SHAKER INSPIRATION from Lost Art Press, begins with information that all woodworkers want to know – the nitty gritty of how to successfully make trees into furniture. This requires a firm grasp of wood movement – one of Beckvoort’s specialties. He shares many of the tricks he uses to ensure his pieces remain sound through the seasons and generations.

Subtitled:   Five Decades of Fine Craftsmanship

By Christian Becksvoort

This is what the publishers have to say:

“Best known for his work in television comedy (Parks and Recreation episode “Ron and Diane”), Christian Becksvoort reveals a surprising amount of woodworking wisdom, culled from spending a lifetime singularly focused on his masterful, mostly Shaker-inspired, furniture work.

"This book is an instant treasure”  - Nick Offerman, actor, author and woodworker.

Not many woodworkers can claim five decades of business success, but Becksvoort is one of them. In Shaker Inspiration, he shares his woodworking knowledge and some of his professional techniques for producing top-quality work.  Also, the business advice that helped him establish and sustain his long career in a one-man workshop.

He shares detailed drawings for 13 of his own well-known furniture designs and seven Shaker pieces that he’s reproduced. Whether or not you are inspired by the Shaker tradition, you’re sure to be inspired by one of the best-known names in woodworking.

Lessons are both big and small, from the advantages of working with a single species to how to calculate how much a drawer front will move inside a house with central heating. Every page is filled with tricks that Becksvoort has used as a productive woodworker.  From how to remove dovetail waste to how to align a drawer front and drawer side perfectly when dovetailing.

When starting out, you do whatever it takes to pay the bills. We’ve all done our share of kitchens and built-ins, and replaced porch railings. After more than five decades, I can do the woodworking almost in the dark. It’s the business end that’s a constant challenge, and it keeps me on my toes.

He offers straightforward advice on setting up your workshop. From the roof to the heat pump to the sign you use to announce your business to customers. Even how to set up relationships with suppliers and subcontractors. It is a sobering section, but if you ever want to set up a woodworking business, it’s invaluable information.

Finally, Shaker Inspiration dazzles you with three sections of photos and measured drawings. The last 60-odd pages offer a collection of Beckvoort's original designs and reproductions of Shaker pieces he’s made. Also photos of the original Shaker pieces that have inspired him the most as a craftsman and a designer.

Beckvoort includes construction drawings for each project that will allow intermediate woodworkers to produce their own version.

166 pages, produced entirely in the United States.

This 8.5” x 11” full-colour book is printed on heavy coated paper; with sewn and glued pages for durability and covered in cotton-covered boards.

A tear-resistant dust jacket completes the package.