[.uk] Chests of Drawers: Outstanding Projects from America's ... (ISBN 1561584223)

Disappointing compared to the rest of the series:
I consider myself an "advanced beginner" as a woodworker. I own Desks, Bookcases, and Beds in this series (and have completed projects from the latter two). Chests of Drawers does not live up to the high standards of these titles for two reasons: 1. Intentional difficulty-It almost seems as though the author tried to come up with the most complex solution to any joinery problem. For example, is there not an easier way to do the joinery for the Contemporary Chest (a beautiful piece, by the way) besides making 180 loose tenons and 8 dozen mortises? The triple dresser is gorgeous but I am not sure that could be made to the same quality outside of the Thomasville factory. 2. Lack of variety-I am sure that many of these projects can be modified but if I wanted to substantially modify them, I would just design something myself (something I don't feel comfortable doing yet on a project of this magnitude) and wouldn't need the book. The Pennsylvania Dutch chest, though nice (I mean, I am Pennsylvania Dutch) probably isn't something that needs to take up space in a book called Chests of Drawers. Something in the Arts and Crafts style would have been nice as well as a true Shaker project. Beyond that, one or two variations of a simple, but well constructed chest would have been helpful. I was disappointed in this book and cannot recommend it. I probably would have given it one star, but most of the projects are truly beautiful. I am sure someone can make 'em!

This book has nothing the other Taunton books have:
What's wrong with this book? 1. Most of the projects in the book are for the very experienced craftsman. The projects seemed complicated just to be complicated. I'm not saying they should be super simple either but I think Taunton missed the mark on these. 2. These projects are for the woodworker who has a full set of power tools in their workshop. I also purchased Tauton's "Tables" book and loved the fact that many of the projects where done with minimal power tools. In this book the concept of "hand cut dovetails" are dovetails done with a jigsaw and a router. Way too many expensive jigs, routers, biscuits and pocket joints. Since my next project is a chest of drawers for my son, I was really hoping to find inspiration in this book based on my other purchases of Taunton's books. Unfortunately I found none in this book. The ultimate test for me is to show my wife projects from books to see which one(s) she likes. She also found nothing in this book that we would want to build. Hopefully further book's released by Taunton can avoid these mistakes and make a book which most woodworkers can enjoy.

Not bad but not great either:
This book has its good points and bad points. I bought because I was really interested in the chest on the front cover. This chest is probably the most difficult project in the book and it has some very good points. But other things are lacking. For example, the author doesn't explain how to make the "stiles" of the frame (which are curved in the front plane) flush with the "rails". This is an important aspect that is simply overlooked. But the most glaring omission is how to finish the piece. The author writes "Apply a finish of your choice." I almost returned the book! The beauty of the chest is that there are two shades of mahogany. The author completely ignores this. Uggh!! (I plan to use potassium dichromate to darken the wood where appropriate--I hope it works.) Also, I think the author should have given alternative methods for accomplishing the curve on the front. You can make the drawer fronts from thick stock that is curved on the front and flat in back using a bandsaw to make the curve. This eliminates the need for angled dovetails. This method would *greatly* simplify the construction and make it appropriate for intermediate woodworkers. I certainly would tell a beginning woodworker to stay away from this book. I'd give it a lukewarm recommendation for the intermedate woodworker.

Bill Gray:
I liked this book! I have purchased a number of books lately looking to "notch up" my furniture building skills. There are plenty of books showing general, basic construction technique but most stop short of showing how to make many of the more difficult designs. I really liked the Tall chest and the Queen Anne chest (I am not a fan of contempory styles). This is not a beginners book (unless you want to see what to aim for) but I personnally found it instructive and will add it to my other favorites.

A solid reference.:
This is a good source of creating unique storage furniture for your home. A good source for your library.