Making Authentic Craftsman Furniture

Stickley put out a monthly magazine called The Craftsman (1901-1916) to showcase his then-radical design notions of careful craftsmanship, simplicity and utility. The 62 simple, straightforward projects reprinted in this book first appeared in The Craftsman between 1903 and 1907. Each project includes Stickley's original information for woodworkers of the early 1900's: a perspective drawing of the completed work; a brief description of the item with suggestions for which wood to use; complete lumber specifications; and schematic drawings showing both front and side views with accurate measurements. The projects include bookcases, dining room furniture, dressers, clocks, boxes, foot rests, and, perhaps most charmingly, a shaving stand. All have the clean lines and elegance for which Craftsman-style furniture are known - and enjoyed, 100 years later.

From a construction standpoint these are all very build-able projects. As these are the plans from the magazine and meant for the general public to build, Stickley is not trying to plan out a slavish copy of the factory production. He assumes basic woodworking skills and details all the important dimensions. He includes cut lists but doesn't dimension things like drawer construction or mortise and tenon proportion - unless it is critical to the design. He figures you can figure that out or adapt construction to your level of skill and equipment - which might be why these plans have been so popular over the years. Softcover. 8 1/2" x 11. 128 pages.

Binding: TP
Publisher: Dover