American Country Furniture: Projects From the Workshops of David T. Smith (American Woodworker)

I am not a carpenter; I'm a widowed stay-at-home mom of two teenagers with a desire to work with wood, a working knowledge of tools & some general experience.When I first got this book (Kindle edition) I looked through it & bookmarked the pages with projects I'd like to try. Out of 40+ projects, I bookmarked at least 30 of them. Then I went back through, taking more time to study the directions, tools needed, exploded views; from beds to chairs to tables to shelves there is nothing in this book I can't make if I follow the very-precise instructions given & take my time.There is a beginning section on "Tools, Materials & Techniques." The chapters are broken down by room. Each project has: a brief history or explanation of the piece of furniture; a list of materials; LOTS of exploded views for different stages of completion & with measurements, from different views - top, front, left side, etc. Some projects have a kind of tutorial afterward, explaining & illustrating how to do something from the instructions, like making hand cut dovetails or mortise & tenon joints. The final chapter is all about finishing, including a history of finish techniques, how to achieve a museum-quality finish, traditional finishing, artificial aging techniques.List of projects (* indicates projects I'd like to make):-Trestle table*-Shaker dining bench-Shoe-foot settle table*-Spoon rack-Knife caddy*-Lap desk*-Bookshelf*-Shaker candle ledge*-----Special section showing how to make BENTWOOD BOXES, I can't wait to try these, they're super cool.*-Ratchet candle stand*-Meal bin filing cabinet*-Shaker candle stand*-Plantation desk*-Keeping box (big chest, like hope or blanket chest, with removable trays)*-Pencil post canopy bed*-Chest of drawers-Shaker cradle* (perfect for little girl's doll bed/toy)-Six-board chest-Fretwork mirror (maybe my 1st project, I LOVE it)*-Turned post bed-Ladderback chair-Splay-leg side table*-Pouting chair (charming!)-Sofa table*-Wing-and-arm chair-Five-board bench-2 occasional tables - corner & half-round** (I want both)-Bucket bench* (interesting history of this)-Pie safe* (maybe my 2nd project, I love this too! Special section details how to make punched tin panels.)-Water bench*-Herb cupboard*-Dry sink*-Salt box-Spice cupboard*-Hanging corner cabinet*-Pewter (plate) bench*-Ohio corner cabinet*-Chimney cupboard*-Hanging corner shelf*-Plate shelf-Whale shelf-Step-back cabinet*-Pipe boxOverall, between the projects, techniques, & historical information, this is one of the coolest, best laid out books I've seen & I can hardly wait to get started. I may have to add an addition to my house to put all my new furniture!

I have the 1990s hardcover version. This is an excellent book with tons of very good projects.My one minor complaint is that there are too few (and far too small) photos of the completed pieces. They're really nice items and being able to see the completed pieces would be helpful for both inspiration and for finishing ideas. Also, the finish is a key element. David T. Smith has his own style and they pieces are interesting to look at but there needs to be a few more photos to really enjoy them.I would still encourage anyone to purchase the book though because there really aren't too many woodworking books on this genre that have both the quantity and the quality of furniture in this book. The directions are thorough and straight forward. Great variety between "smalls" and case pieces.

As a Kindle book it is nearly worthless. It is not formatted for Kindle, the test is too small to read easily and one can only zoom as if the pages were pictures. I cannot understand why this as a Kindle book, is not formatted correctly. Do not waste your money. How do you return a Kindle book?

This is my all time favorite furniture making books we have made several pieces from this book. Each beautiful.

Great book! I recently added this book and a few others on Colonial Era pieces and I enjoy the fact that this book covers the gamut with touching on history or early wookworking and then giving some great project ideas. Fortunately I bought this in time to build a couple of the pieces before Christmas! Add this one to your workshop library and you won't be disappointed.

I have made several of the pieces in this book. The illustrations, measurements and written instructions were right on. The end results were excellent. Well worth the cost of the book.

Lots of plans with many details. If you like primitive furniture and have a person skilled to make this furniture, this is a good choice. Very detailed.

Well worth the price, good instructions and drawings.

Très bien

More than met my expectations in quality and delivery time!