52 Boxes in 52 Weeks: Improve Your Design Skills One Box At A Time Kindle Edition

Complete waste of a purchase. Nothing more than an advertisement for the author’s works. It is literally just a book with photos of 52 boxes with some musing about how great each box is. There are NO instructions on how to make each box, which is a feature one expects when getting a Tauton book. Plus all of the photos of the boxes and the text are avaibable on the authors website.

This is a tough book to review. I love the boxes and I love the idea of building 52 boxes in a year. Immersing yourself in a concept or idea is a great way to learn and improve your skills. I have a lot of respect for Mr. Kenney however the book is a bit light in the education department. I wasn't expecting, nor do I want, a book on how to do woodworking and this isn't one; however there are good tips about using color, resawing and matching grain, making incremental changes in a design, and trying new materials. This isn't really a woodworking book, it's a coffee table book for people to flip through and see beautiful boxes they will probably want you to make for them (or you will want to make as a gift to someone). To me, the important thing is the story of Matt Kenney making 52 boxes in a year and how his process and aesthetic evolved in that time. The boxes themselves are wonderful and there are ideas here I wouldn't think of myself except maybe if I spent a year making boxes.

I must have missed something in the description because I expected directions. Instead there are photos of boxes, many are very similar and differ only in size, with only a few general notes on how the box was constructed.

I am an intermediate woodworker and was looking for a book to help me expand my skill set and comfort level in my work. This is simply an inspiration book. Pretty, well styled and light on substance. Of the boxes, there are only a handful of designs. Some proportion changes, color scheme etc, but certainly not in a meaningful way. This book is essentially the artist showing off 52 similar boxes, all done in a similar style with a matching theme and color scheme. There is very little instruction, a handful of helpful tips, but nothing close to what I would normally expect from Taunton. I am kinda baffled why Taunton would release it actually. It is so light on plans that it isn't helpful to beginner or intermediates, and is so narrowly focused on a particular style and color scheme that the inspiration would not be as helpful as a pintrest search. If you are looking for instruction, look elsewhere.

This book succeeds on several levels. It shows how Matt's design process evolved over the year that he spent building the 52 boxes, which are quite diverse in form and function. He incorporates a variety of techniques (i.e. milk paint, kumiko) that I've not seen in previous books. He goes into a great deal of detail on wood selection and grain which, in my experience, many people overlook (if I could just find out where in God's name I can buy apple wood I'll die a happy man). And the book is beautifully photographed and each box is presented at multiple angles.The book is light on technique which is understandable given the title (DESIGN? - read the title). If technique is an issue for you, pick up a book by Doug Stowe, check out the Fine Woodworking website (Matt has one there on milk paint for example), or view one of the hundreds of videos on YouTube (e.g. how to build and use a shooting board for tight miters) related to box building.

If someone gives my wife their favorite recipe for a pie (or anything for that matter), she never actually follows the exact recipe even once. She starts by making changes guided by some mysterious, internal voice. I suspect this would be Matt Kenney's reaction if someone gave him a project plan for a box (or anything for that matter). Kenney could have written a book with 52 project plans; thank goodness he didn't. Instead, he devotes a year of his life and the 52 box challenge to a thoughtful, introspective exploration of his design process. This goes way beyond deciding that you like this style, or don't like that one. As you read through this book, I suspect your creative juices will start to bubble, as mine have. This is an important book, but it's importance has little to do with box making. However, the book does contain some helpful practical advice on technique too.

The author delves into box making choices in a deep and narrow way rather than a broad or general approach. He has a very particular (set of skills . . .) and refined aesthetic which sets the boundaries for the discussion. Whether or not you yourself would embrace his aesthetic, the thought process is still applicable to your own work. The photography is beautiful.

I really appreciate the overall concept of this book. By making a box each week, Matt’s creativity and skill improved. It really shows that we learn by experience and also pushing ourselves to do more. I have started building boxes because of this book. I normally build speaker cabinets, but I have really enjoyed the artistry of small boxes. My latest box is my favorite because of the tight miter joints I learned to make from Matt’s book. It took several boxes to dial it in. It is really fun when you get it right.I do recommend this book to designers that are not Woodworker’s too. Matt’s philosophy on design will help any designer. I highly recommend this book!

I don't think I have ever read such an ego trip or vanity project in all my life. There are a few useful tips on manufacturing small boxes to be had from reading this book. You see the thing is that 'Improving your design skills' boils down to agreeing with the author on what he considers 'design' and aesthetics to be. If you're looking for design tips for practical manufacturing this is not the book to buy. If you want to read about one persons opinion of what design should be, and possibly adapt some for your own use or if you enjoy being preached to then this is the book for you. Oh and you'd better love Milk Paint.

A good book for ideas, and a few important tips for simple box making. I'd recommend this book for someone fairly new to box making, and you probably want to have a table saw to be able to follow Matt Kenny's making process. (As well as some basic hand tool skills) There's nothing too complex within this book and I like Matt's approach and philosophy to simplistic design which he details throughout. Don't expect detailed measurements and dimensions which I feel would be superfluous to the aim of this book in any case. This book isn't really for the advanced woodworker looking for some deep insights to push their work further, but nevertheless it's a thoughtfully constructed book. I've definitely gained some ideas to advance my making.

Advertised as "an intriguing challenge of designing one box a week for a solid year" the author proceeds to design and make 52 very similar boxes. I think it would be generous to say there are 5 distinct designs, and these are very closely related. If you consider a box painted a slightly different shade of milk paint from another a separate design, you'll love this book. If not, it's as much a waste of your money as it was of the author's time.

Nothing more than a coffee table book. Nice pictures of some vaguely interesting boxes, but no use to anyone hoping to make any of them. I wish I hadnt bothered.

One of the best woodworking books I own. Matt’s designs are elegant and stunning. The book is amazingly put together and is visually beautiful while also having very good content. A very inspirational book by an inspirational woodworker/teacher. Definitely a favourite book of mine.