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A review by jameseckman
The Joiner and Cabinet Maker: His Work and Its Principles by Christopher Schwarz, Joel Moskowitz
4.0
Schwarz and Moskowitz presents this work of an anonymous carpenter that was published in 1839 as a guide for boys wanting to take up the trade. This portion was written in a narrative form, an oddity in itself, and currently the only one available from this period. It follows Thomas thru his apprenticeship, his work for a young lord! that includes a packing case and school box as well as building a chest of drawers. Addition material was added by the modern authors that expands on the society of working Victorian England from a slight later period based on writings by Mayhew and other reformers. This is the first half of the book, and is a great peek into the life of an early 19th century carpenter.
In the second half, Schwarz gives more detailed instructions on building the three projects, including photos and drawings. All three are a bit weird and a bit out of the ordinary, Included is information on working with cut nails, hide glue and milk paint, useful and until recently not well covered by most DIY (except [b:Furniture Making Plain & Simple|1579501|Furniture Making Plain & Simple|Aldren A. Watson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|1572298]). I'm tempted to build the chest of drawers, I'm using a blanket chest right now for everything and it's not as organized as I'd like. The school box would be a fun gift project, most people like unique, small boxes.
A tiny 1/2 size chest
Like all Lost Art Press books, the printing and binding are first class, making it a pleasure to handle while reading. Get it from the publisher direct, a used copy is more expensive than a new one and Amazon wants $140 for a $36 book!!! There seem to be a few libraries that carry it, count yourself lucky if you can get a copy that way. A great read.
In the second half, Schwarz gives more detailed instructions on building the three projects, including photos and drawings. All three are a bit weird and a bit out of the ordinary, Included is information on working with cut nails, hide glue and milk paint, useful and until recently not well covered by most DIY (except [b:Furniture Making Plain & Simple|1579501|Furniture Making Plain & Simple|Aldren A. Watson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|1572298]). I'm tempted to build the chest of drawers, I'm using a blanket chest right now for everything and it's not as organized as I'd like. The school box would be a fun gift project, most people like unique, small boxes.
A tiny 1/2 size chest
Like all Lost Art Press books, the printing and binding are first class, making it a pleasure to handle while reading. Get it from the publisher direct, a used copy is more expensive than a new one and Amazon wants $140 for a $36 book!!! There seem to be a few libraries that carry it, count yourself lucky if you can get a copy that way. A great read.