{"product_id":"shaker-inspirations","title":"Shaker Inspiration","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFive Decades of Fine Craftsmanship\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eby Christian Becksvoort\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eYou can download an excerpt of this book \u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.lostartpress.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/shaker_inspiration__excerpt_.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e“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 mere lifetime singularly focused on his masterful furniture work, mostly Shaker-inspired, mostly in cherry. This book is an instant treasure.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e— \u003cem\u003eNick Offerman, actor, author and woodworker\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOpinionated? Yes. Informative? Absolutely. Interesting and inspiring? You bet.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNot many woodworkers can claim five decades of business success, but Christian Becksvoort is among them. In “Shaker Inspiration,” he shares not only his woodworking knowledge and some of his best professional techniques for producing top-quality work, but also the business advice that helped him establish and sustain his long career in a one-man shop. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ePlus, he shares measured drawings for 13 of his own well-known furniture designs and seven \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eShaker pieces that he’s reproduced. Whether or not you, like Christian, are inspired by the Shaker tradition, you’re sure to be inspired by one of the best-known names in woodworking.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e“Shaker Inspiration” begins with information that all woodworkers need – the nitty-gritty of how to successfully make trees into furniture. This requires a firm grasp of wood movement – one of Chris’s specialties – and he shares many of the tricks he uses to ensure his pieces remain sound through the seasons and generations.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe lessons are both big and small, from the advantages to working with a single species to how to calculate how much a drawer front will move inside a house with forced-air heat. Every page of this section is filled with little shop tricks that Christian has used to become a productive woodworker, from how to remove dovetail waste to how to align a drawer front and drawer side perfectly when dovetailing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAfter all the great information on the technical side of things, Christian dives into discussing the business side of things. He pulls no punches in discussing the difficulties of life as a furniture maker and designer.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eGetting started, 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eHe offers straightforward advice on setting up your shop, 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 the type of information that is almost impossible to come by.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eFinally, “Shaker Inspiration” dazzles you with three sections of photos and measured drawings. The last 60-odd pages offer a collection of Christian’s original designs, reproductions of Shaker pieces he’s made (and made famous) and photos of the original Shaker pieces that have inspired him the most as a craftsman and a designer.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn addition to a beautiful photo and details about the piece, Christian shares a construction drawing of each project that will allow intermediate woodworkers to produce their own version.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e“Shaker Inspiration” is 166 pages and produced entirely in the United States. The 8.5” x 11” full-color book is printed on heavy coated paper. The pages are sewn and glued for durability and covered in cotton-covered boards. A tear-resistant dust jacket completes the package.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContents\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIntroduction ix\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eSECTION I: The Basics\u003cbr\u003eChapter 1: Know Your Materials 2\u003cbr\u003eChapter 2: Acquiring Woodworking Skills 12\u003cbr\u003eChapter 3: Solid Wood Furniture Construction 20\u003cbr\u003eChapter 4: On Craftsmanship 42\u003cbr\u003eChapter 5: On Design 50\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eSECTION II: The Business\u003cbr\u003eChapter 6: Getting Started 62\u003cbr\u003eChapter 7: Setting Up Shop 68\u003cbr\u003eChapter 8: Goals \u0026amp; Business Considerations 76\u003cbr\u003eChapter 9: Marketing\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eSECTION III: Inspriation\u003cbr\u003eChapter 10: My Designs – A Baker's Dozen 94\u003cbr\u003eChcatper 11: Shaker Reproductions 122\u003cbr\u003eChatper 12: Shaker Classes 138\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eBibliography 157\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0306\/3197\/files\/intro.2526_2_6c4db005-7301-4e7c-92d1-6239247c8220.jpg?v=1739210972\" width=\"330\" height=\"495\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/chbecksvoort.com\/\"\u003eChristan Becksvoort\u003c\/a\u003e has over five decades of experience in forestry, wood technology, joinery and design. Beginning in the mid-1970s, he had the privilege to do restoration work for the last Shaker community in Sabbathday Lake, Maine. His furniture is in collections throughout the world. In 2023, Christian retired professionally. He continues to build smaller pieces for himself and his friends and is still a contributing editor and writer for \u003ci\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.finewoodworking.com\/author\/christian-becksvoort\"\u003eFine Woodworking\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eYou can read Christian's full profile \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/blog.lostartpress.live\/2019\/08\/31\/meet-the-author-c-h-becksvoort\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lost Art Press","offers":[{"title":"Book","offer_id":13853325721663,"sku":"BK-SHAKER","price":48.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Shaker Inspiration Book + PDF","offer_id":13622141157439,"sku":"BK-SHAKER \u0026 PDF","price":60.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"PDF only","offer_id":13622078898239,"sku":"BK-SHAKER-PDF","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0306\/3197\/files\/shaker.inspo.jpg?v=1751312151","url":"https:\/\/lostartpress.live\/products\/shaker-inspirations","provider":"Lost Art Press","version":"1.0","type":"link"}