All photos are from www.populuxebooks.com |
Facts of the matter are, many times we think that it's more cost effective to buy something instead of building it ourselves. In some cases that is very true. To buy a car is much more practical than to try and build your own. Sometimes it's also the way with Mid-Century furniture. If you find a great deal or know how to repair it yourself, there you go, more efficient to buy than build. However, that's not always so.
I think another misconception is that of:"I don't know how to build furniture, so I won't do a good job." This too is a valid thought. However, have you thought about the fact that a lot of the furniture in your home, or homes of the past are, in reality very simple shapes, with very simple assembly processes.
That's why I'm telling you about this book. It starts with one of the most basic of materials...Plywood. See I don't just like the way plywood looks (I really love plywood). I think that it is one of the best beginners materials on the market. Here's a few reasons why.
1)Plywood comes pre-planed
2)It has fairly straight factory edges
3)It can easy be cut, molded, sanded, and formed
4)Generally holds screws, nails, glues, epoxy's, and other fasteners well.
5)Comes in multiple wood types
6)With detailed drawings many home improvement stores can cut your pieces to size if needed.
7)Easy to find large pieces for most furniture surface areas.
8)Can be stained, or have fine wood laminates applied.
9)Very strong with a fine line. Very sleek looking.
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As I tried to show with my first Simplified Woodworking episode, today, you can be retro and original. How so? If you follow vintage methods and use vintage materials you can build a brand new Mid-Century piece. That's why I suggest you check out the 52 plywood home storage plans book by Douglas Fir, because it's a great book to start with. It's not the only one though. This book is hard to find. So, it usually begs a higher price. However, there are reasons why.
All photos are from www.populuxebooks.com |
You can get this book here from Populuxebooks.com
2 comments:
I need that book! You can also still buy the hairpin metal legs as shown in the pics you used. And the big box stores that sell plywood will usually custom cut it for you to get you closer to the dimensions you need. Great post!!
Uncle Atom, your right. The box stores will cut your dimensions for you. If you want hairpin legs, I would suggest http://hairpinlegs.com or www.moonshineshades.com.
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