be very user friendly.
   
   4. Nutritional Info - This is so very important to me in a cookbook. At the end of each recipe there was detailed nutrition info and the substitution to make the recipe low fat with that nutritional breakdown as well.
   
   I think this book is simple and excellent for people who plan meals and do prep work for the week. Recipes are easy to prepare and many can be made in batches for the week. Any specialty items are listed in the back and can be found in most health food stores. While a bit expensive, they are sold in bulk and last for a very long tie after the initial purchase. I highly recommend this book.



5. I own this book and the recipes are bland. Most have salt and pepper as the main seasoning. This book also lacks continuity. What i mean is that each recipe seems to have a unique ingredient. So i cant just stock up on basics and prepare several meals from that. Each time i go to prepare a meal there is some new ingredient which i dont have and now have to buy.
   
   Also some of the recipes arent "extremely low carb". One recipe was 10 effective carbs (ie. net carbs) per small serving and about 25 carbs total. My normal portion size was like 40 net carbs!

5 comments about Building Kitchen Cabinets.

1. I am an experienced cabinet builder, and this book taught me a few things and gave me some great ideas for new cabinet designs. Probably one of the best how to build cabinet books I have seen. This is for faceframe style cabinet building.



2. Others have commented on the measurement errors. I'm posting in hopes of saving someone some grief. I built two of his customized 45 degree corners for end panels. I was in the glueing stage when I discovered the dimension error on page 95. The outer dimension of the 45 piece should be 4 1/16" not 5 1/8". I was able to re-cut the pieces but obviously this was a major frustration. This is careless and inexcusable on the part of the author and publisher.
   
   With these errors this book does NOT deserve the 4+ star rating it has. I gave it 3 stars because apart from this glaring problem, I found the book very useful. After viewing a few books of this type I settled on this one for my first cabinet building project. There are many ways to build cabinets. Udo uses pocket screws and plywood boxes. I find this to be a nice compromise to simplify design, speed construction with satisfactory strength. I built a full wall of cabinets in oak for a media room, and another large wall of cabinets for a mudroom using this book as a reference.



3. Overall a very good book to assist in layout and building of cabinets. The basics are covered well along with some important considerations for building and installing cabinets. It should be pointed out that there are many different ways to build cabinets and that this is just one builder's observations when building the style he prefers. I used this book along with another in the Build Like a Pro series titled, "Trim Carpentry and Built-Ins" by Clayton Dekorne which also offered some great tips for the project I was doing at the time. Trim Carpentry and Built-Ins (Build Like A Pro)
   
   The one thing that keeps this book from earning top marks is that there are flawed math formulas and measurements which can cause a great deal of frustration for users that are relying on those numbers. Other reviews have pointed several out. I found one when building a 45 degree corner cabinet and the numbers didn't work out quite right. After drawing it out full-size on the sheet of plywood I was able to build the cabinet to the numbers needed. The design of the cabinet was helpful but the math would have made it impossible to assemble if cut right from the numbers. I saw similar formula errors in about 3 other areas in the book.
   
   As a guide, this book is a good one to have around the shop. It assumes that you have an intermediate level of ability in the shop and will not teach you to use your tools. I would recommend using this book in conjunction with the other mentioned above and other resources to produce your cabinets if doing the first time. As always - measure twice, cut once. (Sometimes it helps to measure more than twice)



4. I bought this book because a friend,who has built some beautiful cabinets, recommended it as a basic reference on cabinet building.



5. nice book good iilustrations but too vague I needed more detail on actually making cabinets

5 comments about Wood Flooring: A Complete Guide to Layout, Installation & Finishing.

1. What's not to say about this book. One of the most detailed on the subject of wood flooring. Anyone interested in doing the job right, not just doing the job, of installing flooring from start to finish should get this book. Very detailed in all aspects from getting the wood to finishing to problem solving. Five stars all the way. P.S. - The photographs are some of the best I have seen when putting a book like this together. Thank You....



2. Charles Peterson has done an incredible job at making a tough job look easy.
   
   I am a second generation flooring contractor who has seen it all. I must say that I learned a few new tricks from the book that I have already put to use. For example, the use of a plunge router to make bungs is great, no more lugging around that small drill press.
   
   This is a must have for any Flooring professional or anyone interested in the trade.
   
   Nice job Charlie!



3. I work for a hardwood flooring distributor and I must say this book should become the official technical resource book of hardwood flooring. This book is kept in my office and I refer to it on a daily basis. All those who swing a flooring mallet to those who own a hardwood floor will benefit from reading this book. The chapter on Flooring Problems and Solutions (chapter 12) is a must read. So much is misunderstood on how moisture effects hardwood flooring and Charles Peterson's book simplifies it beautifully.



4. The best word for this book is "fantastic"! I restored an old floor last year, based on scraps of information I got from the Internet, Home Depot, and the like. I just wish I'd had Peterson's book back then. It answers all the questions I struggled with, plus taught me a lot of things I'd never thought of. Being recently retired, I decided to replace our worn-out carpet with something that would never need replacing again, and this book has convinced me that the average person can install a real wood floor. If you can read and follow instructions, you can save big bucks and end up with a beautiful floor.



