The Furniture Doctor

Rating:
Summary: An interesting read but not a brilliant resource.
Review: I found the book to be a reasonably interesting read, if not a little too cynical at times. The tips and tricks could be useful but I would be reluctant to let the author anywhere near a half decent piece of furniture. His apparent disdain for the use of hand tools devalued the whole book in my eyes, and made me shudder to think what people might do to fine tools if they followed his advice on sharpening and tuning. If you are in the market for useful, cheap pointers and are not overly concerned about potentially messing something up, then its not a bad book.

Rating:
Summary: Good reference book for restoring finishes on furniture
Review: I have the original version of this book and use it whenever I need to restore a finish on antique furniture. Easy to read and full of humor.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Useful
Review: I've used this book for 30 years - to learn about furniture, to learn about tools and, most of all, to learn how to finish, re-finish and repair furniture. It's an invaluable reference and guide with no pretentions. The drawings are excellent - you're not buying a lot of glossy photos of unaffordable furniture. Grotz's style is folks-y and sometimes coy, but it doesn't get in the way of the wealth of information he shares.

Rating:
Summary: yahoo!
Review: Im so glad to have a copy of this book again-I used to borrow it from the library-havent seen it in years, and have missed it BADLY!
It is just a fun read, besides having alot of great information presented in a really delightful manner.
Mr Grotz has a very low-to-the-ground type of style that is refreshing-he demistifies the entire subject of antique furniture and its care.
If you are dealing with MAJOR museum quality antiques-this aint the book for you, but if, like most of us, you are just collecting a houseful of affordable, cool 'old stuff'-this is THE book to have!

Rating:
Summary: Great for do-it-yourselfers
Review: This is a 'bible' for the average amateur and full of good tips for both the experienced and fussy wood worker. I've used it for more than 30 years. Whenever I have a problem I start my research with this book, and I usually come back to it again after looking at a number of other sources. There are suggestions that you'll not find anywhere else. The humor is a delight. However Grotz wrote most of this before the development of many current ideas about how to preserve antiques. I imagine that employing some of his suggestions might lead to a reduction in the market value of an item. However, I don't think it will ever lead to a reduction in your personal enjoyment of the piece.

Rating:
Summary: Great for do-it-yourselfers
Review: This is a 'bible' for the average amateur and full of good tips for both the experienced and fussy wood worker. I've used it for more than 30 years. Whenever I have a problem I start my research with this book, and I usually come back to it again after looking at a number of other sources. There are suggestions that you'll not find anywhere else. The humor is a delight. However Grotz wrote most of this before the development of many current ideas about how to preserve antiques. I imagine that employing some of his suggestions might lead to a reduction in the market value of an item. However, I don't think it will ever lead to a reduction in your personal enjoyment of the piece.