Mouldings in Practice

by Matthew Sheldon Bickford

This is an excellent book. Not only does it demystify the process of cutting complex moldings using a minimalist set of tools, it teaches a precise and straightforward approach to creating virtually any molding profile you can draw.

The first half of the book covers how to tune basic profiling planes, how to use and control each effectively, and how they work together. With clear illustrations and engaging copy, Bickford builds the reader’s understanding of how to approach producing hand-cut moldings. The second half of the book (five appendices) focuses on the practical application of the methods developed in the first half, offering detailed illustrations and step-by-step instructions for reproducing the complex moldings found on eight different historical pieces.

Even if you never end up touching a wooden molding plane, you’ll find this to be an enjoyable and enlightening read.

Smyth-sewn hardcover, 6" × 9", 264 pages, 2012.