5. I can't tell you how impressed my husband and I were with this book. Most books that we've read in the past always left us with more questions than answers, until we read Charles Peterson's book on wood flooring. It addressed all of our questions (and we had a lot of them), plus it included so many helpful safety and trade tips. But the real bonus was learning the `why' behind each step of the wood flooring process: layout, installation, and finishing. If you're a visual learner, there's a lot of pictures that clearly demonstrate installation techniques that compliment the written explanation, not to mention beautiful floors that the author created....a sure sign of his passion and pride in the craft. We enjoyed the book so much that we plan to read it a second time to make sure we didn't miss any valuable tips. This summer we'll take on our first ever wood flooring project and feel confident that Charles Peterson's book prepared us for the challenge!

5 comments about The Workbench: A Complete Guide to Creating Your Perfect Bench.

1. Thank for the book; it arrived in excellent condition, earlier than we expected. Great customer service!



2. Excellent book to consult before designing your own shop workbench.
   Amazon.com has always met or exceeded my expectations.



3. Book covers workbench types and construction. I enjoyed reading and found it useful to build my workbench. This is a book I will keep as a reference and a loaner, to aid friends interested in building their own workbench.



4. I would like to start out by saying, it always surprises me when people write negative or reduce stars for books such as these. This is not a how-to book. I bought this book for the information & inspiration. In all, I got this book to get good ideas to incorporate into my own bench. From size to what type of vise I might use, etc. If I want a set of plans(which in this case, there are a few throughout the book) I know there are many places to find them. The book itself has a good history of workbenches with color pictures of many different types & styles. Most all(if not all) benches illustrated in this book are working benches. In other words, benches made to be used. This is important to me, to help me create a good functional work bench that I can use.



5. Until I got that book I didn't know what a useful tool a good workbench could be. I had been getting by for years with makeshift creations thrown together from scrap, but after reading this book I was inspired to build a good woodworker's bench with a pattern maker's vise and bench dogs out of maple.
   
   The book is full of terrific ideas for every budget and time commitment. Some of them, like the pipe clamp bench are ingenious. I only wish I had time and space to build all of the ideas in this book. Even if you only have the time and budget to throw something together from scrap, this book will help you get the most out of your workbench.

5 comments about Illustrated Cabinetmaking: How to Design and Construct Furniture That Works.

1. Okay, I had doubts about this book, but the reviews convinced me that it must be okay. Okay is an understatement. Exploded diagram views of each furniture type with drawing of some of the varients that exist. This book shows how to build different types of furniture, it is not just a collection of blueprints. This book showed me how I could have avoided a lot of mistakes and built better, cheaper, lighter and stronger furniture.



2. As most reviewers have remarked, this book is not a "how-to" technique book. It is also not a book for beginners as there is little instruction for how to actually cut, route, or otherwise shape any wood. Rather, this is a catalog of different techniques. It contains an illustrated collection of all different furniture pieces (casework, tables, and desks). It gives the user measured and exploded views. As such, it should be used to spark ideas when thinking about your next project.
   
   If you are looking for a how-to book to create all the different joinery techniques or assemblies, I would recommend Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guides. This book is especially good when paired with Taunton's Illustrated Furniture and Cabinet Construction.



3. I have to say this book was wonderful while I was designing a new piece of furniture for my home.
   
   I had questions as to what the best way to create something would be. I found the different examples throughout the book to be very helpful.
   
   Also, I would like to say I do not agree with people who want measurments in this book. I don't think this book is trying to be that type of book and overall it wouldn't help.
   
   If you are looking for a book that really describes how things are built and goes into detail as to how they are built, this is for you. I think this will be one of my most used reference books for woodworking.



4. This book is very disappointing and highly overrated. Yes, it is very good at showing details of a cabinet's anatomy, but does little to explain the construction process. I expected some dimensioned projects in the book, but there are none. I expected details and pictorials on how to use tools to achieve various joints and construction techniques, but there are none. If you are looking for a book that merely shows you one exploded view of a cabinet after another, then this book is for you.



5. This book is for woodworkers with at least some skills and experience. To get the most from it, you'll need to be able to dimension furniture, figure out joinery details, like mortise and tenon sizing, and select stock.
   
   Think of it as a cookbook for an experienced cook. It won't tell you what "fold in", "sear", or "carmelize" means, but you'll get a killer quick reference for when your client asks for a proper scone or a quiche!
   
   This book is best for someone who knows what they want to make, how big it should be, and how to produce joinery using whatever tools are on hand. Bill gives an excellent pictorial overview of different joints, and wonderful exploded views of many different pieces of furniture. This is the book you'll seek when a potential client asks for a three-drawer desk, or dining table, that looks like "that one", and you need to know a very good way to put it together so it'll last.
   
   Highly recommended for anyone capable of building without a detailed plan.

