New Review of 'The Joiner and Cabinet Maker' –
Leif Hanson, better known as the Norse Woodsmith, has published a lengthy and thoughtful review of our book “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker.”
Overall, I’d say that Hanson liked the book, though he does take issue with my contribution on some points.
1. Why did I not use hot hide glue to build the three projects from the book? Mea culpa. I should have used hot hide glue. I used liquid hide and (a couple times) a PVA.
2. Why are the hinges on The Schoolbox so darn ugly? They are bucky. I struggled to find ones that looked like the hinges in the isometric drawings in the book. But I couldn’t find any “off the rack.” My gut instinct was to get a blacksmith to make them, but I thought that might put some people off as too precious. I should have followed my gut.
I’m actually building another Schoolbox now and am about to add the hinges. These are better, but they still aren’t perfect. Time to call a blacksmith.
You can read Hanson’s full review on his site here. And while you are there, dig into his archive. He’s one of the leading resources for people who want to make their own saws.
If you haven’t ordered “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker,” you can do that in our store. It was printed in the United States, reflects almost a year of labor and (I think) is a lot of fun to read.
— Christopher Schwarz
P.S. You’re going to get to see an original copy of “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker” on Roy Underhill’s show this fall. He had me on as a guest and we discussed the book and the projects. It was a crazy show, but fun.
