The Painter, Gilder, and Varnisher's Companion: Containing Rules and Regulations in Everything Relating to the Arts of Painting, Gilding, Varnishing, and Glass-Staining: Numerous Useful and Valuable Receipts; Tests for the Detection of Adulterations in Oils, Colours, &c. And a Statement of the Diseases and Accidents to Which Painters, Gilders, and Varnishers are Peculiarly Liable; With the Simplest and Best Methods of Prevention and Remedy. Philadelphia: Henry C. Baird, Successor to E. L. Carey. 1850. Henry Carey Baird (1825-1912) was an author, publisher and proponent of the 19th Century industrialization of the United States of America. His publishing house specialized in both scientific and practical books (for mechanics and tradesmen). His was the first American publishing house to focus on technical and industrial titles.

"Because of the increasing demand for woodworking projects embracing the designs of the famous masters, Chippendale, Hepplewhite, and Sheraton, the author has endeavored to secure dimensioned sketches and photographs of old fashioned furniture." Frederick J. Bryant. Active in the early 20th Century Manual Arts education movement, Frederick J. Bryant sought out period furniture, found in local Maine towns, of "singular form and beauty." Tables: Gate-leg, Card, Tea, Work, Tip-Top, Breakfast, Tavern Clocks: Grandfather, Banjo Chairs: Windsor, Hepplewhite, Empire Mirrors: Colonial, Old Fashioned With notes on wood finishing

If you have ever longed for a secluded place in which to "get away from it all," here is the book that will tell you what is required to make your dreams come true. Whether you want to build a hideaway just for escaping your crowded city during weekends, or you want to construct a country cabin in which to retire, you need to know beforehand exactly what you will face if you decide to do it all yourself. Read this book and learn from the author's experiences. For readers with little interest in the technical details of carpentry, the author has placed an "Interlude" after each chapter, effectively turning this volume into two books. The Interludes are accounts of experiences the author and his wife, Alma, had while pursuing their cabin-building quest. These sixteen, humorous, sometimes-poignant memories and observations offer unique insights into the pleasures and perils of rural life. The Interludes, alone, are worth the price of this book.

Mechanick Exercises: Or The Doctrine Of Handy-Works, was written, printed and published by Joseph Moxon between 1683 & 1685 and reprinted in 1703. Breaking away from Guild restrictions, Moxon wrote of what he knew from his experiences as a practitioner of skilled trades. A mathematician, writer, printer, publisher and maker of maps, globes and scientific instruments, Joseph Moxon was also the first tradesman to be awarded membership in the Royal Society of London. Mechanick Exercises popularized the secrets of the skilled trades of Smithing, Joinery, House Carpentry, Turning and Bricklaying, along with the making of Sun Dials. Mechanick Exercises is as important a reference today as a description of early skilled trades as it was in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.

When Daniel Robb set out to rebuild a family sailboat that had been deteriorating for years, he couldn't have anticipated what he was getting into. Although Robb was a skilled carpenter, boatbuilding (and boat repair) required a specialized set of skills. And this wasn't just any boat; it was a Herreshoff 12 1/2, a classic wooden sailboat. Built especially for the coastal waters of New England, this little sloop had sailed for years out of the author's boyhood home in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, before being relegated to a quiet corner of a yard, no longer the focus of the family's summer. Restoring the sailboat was both an act of respect and an homage to a place and a way of life that are in jeopardy of disappearing.

"Sloop" is the captivating story of Daniel Robb's education in boatbuilding, peopled by an eccentric cast of characters -- lumbermen, boatbuilders, and local artisans -- who are part of a changing and perhaps dying world. They tell Robb how to find the materials -- certain kinds of wood, fastenings, caulking, and canvas -- he'll need, which are increasingly hard to come by, and they educate him in the techniques of restoration, an all-but-lost art. Building and restoring wooden boats means an initiation into a world where life is lived simply, with respect for materials, for labor, and for the local waters.

A craftsman and environmentalist, Robb is a willing and able student, and although the restoration of the boat takes far more time and effort than he'd calculated, it is ultimately successful. After all Robb's struggles with quartersawn white oak, homemade steam boxes, bronze screws, copper rivets, andold mast hoops, the Herreshoff sails again -- and a dying art and a vanishing way of life remain alive and vibrant just a while longer.

By turns charming, meditative, and wonderfully quirky, "Sloop" is a paean to a sense of place and to old-fashioned values.

A wonderful book for anyone interested in starting their own homestead or small farm. This book will show you how to be self reliant and build the things you'll need. There are more than 200 illustrations showing you how to make handy farm devices. You'll learn about the farmer's workshop and tools, running a grindstone, making a dumb waiter, making a cradle, how to clean a well, how to stake out stock, bee keeping, how to transplant trees, how to build a bridge for a small stream, how to keep a gate from sagging, important points in house building, how to build small greenhouses, advice on the best way to split wood, black smithing, and much, much more in this thrift-conscious and environmentally wise book.

First published in 1937, Woodcraft In Design And Practice contains a wealth of designs for 1930s furniture. Working from solid design principles, Rodney Hooper sets out plans for practical, modern furniture to suit the changing lifestyles of the time. Considered as part of an overall interior, his tables and chairs, shelves and cabinets, boxes, sideboards and light fittings are examples of clean, bold period design that would still sit comfortably in today's houses and flats. Illustrated throughout with black and white photographs and detailed line drawings, Woodcraft In Design And Practice is of interest both as a fascinating piece of design history and as inspiration for today's interior decorator or DIY enthusiast.