5 comments about Tree Houses You Can Actually Build: A Weekend Project Book (Stiles, David R. Weekend Project Book Series.).

1. my husband loved this book. answers lots of questions about how to anchor to the tree and various ladders. the tree house is awesome and looks great too.



2. I grew up watching my father renovate the houses we lived in, but I've never build anything myself. This year, I really wanted to build a treehouse with my two daughters, ages 7 and 9, and I really wanted it to be a mom-and-daughter driven project (with help with the heavy lifting from dad and older brother). I did a lot of research and bought this book based on the totality of the reviews. It is FANTASTIC. Even if you've never held a tool, you can use this book to build a safe, sturdy treehouse. With the book in hand, I had confidence going to the lumber store, the hardware store, and anywhere else I needed to buy supplies. We got the foundation up in two hours and it was SOLID. After that, we were able to combine different parts of the designs in the book to easily make adjustments based on our tree and our personal preferences. And we did it all with a hammer, a hand saw, a level, and a t-square -- we didn't even have to buy any new tools! Our treehouse is a gathering place for the neighborhood kids, and it was easy and quick to do. The illustrations and intructions are absolutely impeccable. I highly recommend this book.



3. This is an amazing book for building your kids a tree house. We bought this book a full year before we knew we were going to be able to build our kids a tree house. We have spent many hours drooling over all the great ideas and using it as inspiration for our project. I love the drawings and explanations in this book...they are very detailed and use basic terminology. They even include graph paper you can copy over and over. Most of the examples they use are basic and highly adaptable.I love the fact that they included using elements of nature and ways to reuse everyday objects found around the house. Safety seems to be paramount for the authors as well as explaining why to do and not to do certain things. The back of the book includes many pictures of actual tree houses, which are great for inspiraton, as well as many extra ideas and signs that can be reproduced. Our project is just around the corner and this is our "bible" for it. I highly recommend this book and believe you will not be disappointed with the purchase.



4. Book provides lots of ideas. They can be done by the weekend warrior. We're building one in June for our 7 year old grandson for his birthday.



5. The examples of tree houses was very helpful when I constructed one for my grandchildren.

5 comments about Complete Guide to Sharpening.

1. I cant understand why this book got so many good reviews. I prefer something more straight forward when trying to use a learning guide. For instance using more charts and a matrix guide with all the information. The book also seemed to be dated in the equipment and tools that he used.
   
   If you are looking for a quick guide this book is not good. If you are looking for a long read then its an ok book. You would be better off just going on the net and getting more useful info.



2. I've had this book for years, it was the first woodworking book I ever bought, I can't remember why I chose it, but in retrospect I'd say that it is the most essential woodworking book to have. You can't do woodwork without properly sharp tools, especially if you're doing any darkside work (hand tools). There is far more depth of knowledge in this book than you'd imagine, or than you learnt during your apprenticeship. Lots of woodwork books are pretty puerile but this one is gold.



3. I am generally pleased with this book, but feel its usefulness would be enhanced by an updated edition. The copyright on this book is 1995, so this information is now 15 years old. Much of the content is timeless, but he does make specific recommendations for products that are either no longer available, or have been made obsolete by better technology.



4. If they added a sub-title to this book aying: "The guide to sharpening and maintaing collectable and unusual woodworking tools" I'd give it a five star rating.
   
   There is a lot of good information in this book for people who want to know all about sharpening and maintaining woodworking tools, particularly some lost-art tools like broad axes, shipwright adzes and two man buck saws. There is also lots of stuff on more obscure tools like Japanese planes and saws, scorps, inshaves, hand molding planes etc. So if you need to figure out the best wat to sharpen your scorp, this book is for you. For the collector, or just the curious about traditional woodworking tools, this book is a must-have.
   
   However it is very light on modern shop tool sharpening and forget about stuff outside the realm of woodworking.
   
   For example: The advice on sharpening a twist drill, a subject upon which an entire book could be written, the author suggests getting a jig or a commercial drill sharpener... but doesn't discuss at all how to use the various jigs, the merits of one vs. another, the differences in drill cutting geometry, or how to obtain various sorts of drill points. He devotes less than one column to the entire subject of twist drills while devoting a whole chapter to burnishing cabinet scrapers. This is a noteable omission as "old school" machinists all considered hand sharpening twist drills accurately for differing tasks to be a necessary basic skill. I would have thought that the author would have found the subject much more interesting.
   
   The book pretty much deals with all the other other improtant cutting tools used in today's power-tool driven carbide-cutter shops the same way. i.e. Send them out to a pro sharpening shop to get best results. But I already knew that before I bought this book.
   
   I'll keep the book because I DO find it interesting, and I can learn some nifty old-school tricks from it, but it has very limited value to me in my modern shop.
   
   Peter



5. Wow, this book runs deep. If you are into woodworking or even carpentry this book is a great read. He goes into the physics of woodcutting, metallurgy, and of course, sharpening. Really interesting and useful to boot.