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Making Authentic Shaker Furniture: With Measured Drawings of Museum Classics
This splendid book describes and illustrates in detail how the Shakers designed, built, and finished their furniture and household articles. With its detailed text as well as over 250 photographs and measured drawings for over 80 classic pieces, it offers woodworkers and furniture enthusiasts a practical guide to the essentials of replicating a broad range of designs long admired for their sturdy practicality and their spare, elegant beauty.
The book first chronicles and describes the Shaker movement and the Shaker way of living, worshiping, and working. It then explores the Shaker approach to furniture design (from chests and chairs to boxes and baskets), construction (including all joinery techniques), and finishing (including recipes for finishes).
Three important sections of the book depict dozens of classic Shaker designs, complete with measured drawings. The designs include Shaker "smallcraft" such as a cutting board, scoop, candle sconce, peg-leg footstool and towel rack; more substantial "utility designs" such as a dough bin, cradle, dry sink, butcher block, and bonnet box; and furniture classics such as a Harvard trestle table, maple chair, lap desk, sewing chest, rocking chair, bed, settee and chest of drawers — each in its own distinctive way defining the simple, practical grace of Shaker design.
The book first chronicles and describes the Shaker movement and the Shaker way of living, worshiping, and working. It then explores the Shaker approach to furniture design (from chests and chairs to boxes and baskets), construction (including all joinery techniques), and finishing (including recipes for finishes).
Three important sections of the book depict dozens of classic Shaker designs, complete with measured drawings. The designs include Shaker "smallcraft" such as a cutting board, scoop, candle sconce, peg-leg footstool and towel rack; more substantial "utility designs" such as a dough bin, cradle, dry sink, butcher block, and bonnet box; and furniture classics such as a Harvard trestle table, maple chair, lap desk, sewing chest, rocking chair, bed, settee and chest of drawers — each in its own distinctive way defining the simple, practical grace of Shaker design.
224 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 2, 2017
Shea's account of the history of the Shakers is almost comically biased, emphasising only the positive aspects of Shaker life without acknowledging that they were, after all, a harmful cult, and bizarrely crediting the Shakers with the invention of dozens of things they had nothing to do with, including the circular sawblade and cut nails. His description of their furniture is somewhat hampered by the fact that he is not a competent furniture-maker, and often doesn't really know what he's looking at or what he should be looking at.
The illustrations are good, though (no thanks to Shea; the technical drawings were done by Joseph Romeo (who, incidentally, took a while to understand how dovetails work, leading to few botched cases), and most incidental art (which is actually great) by his daughter-in-law Carol Wright, both of whom are only briefly credited in the introduction), and will certainly serve as usable inspiration.
(What sets this book apart from any of the million other books of Shaker furniture diagrams is probably the account of Shaker finishes and how they were made. That's only a short chapter of questionable quality, though, and trying to duplicate those yourself looks like a great way to get cancer/lead poisoning/put on a government watchlist.)
The illustrations are good, though (no thanks to Shea; the technical drawings were done by Joseph Romeo (who, incidentally, took a while to understand how dovetails work, leading to few botched cases), and most incidental art (which is actually great) by his daughter-in-law Carol Wright, both of whom are only briefly credited in the introduction), and will certainly serve as usable inspiration.
(What sets this book apart from any of the million other books of Shaker furniture diagrams is probably the account of Shaker finishes and how they were made. That's only a short chapter of questionable quality, though, and trying to duplicate those yourself looks like a great way to get cancer/lead poisoning/put on a government watchlist.)
January 28, 2024
This book is an amazing guide if you have an interest in building shaker furniture (or shaker inspired furniture!)
The first part of the book is a history of shaker communities from the perspective of woodworkers and craftsmen (and craftswomen). I thought it would be a bit dull, but actually it's fascinating. The shakers invented the circular saw, and all kinds of joinery and machinery that we just take for granted of in the world. Cool huh?
The second half of the book is a series of drawings done by the author, with pictures, of authentic shaker furniture. The drawings are well made, and look like a good source to use recreate some pieces of furniture. The one thing that's a bit annoying is they don't include things like cut lists, and all the different perspectives you'd expect from a modern CAD generated model.
It's OK though. This book was published in the nineties, so prepare to be confused by the peculiar elocutions by the author that include phrases like "In shaker furniture made in this century...," and "Shaker craftsman had all but disappeared in the middle of this century, and by 1968..."
The first part of the book is a history of shaker communities from the perspective of woodworkers and craftsmen (and craftswomen). I thought it would be a bit dull, but actually it's fascinating. The shakers invented the circular saw, and all kinds of joinery and machinery that we just take for granted of in the world. Cool huh?
The second half of the book is a series of drawings done by the author, with pictures, of authentic shaker furniture. The drawings are well made, and look like a good source to use recreate some pieces of furniture. The one thing that's a bit annoying is they don't include things like cut lists, and all the different perspectives you'd expect from a modern CAD generated model.
It's OK though. This book was published in the nineties, so prepare to be confused by the peculiar elocutions by the author that include phrases like "In shaker furniture made in this century...," and "Shaker craftsman had all but disappeared in the middle of this century, and by 1968..."
January 3, 2024
insufficient Detail
While the overall dimensions of the pieces are given there is no detail of the joinery and construction for each piece. As a woodworker this is very dissapointing.
While the overall dimensions of the pieces are given there is no detail of the joinery and construction for each piece. As a woodworker this is very dissapointing.
February 25, 2021
More useful as a history of Shaker goods, the plans are decent but made for a community setting and not for private homes in some cases. All photos are black and white but there's a fair number of them.
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