Constructing Medieval Furniture: Plans and Instructions With Historical Notes

Rating:
Summary: Good plans for medieval furniture, lousy research!
Review: The plans offer a good starting point for anyone interested in medieval furniture construction, but please don't take the accompanying background seriously, because it is full of inaccuracies and insubstantiated rumors. This said, if you are an enthusiast of medieval furniture, use the projects in this book as a starting point for your own exploration of medieval woodwork and to guide you in your research.

Rating:
Summary: Not very useful to the beginning woodworker
Review: There are many problems with this book. The author uses the wrong terminology; he makes mistaken assumptions on the construction of the furniture; his woodworking methodology is very lacking; he dosen't appear to be a seasoned woodworker talking about making medieval furniture, but someone into medieval times writing about the furniture; 8 of the 19 projects are considered mideval on a technicality - beging made 50 or so years before the time frame ended; he says dovetails sould be cut with a hand held saber saw. I can picture people running to the local home center and buying 2x material and digging at it with dull chisels claiming it is medieval because it is crude. There are some good points. The tapestry and candle stand are inspiring, and the couple pages of resources at the back of the book. Anybody serious about medieval furniture should not consider this authoritative.

Rating:
Summary: Good Plans - Exactly what I needed
Review: This was a very good book. Of course if you are looking for the exact plans measured off the real thing then save yourself some time. If you are looking to make Medieval-looking furniture and are not an Authent-o-crat then you will like this. It has good solid designs and plans for the modern medievel enthusiast. Gets you from point A to point B using tools that we have in the 21st century and is the best I have been able to find.

Rating:
Summary: Good Plans - Exactly what I needed
Review: This was a very good book. Of course if you are looking for the exact plans measured off the real thing then save yourself some time. If you are looking to make Medieval-looking furniture and are not an Authent-o-crat then you will like this. It has good solid designs and plans for the modern medievel enthusiast. Gets you from point A to point B using tools that we have in the 21st century and is the best I have been able to find.