My wife and I are restoring a home built in 1908. It is a little past the time period this book refers to, but many of the items like the trim work and mantel pieces are not at all out of place for later homes. As other readers have stressed, the only complaint you will have is when you get through the book and find yourself wanting more projects and tips for traditional woodwork in older homes.

Traditional Woodwork provides weekend woodworkers with projects and ideas that will produce results that are found in 17th and 18th century homes. Mario Rodriguez approach to building these projects makes what would seem to be difficult, very easy to understand and follow. Using clear photographs and easy to read text, projects move along smoothly using inexpensive tools. With a little weekend time, authentic period details can be added to any home new or old. The only thing wrong with this book is it is to short and you will want more.

This is a great reference book if you want to add traditional details to a modern home. I especially liked the chapters on adding built up baseboards and window molding. I first saw the book at my local library and found myself checking it out so often that I decided to buy my own copy. Chapters include adding wide plank flooring, a corner cabinet and building your own mantel.

This is an outstanding book on a focused topic: "Distinctive [Fireplace] Projects for any Style Home." After discussing some basics of mantel making, he describes in detail from start to finish, step-by-step, including a materials list, suppliers, and tools needed for nine projects to build nine different style firelplace mantels: Simple Colonial, Georgian, Simple Federal, Arts and Crafts, Mackintosh, Victorian, Greene and Greene, Art Deco, and Contemporary. We are updating a fifty-year old home in Coral Gables, Florida. It presently has a very pedestrian fireplace mantel. I wanted a fireplace mantel with more style. My wife and I both loved the Art Deco mantel in the book and I plan to build it almost exactly as described. I should save a considerable amount of money on materials because the mantel is built basically from one sheet of mahogany plywood. The color photographs are also outstanding in clarity and detail.

In the quest to provide my service employees with the BEST tools to do their job, I ran accross "Waiting on America". After reviewing its clear and concise text, I began using it as my primary server training medium. Waiting on America proved to be the difference in both the perception my service employees had regarding their customers and their own personal work ethic. Both vastly improved over a short amount of time. After a few months, I telephoned the author, Mario Ponce, Jr. and ordered additional materials to greater enhance my training. Soon after, Mr Ponce accepted an invitation to speak to my staff in Atlanta, Ga. His overview motivated my staff to greater levels of personal awareness regarding their customers service expectations. They excelled not as an individual, but as a team. When one staff member was in a difficult situation, the others came to their rescue. I personally couldn't have achieved this level of cooperation without "Waiting on America". It truly made the difference in the quality of life of this manager. Mr. Ponce is there every step of the way. Call him, he'll be more than happy to aide you in your situation.