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Rating: 
Summary: If you could have only one Framing Book, this is it!
Review: Accessible, readable and right on target. Clear instructions tell you how, with what and why. Very good resource for techniques, tools, materials and even a little design theory. An excellent book for both the crafts-person, or the crafts-person wanna-be. You can get confidence to start almost anything from reading this book. Beware, you may even want to buy tools! Even if you never make anything, you'll get tips on ready-made frames, glass, hanging etc. etc.
Rating:
Summary: This one's a keeper!!
Review: I am sending a piece of art to New York to be in a group show and it had to be great. Framing the piece would've been $250 to $300, hence the reason I bought the book. This book is very thorough, written in layman's terms and very easy to follow. I was extremely pleased with the matting section and suggestions on types of frames to use for different types of art. I highly suggest picking up this book!!
Rating:
Summary: A marvelous how-to!
Review: I purchased this book based on the positive comments left by the other reviewers here. This is a wonderful book. Possibly the best how-to-book on any subject I have read. The text is easy to follow and the pictures used to clarify the text were obviously selected with a great deal of care. I can not stress the choice of photographs used to illustrate this book enough, they are superb. The book explains each process in a systematic manner. You are never left with the feeling that something is missing. From the table of contents to the index, the quality of this book comes through. The address, telephone numbers, email, and description of services for 85 different suppliers are listed. It even covers the economics of purchasing ready-made frames at discount prices. This is truly a comprehensive work on framing for the novice and intermediate framer. This is one book purchase you will never regret.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: I really needed a good book on framing & matting & I did a lot of research reading reviews on Amazon before buying this book. I guess I should have gone to the chain bookstore & checked the books out in person because I this book is a real disappointment. To begin with, the section on matting is very brief & touches only on the most basic topics like it's OK to use color mats instead of white or off-white. What it doesn't address is tips like when to use a straight vs. a bevel cut when double or triple matting. The author's suggestions run along the lines of "experiment to see what works for you". There's a hefty section devoted to a specific brand of mat cutter which is neither the most commonly used nor the most professional cutter available. It was of little use to me because I use a different brand & the instruction books with most cutters are more than adequate. This was more like an "infomercial". There are pages & pages in the introduction to the framing section devoted to pictures & descriptions of the different kinds of saws (hand & powered) that are available, including band saws, table saws & chop saws. More, I felt, than I needed to know in this context, considering that every book I own on woodworking seems to include the same pictures & descriptions (often in a better format). The section on moldings was not bad, but again too brief, I felt, for a really critical subject area. Not step by step, but sort of rushed. Yet the author spends paragraphs telling the reader that often he has found really cheap made-in-Asia frames that he loaded up on & refinished or he has found really cheap lumber that saved him a lot of money. All in all too much anecdotal data, too little helpful info.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: Needing to get up to speed on framing in a hurry, I borrowed 5 or 6 framing books from the library, including this one by Mr. Oberrecht. Though most had at least a few helpful tips or photographs, this is the only one that I will go out and buy, because it's definitely a keeper. Very thorough, very detailed, and full of great tips and suggestions. Most importantly, the author's writing style is so helpful and generous - much more so than most "how to" books I've read. Reading this book is like sitting in a pro woodworker's shop and listening while he patiently explains every little detail of what you need to do to be successful at this art. I kept thinking of a line from an old T. Rex song: "Book after book, I get hooked every time the writer talks to me like a friend." Though I only needed to learn about framing for a specific project, this book makes turning it into a hobby sound like it would be a lot of fun.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: Needing to get up to speed on framing in a hurry, I borrowed 5 or 6 framing books from the library, including this one by Mr. Oberrecht. Though most had at least a few helpful tips or photographs, this is the only one that I will go out and buy, because it's definitely a keeper. Very thorough, very detailed, and full of great tips and suggestions. Most importantly, the author's writing style is so helpful and generous - much more so than most "how to" books I've read. Reading this book is like sitting in a pro woodworker's shop and listening while he patiently explains every little detail of what you need to do to be successful at this art. I kept thinking of a line from an old T. Rex song: "Book after book, I get hooked every time the writer talks to me like a friend." Though I only needed to learn about framing for a specific project, this book makes turning it into a hobby sound like it would be a lot of fun.
Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive but less than ideal
Review: This book covers just about everything on framing, but it doesn't really give you a feel for the whole process of framing. The topics really don't build well on each other and there's nowhere to get an overall perspective on doing a complete framing job. The author rightfully is trying not to be too prescriptive but he just presents so many options that you never get a good feel for what you should do. If you are into making frames though I think that part of the book works pretty well.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive but less than ideal
Review: This book covers just about everything on framing, but it doesn't really give you a feel for the whole process of framing. The topics really don't build well on each other and there's nowhere to get an overall perspective on doing a complete framing job. The author rightfully is trying not to be too prescriptive but he just presents so many options that you never get a good feel for what you should do. If you are into making frames though I think that part of the book works pretty well.
Rating:
Summary: This book actually shows you how to frame!
Review: Unlike a lot of how-to-books that raise more question than they answer, Ken's book will actually explain the framing process to you. It fills in the gaps and gives a complete picture of what it would take to start a framing business - with useful and specific information - sometimes down to the part number of the equipment involved. A really useful book.
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