Blanket Chests: Outstanding Designs from 30 of the World's Finest Furniture Makers

I like this book a lot. It is written for an experienced woodworker. The description of each chest is not a step-by-step instructional. Instead, it covers the unique aspect of each chest in detail and leaves the straight forward stuff unwritten.For example. Mr. Peaert's chest describes how to make the wooden 'straps' in detail. But, I found some non-obvious details missing. For example, again Mr. Peart's chest--how is the base attached to the box? Also, a few more details about the joinery associated with the curved panels on Mr. Thibadeau's work would have been useful.A number of these chests are for the advanced woodworker. The chest with the lapstrake construction and tapered sides or the chest shown on the front cover (top row, middle picture)--definitely not for the newbie. If I were to see these in a gallery, I'd expect to see price tags of well over $5,000.I was rather disappointed that several chests have been shown in other publications. For example, the cylinder chest and the chest with the lapstrake construction have been shown and detailed in other places.Overall, definitely work buying if you already know your way around a wood shop. But definitely it should have been all new chests.

These chests are works of art. Most are beyond the ability of even an experienced hobbyist, and the plans/instructions are sketchy at best. If you are looking for plans of things to build, keep looking. They are inspirational more than anything else.

If I had a choice again I would not buy this book. So much is emphasized on art rather than being practical in usage. There are triangle chests, round chests, and others that just take up more space than what can be used for storage. Some carvings in this book I would call just plain ugly. I could take a picture of worms in my driveway and it would look the same. Granted, there are some nice chests in this book, but I doubt I would ever copy any of these for a blanket chest project. It seems the more difficult it is to make a chest, the better it is for being rated as great furniture. Some designs need a special figure to set it apart, which usually calls for expensive wood. If you want to make a blanket chest that's practical for storage and doesn't require expensive wood and time consuming joinery and construction, then go elsewhere for ideas and plans.

Exactly what I was looking for. Ideas to think about....

The books arrived just fine and are in very good condition. They will serve well in a wood working class that I teach for an adult education program. Thank you for excellent service!

This book showcases 30 chests made by as many craftsmen. The first chapter is about various joinery methods that are used in the construction of chests. This is followed by short chapters on each chest. These chapters include photos and illustrations including basic dimensions and design. The information falls a little short of being an actual shop manual. I had assumed some of the designs would be historically accurate reproductions such as a Queen Anne/Chippendale Pennsylvania chest but this is not the case. Three or four show strong historical influence, but most are modern or even avant garde.

This book is a good source of inspiration with photos and dimensions for 30 different blanket chests. No detailed instructions for building them, but they give enough information on most of them to get by.

Pretty pictures. Some interesting designs. But this is not what I expected it to be. The book is more an exercise in display art than a practical plan book. I should have read the description more closely. This will be a gift to someone or maybe I'll exchange it for something more useful at the used book store.

Ok so I made the mistake of taking out my book in front of a couple of retired friends I have, that was a mistake. I've seen it twice, purely by mistake, yes its been dog ear'd, etc. Its has been a great book for them as all of their friends and grand children are getting chests made. So it was definitely a good buy, I just want it back so I can build one....