Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #122571 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-19
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Synopsis
A book of over 300 patterns for traditional craft designs featuring projects ranging from fences, gates, garden furniture, through benches and stools to light pulls and door wedges - all with metric and imperial dimensions. Each item has annotated black and white line drawings and patterns, a brief description, historical details where relevant and information on the materials that should be used, where this is critical to the process.

Both an historical record and a sourcebook for those looking to use their green woodworking skills to make traditional items of beauty, the book covers: Special tools and devices: cleaves, froes, rounders, shaves, horses and setting frames; Fencing and gates: post and rail, pales, gate hurdles, wattles, cottage gates, field gates; Garden furniture: borders, pea-sticks, stakes, pergolas, trellises; Green wood in building: thatching wood, shingles, lathes and wattles; Wooden tools: rakes, besoms, mallets, chisel handles, axes, billhooks, scythe handles, stable forks; Turnery and treen: door wedges, paper knives, bag carriers, dibbers, light pulls, rattles; Benches and stools: pole benches, cleft benches, stools, rustic chairs; Chairs: twig chairs, Windsor chairs, comb-back chairs, wheelback chairs; Baskets: trugs, splints, swills, woven baskets; Life's luxuries: walking sticks, spoons, whistles, tent pegs, boot removers

Customer Reviews

excellent resource but don't mistake it for a coffee table book!
This is a comprehensive and functional pattern book and as such fulfills it's role very well. The line drawings are the clearest way of illustrating the items shown. If you're expecting a glossy coffee table book or a step by step DIY manual then this book isn't for you though actually you don't need a huge amount of woodworking knowledge to follow the text and illustrations - perfecting the techniques is another matter. There is a certain amount of 'how to'..... the section of jointing techniques is very useful. Maybe a bit more 'how to' and a more systematic layout would make this a 5 star buy! Excellent nonetheless.

Not for the beginner
I would agree with the Gibbons reviewer in that this book is not comprehensible, certainly not for the beginner. Not even any beautiful photographs, just black and white sketches that I could not make head nor tail of. I would definitely NOT recommend this item.

Great inspiration for green woodworkers
I found it a VERY useful source of ideas and inspiration. The drawings are clear and allow you to make the devices shown; they are not high art. I have not made all the devices shown, but those I have made have been adequately covered. I now make the most delightful tent-pegs, thanks to this book!