A wonderful book for anyone interested in starting their own homestead or small farm. This book will show you how to be self reliant and build the things you'll need. There are more than 200 illustrations showing you how to make handy farm devices. You'll learn about the farmer's workshop and tools, running a grindstone, making a dumb waiter, making a cradle, how to clean a well, how to stake out stock, bee keeping, how to transplant trees, how to build a bridge for a small stream, how to keep a gate from sagging, important points in house building, how to build small greenhouses, advice on the best way to split wood, black smithing, and much, much more in this thrift-conscious and environmentally wise book.

A guide to types of wood, knives and their care for those wishing to learn about whittling.

Have you ever thought about whittling?

Pictured yourself sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair with a knife and a piece of wood watching the neighbourhood activity? Maybe not!! How about sitting by the lake with fishing line out and whittling away the time? Relaxing and waiting to get a bite.

This book covers knife types and care along with safety, wood basics and three beginners projects.

Turn your woodworking skills into a full- or part-time business. Here is everything you need to succeed with your woodcraft creations. You get 250 tips with advice about how to find and get accepted into craft shows, survive them, and make a profit. Learn how to take credit cards, be safe on the road, make your own display and anchor it, avoid theft, travel to shows by road or air, sell to anyone, make your own web site, and do your own photography for web images and show application slides. Included are addresses and ratings for the best 900 craft fairs and art shows in the U.S. and addresses for over 1,000 top craft galleries that are seeking new contemporary crafts to sell. Instructions are included for 15 easily downloadable spreadsheet templates and forms for use with Microsoft Excel and Word, including an easy monthly bookkeeping system, a product pricing calculator, an inventory tracking template, a mail list manager, a business plan, invoice, marketing plan, organizers for your application deadlines and show schedules, legal agreements for consignment, sales representatives, and more. Contact information is included for everything from canopies and display cases to trade shows, photographers, craft fair guides, and credit card providers, including over 100 show promoters who produce multiple shows around the country.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Roy Underhill is America's best-known master of traditional woodcraft. Creator of the popular PBS series "The Woodwright's Shop," Roy has inspired millions--from professional craftsman to armchair woodworker--with his talent, knowledge, and enthusiasm.
Roy returns here with his third book. "The Woodwright's Workbook" features step-by-step instructions for a selection of projects from his television series. All projects are illustrated with photographs and measured drawings. Included here are plans for tool chests, workbenches, lathes, and historical reproductions of items for the home: a six-board chest, rustic chairs with cattail seats, a churn for the kitchen, and the Rittenhouse hygrometer. Roy also explores building barns, forges, boats, and even colonial fortresses.
A wonderful feature of this book is Roy's own translation of the humorous fifteenth-century poem "The Debate of the Carpenter's Tools." He also provides a fascinating and useful 'field guide' to American tool marks that shows how to identify the specific tool used by the marks it left. Whether Roy is an old friend or a new acquaintance, let him be your guide to the world of traditional woodworking.

Staining and Polishing - Including Varnishing & Other Methods of Finishing Wood, With Appendix of Recipes Originally published in 1917. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Obscure Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents include: Stains for Woods - Woods for Staining - Staining - French Polishing - Preparing Furniture for French polishing - French Polishing - Glazing etc, - Matching and Improving - Defects in Polishing and Their Remedies - Polishing Inlaid Work etc, - Oak and its Various Finishes - Oil Polishing and Wax Polishing - Stencilling on Wood and Ornamental Wood Staining - Varnish - Varnishing - Faults in Varnishing - Appendix

Many people--and not just kids--dream about having their own treehouse. With this very practical and personal guide, it can come true. Not only is this an attractive record of author Maurice Barkley's appealing creations, but it delves into every aspect of planning and construction so others can build them too. In a friendly, conversational tone, Barkley offers time-tested advice on safety for both builder and user, and meticulously outlines each step, from raising a ground-built platform into the tree to bolting and anchoring the structure. Dozens of sidebars, how-to illustrations, and photos accompany detailed plans, and the amount of information conveyed is amazing: tools and materials; tree basics; house designs, including ones hung between two trees and others with self-supporting platforms; maintenance; and even costs.

Originally published in 1918, this is a wonderful book of things for children, young adults or 'handy' grown-ups to make, full of great project pieces. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include - A Sawing Trestle - A Joiner's Bench - A Handy Bookstand - A House Ladder - A Developing Sink - A Poultry House and Run - A Shed for your Bicycle - A Target Apparatus for Rifle Shooting - Cabinet-Making - Telegraphic Apparatus - A Reciprocating Electric Motor - An Electric Alarm Clock - A Model Electric Railway - A Simple Reciprocation Engine - A Horizontal Slide-Value Engine - Model Steam Turbines - Steam Tops - Model Boilers - Quick-Boiling Kettles - A Hot Air Engine - A Water Motor - Model Pumps - Kites - Paper Gliders - A Self -Launching Model Aeroplane - Apparatus for Simple Scientific Experiments - A Rain Gauge - Wind Vanes with Dials - A Strength-Testing Machine - Lung-Testing Apparatus - Home-Made Harmonographs - A Self-Supplying Matchbox - A Wooden Workbox - Wrestling Puppets - Double Bellows - A Home-made Pantograph - A Silhouette Drawing Machine - A Signalling Lamp - A Miniature Gasworks

Originally published in 1934, this guide to French Polishing contains a wealth of knowledge for anyone who wants to find out more about the subject, and also for those who are in the trade and wish to know more about methods and techniques. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include: The Improving and Preparation of Furniture Woods Stains and Imitations French Polishing Cheap Work Re-Polishing Old Work Spirit Varnishing General Instructions Enamelling American Polishing Processes Miscellaneous Recipes Materials Used