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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing, 23 May 2002
I was looking for a guide to making a few Shaker pieces, or designing my own in their style and proportions. As Thos. Moser is now an acknowledged master of their reproduction, I looked forward to reading this book.The book seems to have been written a long time ago, when the style was less familiar and when Moser was just starting out as a commercial cabinetmaker. It's an indication of how much recent books (such as Bavaro and Mossman's on Gustav Stickley) have improved, to see how poor this one now looks in comparison. For some unfathomable reason, half of the book consists of a guide to the simplest aspects of cabinetry. Why do authors do this ? If you don't already know what a circular saw looks like, then I doubt if this book is really going to make much sense. A few of the larger cabinet pieces are described, but on the whole the pieces described herein are the small candle sconces and mathom racks that are characteristic of the Shakers' past, yet entirely irrelevant to most modern makers. Descriptions of each piece are sparse, bordering on inadequate. The drawings are no more than brief dimensioned outlines, and none too clear. I'd certainly have liked to see more detail diagrams of particular aspects of the joinery on each piece. Even assuming the reader is a cabinetmaker, there are many cases where it's just not clear which of several possibilities had been used to make a joint. If you're not already experienced, then you haven't a hope ! Production qualities of the book are poor too. Photos are muddy and near useless, drawings are hand-drawn and sparsely dimensioned.
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