Glen
Huey's Illustrated Guide to Building Period Furniture
The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide - includes DVD
by Glen Huey
Hardcover,
spiralbound text pages
235 x 285mm
128pp
Published by Popular Woodworking Books, Ohio USA
R.R.P.$39.90
ISBN 978-1-55870-770-2
Massachusetts Block-Front Chest
Massachusetts High Chest
Pennsylvania Chest on Chest
As reviewed in The Australian Woodworker Issue 140
Building Period Furniture is, in a sense, an act of homage. It is the woodworker of today paying tribute to the woodworkers of the past whose furniture has stood the test of time.
Making Period Furniture is not, however, a task to be undertaken lightly. The original pieces were usually made for a select and highly discerning market. They were made with extreme care at a time when wealthy patrons encouraged skilled labour to be applied for long hours in the pursuit of perfection.
Only the purist would wish to imitate all of the working practices and techniques of those long dead masters. Yet none would want to compromise the quality of the work by employing only the powered production methods of today.
In Glen Huey's Illustrated Guide to Building Period Furniture the author has selected a middle path. He uses machines wherever practicable to achieve what he regards as an acceptable standard of construction and finish. Huey says in his Introduction: I do not attempt to build pieces that are exact copies of the originals. I try to incorporate the techniques that are time honoured and to build furniture with the tools that I have at hand, be they machinery or knowledge.
The book contains five projects: a Massachusetts Block-Front Chest, Massachusetts High Chest, Pennsylvania Chest on Chest, Pennsylvania Tall Case Clock and a New England Desk and Book case.
The approach to the instructions for each project is unusual. They begin with one or more exploded diagrams (as well as elevations where they are required). These are not dimensioned, the dimensions of all of the components being contained in a Cutting List.
Following these, there is a brief, but well illustrated description of the work involved.
In addition, the book is sold with a DVD on which the author covers specific techniques used in the making of the furniture.
The first of these is Making Mitred Sticking. Huey eschews the use of Cope and Stick Router Bits for frames, noting that they result in joints which are significantly weaker than the conventional mortise and tenon. He shows how to make a mortise and tenon joint for the corner of a frame with mitred inner edges of the frame components. His delivery is professional, the workshop is well lit and the images are clear.
The other topics covered on the 82 minute DVD are: Shaping Cabriole Legs, Creating Ogee Bracket Feet, and Dye Stain Finishing.
Finally, the disk contains a set of six drawings in PDF format. These provide printable shapes for the various curved components of the projects. The combination of printed text, drawings and instructional DVD makes this a package of unusual value.
Photos: Colour
Units of Measurement: Imperial
Contents
Introduction
Project 1: Massachusetts Block-Front Chest
Project 2: Massachusetts High Chest
Project 3: Pennsylvania Chest on Chest
Project 4: Pennsylvania Tall Case Clock
Project 5: New England Desk and Bookcase (Secretary)
Suppliers
Index
Pennsylvania Tall Case Clock
New England Desk
and Bookcase
(Secretary)