 | By: Steve K. Chappell Binding: Paperback Publisher: Joiners Quarterly Magazin ISBN: 188926900X ISBN-13: 9781889269009 Released: 08 Jul 1998 RRP: Average Rating:  |
The book breaks the timber framer's art, & science, into discrete chapters, each with a clear focus & gives each adequate coverage. All recommendations given in the text are well supported by the "whys & wherefores" & the more technicallly inclined will find thorough analyses of each aspect of frame design & practice.
The authors writing style is relaxed, fluent & easy to read, yet clearly spoken with the authority of a master craftsman. The illustrations, both photographs & line drawings, are clear & informative with direct relevance to the associated text & are placed in proximity to the relevant text.
As a handbook for the principles of timber frame design it would be hard to surpass, though I would also not want to miss out on Tedd Benson's "Building the Timber Frame House"! There is, as one would expect, considerable overlap in the subject areas but the difference in publishing date, writing styles & presentation make these two fine books far more complementary than might otherwise be imagined. My advice is to buy & read, both.
From the viewpoint of a European, the absence of metric data may seem an omission but is not a vital one: the principles apply equallly wherever one is working & conversion of the technical data provided is a simple matter. I would like to have seen cladding & external finishing covered by the book but equallly recognise that this would have highlighted the differences between US & UK practices, possibly diminishing its relevance to non-US locations.
Although I have worked on one reasonably modest & one spectacularly large framing project, whetting my appetite for the craft, I am by no means an expert - barely a novice. This book is going to be my guiding companion on the "next great adeventure" - building my own timber frame home. I have every confidence in my chosen guide.
Below are some of the current bestsellers - click them for a price comparison and find the cheapest place to buy!
