A Bend in the Willows: The Art of Making Rustic Furniture

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Looking for an inexpensive way to lend a little outdoorsy charm to your
home or yard? How about a beech bench or an ash armchair? It is yours
for the making. All you need is a few nails, a little wilderness, some
mosquito repellent, and this book by artist-turned-furniture-maker, Paul
Dolphin.

The first four chapters discuss furniture design, the history of rustic
furniture, how to collect materials, and how to fasten them together.
The remainder of the book describes how to build 18 rustic furniture
pieces. Projects include an arm chair, a log vase, a cedar-top dining
table, a standing birdfeeder, a loveseat, a side table, a coat rack, a
peeled-log bench, a bent willow arbor, a candle holder, a bobsled, even
a birchbark canoe. Each project is presented with easy-to-follow
step-by-step instructions and illustrated by black-and-white photos. A
glossary and a metric/imperial measurement conversion table are included
at the back of the book.

In 17 of the projects, Dolphin seems quite knowledgeable, but for the
construction of the birchbark canoe, he seems to be exploring brave new
worlds. He builds his vessel frame first and then attaches the bark
skin, which is the exact opposite of the traditional Native approach.
The result is pretty crude-looking. Although Dolphin admits that the
boat is meant to be a wall hanging, he also claims that this vessel
could navigate “most waterways.” Anyone who is brave enough to try
might also want to bend together a few willow life preservers.