Cheshirechappie
Established Member
Whilst rummaging through the 'library' for something else, I recently rediscovered the book, "Construction of Period Country Furniture" by V.J.Taylor. A cursory glance turned into a proper read - it's a book of some merit.
The bulk of the book is a collection of 28 period furniture projects, with excellent exploded drawings showing joinery and construction details, building notes, and cutting list. The projects range from side tables to a 17th century book press, and whilst one or two would only be suitable for a large house (Tudor style refectory table, for example), most would fit the average 3-bed semi quite happily. All the projects have something a bit extra about them - cabriole legs, linen-fold carving, mouldings - that lift them from the basic to the more demanding, but none are beyond an improving woodworker with a relish for a challenge. There's also a general section covering basic information on topics such as Cabinet Work, Veneering, Fittings, Carving and Finishing, clearly written by someone who had been there and done it; the writing style is 'distilled' but with a lot of solid information and practical advice.
The book is no longer in print, as far as I can ascertain, but there are quite a few copies around secondhand at very reasonable prices, and anybody seeking an addition to the woodworking information banks, or a challenging project, would not be disappointed, I think. There are several other titles by the same author that look equally interesting.
So far, I've not been able to find out much about V.J.Taylor. I know he was editor of Woodworker some time between 1968 (when Charles Hayward retired) and the mid 1980s when I started taking the magazine, and I'm fairly sure he was apprenticed to the cabinet trade given the style and content of his writing, but that's all so far. Anybody know any more? (Note - don't confuse him with Zachary Taylor, who also edited Woodworker in the '80s or '90s.)
The bulk of the book is a collection of 28 period furniture projects, with excellent exploded drawings showing joinery and construction details, building notes, and cutting list. The projects range from side tables to a 17th century book press, and whilst one or two would only be suitable for a large house (Tudor style refectory table, for example), most would fit the average 3-bed semi quite happily. All the projects have something a bit extra about them - cabriole legs, linen-fold carving, mouldings - that lift them from the basic to the more demanding, but none are beyond an improving woodworker with a relish for a challenge. There's also a general section covering basic information on topics such as Cabinet Work, Veneering, Fittings, Carving and Finishing, clearly written by someone who had been there and done it; the writing style is 'distilled' but with a lot of solid information and practical advice.
The book is no longer in print, as far as I can ascertain, but there are quite a few copies around secondhand at very reasonable prices, and anybody seeking an addition to the woodworking information banks, or a challenging project, would not be disappointed, I think. There are several other titles by the same author that look equally interesting.
So far, I've not been able to find out much about V.J.Taylor. I know he was editor of Woodworker some time between 1968 (when Charles Hayward retired) and the mid 1980s when I started taking the magazine, and I'm fairly sure he was apprenticed to the cabinet trade given the style and content of his writing, but that's all so far. Anybody know any more? (Note - don't confuse him with Zachary Taylor, who also edited Woodworker in the '80s or '90s.)
