Making Classic Chairs: A Craftsman's Chippendale Reference

Rating:
Summary: Better than a time machine...
Review: I am presently building the chair explained in the book. The book is very well written an helpful if you have never built a chair before, but beware there are many (many although the author does not recognize the mistakes) mistakes in the measurements. MEASURE TWICE- READ ALL THE REFERENCES in the book which relate to each piece, or you will have to buy extra wood to recover from these mistakes. There is a set of plans for the chair which you MUST buy or from the tiny pictures from the book will not be able to accomplish the project.

The book itself has plenty of pictures (all black and white except for a gallery of chairs). The cover seems to deliver better quality pictures than it actually does.

The title should say "Building A classic chair" since it only explains how to build just one model. But remember, get the plans, and re-read the book back and forward before cutting any part and buying the wood.

Rating:
Summary: addendum to my previous review
Review: I recommended to buy the plans for the chair. I forgot to say the plans lack of simmetry, hence, use the left hand side for reference to make the templates otherwise you will end up with mismatched pieces!

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book
Review: This is a fantastic book despite the false claim on the ball and claw foot on the back cover, as the author does not show the reader how to carve a ball and claw foot anywhere in the book, only the hairy paw carving is shown in detail. It is certainly the best chair making book I have seen.
I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Better than a time machine...
Review: When I got this book I couldn't believe what I'd found -- a time machine! Of the few craftsmen of this caliber remaining, few would share their secrets to the extent Ron has... Sure there are other books on 18th century furniture but not written in this much detail and loaded with as many pictures, tips and insights into building such a masterpiece. Everything is covered, all you do is follow the steps guided by the pictures and captions to make a treasured heirloom! All you need to succeed is the ability to follow step by step instructions and a bunch of chisels and gouges...