Chris Schwartz - Building a Shaker Side Table (Rating: 5)

I've always admired Chris Schwartz so when his new DVD came out I ordered it. I have never built anything exclusively with hand tools. Could be laziness or not enough confidence it would be worth my efforts. When I started watching the DVD, little subtleties crept in that really didn't make any difference whether you were building with hand tools or "the new technology".

Those subtleties have certainly added to my knowledge on how to choose, lay out and and just plain "see" the process in a different light. Stock selection for legs that look good on all sides is one that comes immediately to mind. Over the years I've seen many ways to make legs look great, all involving cutting and gluing. Now here's a way to just pick the right stock in the first place making all the other efforts unnecessary. Watching Chris go through the process of building this table I tried to watch with the mindset that it was being done just like the Shaker's did well over 100 years ago.

I have always been intrigued by anything Shaker. I started building Shaker boxes about eight years ago and have built several clocks and tables all with power tools. This video has inspired me to give a hand tool build a try. I know I will never become a hand tool user exclusively, but maybe just maybe it will build my confidence that I too can build the way our ancestors did.

The video is extremely well done and the disk includes a Sketchup file that will be a great help. I find this ironic since a computer is needed for a hand build, but I know the Shaker's would be ok with that.

Thanks for reading and I hope this gives you help in deciding whether to purchase or not.

Ken