Fine Furniture Making--Chairmaking, Part 1

Master craftsman Dougal Charteris, who speaks with a pronounced Scottish burr, discusses why chairmaking is a useful introduction to the art of furniture making: a relatively small tool kit is required, only a small work space is needed, not much wood is required (only 3/4 cubic foot), and the variety of skills learned provide good practice for other cabinetry projects. Chairs from the period of 1760-1800 are the focus of this series of nine tapes, and Charteris emphasizes that all tapes must be viewed. This presents a substantial problem for libraries of all sizes. At nearly one hundred dollars per tape, the series of nine tapes makes for one expensive chair, especially considering that each title is only 30 minutes long. Additionally, the video's picture broke up seven minutes into the tape and never rectified, though the audio remained clear to the end. Librarians will probably find Fine Woodworking's videos a better choice; they are much more affordable, and considering the magazine's popularity with woodworkers, more likely to be used. Not recommended. Aud: P. (R. Reagan)