Woodworker's Central Woodworker's Gazette Gazette Archive 5/12/04

A Book Review by Mike Reese Title: The Marquetry Course Authors: Jack Metcalfe & John Apps Published by: Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. 387 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016-8810 ISBN 0-7134-8850-6 Price Softcover: $19.95 (Canada $29.95 ) 176 pages If you're interested in learning about marquetry, this could be the book for you. Jack Metcalfe & John Apps, whose combined experience of teaching marquetry & furniture-making, spans over thirty years, have put together a comprehensive & thorough study on the art of marquetry. The book has 300 excellent photos clearly supporting the step by step instructions for each part of the course. Chapter One - "An Introduction to Marquetry" covers Tools and Equipment, Materials, Veneer, and Techniques. Chapter Two ­ "Tutorials" starts with some historical background, followed by 12 tutorials to illustrate various techniques and methods of work. Chapter Three ­ "Mounting, Pressing and Bordering" gets into the all important methods of mounting and pressing the assembled veneer art work as well as styles and methods of bordering. Chapter Four ­ "Sanding and Finishing" moves to the end game, so to speak, that will complete the process. Chapter Five ­ "Projects" takes four projects, an Oval Gallery Tray, a Pier Table, a Jewelry Box and a Fire Screen, from start to finish with excellent detailed instructions and photos. Chapter Six ­ "Furniture Maker's Gallery" shows a number of truly remarkable pieces of work. All this is followed with an Appendix with templates for the designs in chapter 2 and drawings for projects in chapter 3. There is also a glossary, a list of suppliers and references and, of course, an index. The suppliers, however, are all UK, as this is a British publication. Also some of the terms used take a little to figure out, but all in all, that's really not much of a problem. If your interested in marquetry, or for that matter veneering in general, this is certainly an excellent book to add to your library. Mike Reese Editor's Note: Sterling Publishing has graciously donated several books for review which are passed on to our members free of charge in exchange for thoughtful, honest reviews. Thank You! And you can usually find their titles at a discount from Barnes And Noble