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"Classic Forms" by Stuart Dyas

Chris Hoehle

Chris Hoehle

Joined
May 12, 2010
Messages
92
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Location
Denver, CO
Website
www.studiocsh.com
Anyone know what happened here or have info about if another edition is on the way? This is a book I recommend often, I first found out about it from @Richard Findley and it's a great resource for people like me that are primarily bowl turners but need to turn a spindle project from time to time. I bought my copy about 5 years ago and went to get the link for someone asking about it on another forum and there's now 1 used copy on Amazon for almost $1700, and it seems to be out of print!

 
How about "Shapes for Woodturners" by David Weldon?

Or "Woodturning: A Source Book of Shapes" by John Hunnex?

Both available at Amazon for FAR more reasonable prices.

And books aimed at pottery may be useful as well.
 
Chris Hoehle said:
Anyone know what happened here or have info about if another edition is on the way? This is a book I recommend often, I first found out about it from @Richard Findley and it's a great resource for people like me that are primarily bowl turners but need to turn a spindle project from time to time. I bought my copy about 5 years ago and went to get the link for someone asking about it on another forum and there's now 1 used copy on Amazon for almost $1700, and it seems to be out of print!
Click to expand...
I checked several sites -- no other copies. I bought a copy some time ago. I turn a lot of spindles, but I've never found the book to be of much use. A lot the shapes simply don't appeal to me.
 
@Steve Tiedman I'll check those out. I like this one since it's useful for traditional spindle shapes, things like balusters, candlesticks, columns etc. In other words things I don't make often but if I can see a picture of a couple examples, I go "ah right, that's how that goes together" and every once in a while I get a student or someone on reddit or Instagram asking about a resource.
 
Wow, I had no clue that book was worth that much. We have one here, but would like to keep it. It is a great book, especially for beginners. I better keep it in a safe spot!
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Alibris shows zip for that title and author. It could change, but maybe other folks like it a lot, too, and don't want to get rid of their copy.
 
Sold through Amazon by Books In Demand. Uh huh. $1700 on Amazon does not establish a value, just an asking price. If someone is _____ enough to pay that, then it's the value. Offer $30, see if they bite.
 
Chris Hoehle said:
Anyone know what happened here or have info about if another edition is on the way? This is a book I recommend often, I first found out about it from @Richard Findley and it's a great resource for people like me that are primarily bowl turners but need to turn a spindle project from time to time. I bought my copy about 5 years ago and went to get the link for someone asking about it on another forum and there's now 1 used copy on Amazon for almost $1700, and it seems to be out of print!

Click to expand...
Thing is, a book, like anything else, is only really WORTH what someone else will pay for it. They can ask $1700.00 but that doesn't mean they'll actually GET that much (unless someone with more money than sense comes along and just has to have it.)

Me, I wouldn't pay more than 30 bucks (even if it was in like-new condition) I can often find many of the same forms found in a Google or Bing image search , and if you can get at least one known dimension, then using a bit of math (simple matter of scaling) easy enough to figure out the remaining dimensions... So yeah, I have a couple copies of some of the other books mentioned, (highest I paid for one was $23) and once seeing the "nitty gritty" of how the books are put together, it's easy enough to just save images of different forms that catch my interest - most can relatively easily be duplicated (or close enough) and others you can often infer a lot of the dimensions based an arbitrary value (assign some point a value of X and then just use that same scale to get remaining measurements)
 
Brian Gustin said:
Thing is, a book, like anything else, is only really WORTH what someone else will pay for it. They can ask $1700.00 but that doesn't mean they'll actually GET that much (unless someone with more money than sense comes along and just has to have it.)

Me, I wouldn't pay more than 30 bucks (even if it was in like-new condition) I can often find many of the same forms found in a Google or Bing image search , and if you can get at least one known dimension, then using a bit of math (simple matter of scaling) easy enough to figure out the remaining dimensions... So yeah, I have a couple copies of some of the other books mentioned, (highest I paid for one was $23) and once seeing the "nitty gritty" of how the books are put together, it's easy enough to just save images of different forms that catch my interest - most can relatively easily be duplicated (or close enough) and others you can often infer a lot of the dimensions based an arbitrary value (assign some point a value of X and then just use that same scale to get remaining measurements)
Click to expand...
If you really want to get creative you can automate the dimensioning. In an optical inspection class we would count pixels in images to determine defections of materials under load. A little bit of programming and you can extremely accurate dimensions from still images.

Gregory
 
Charles Cadenhead said:
You can check to see if it's at a library near you: https://search.worldcat.org/
Click to expand...
Indeed -- borrow it through interlibrary loan.

Another good source for those types of spindles are Victorian or turn of the 20th century millwork catalogs. A number have been reprinted and are available for reasonable prices
 
Steve Tiedman said:
Sold through Amazon by Books In Demand. Uh huh. $1700 on Amazon does not establish a value, just an asking price. If someone is _____ enough to pay that, then it's the value. Offer $30, see if they bite.
Click to expand...
You likely know this, but for others out there that don’t, prices on Amazon (or similar) for things like low-inventory or out of print items without comps, are often generated via algorithms. The seller of the book probably does not even know the price. If you can track down the actual seller’s information, you might be able to offer a respectable price and be successful.
 
Michael Anderson said:
You likely know this, but for others out there that don’t, prices on Amazon (or similar) for things like low-inventory or out of print items without comps, are often generated via algorithms. The seller of the book probably does not even know the price. If you can track down the actual seller’s information, you might be able to offer a respectable price and be successful.
Click to expand...
I did not know that, and it should not surprise me. AI... I dunno...
 
Michael Anderson said:
You likely know this, but for others out there that don’t, prices on Amazon (or similar) for things like low-inventory or out of print items without comps, are often generated via algorithms.
Click to expand...

I was on the phone with a friend discussing some product he was viewing on Amazon. When I brought up the same item on my computer Mr Algorithm noticed someone else was interested and immediately raised the price. A few moments after I closed down the page the price was back to the lower price.
I like to use camelcamelcamel.com to look at Amazon prices, current and history.
That book since 2017. Looks like it's been out of stock for about 1/2 of that time.

camel_book.jpg

Out of stock at Walmart but listed at about $40.
I looked a second time and suddenly it changed to about $30.
Algorithms at work (there is no intelligence in AI, just algorithms and data)

$50 at TextbookX

Single Product Details

Buy Classic Forms by Stuart Dyas at TextbookX.com. ISBN/UPC: 9780854421909. Save an average of 50% on the marketplace.
www.textbookx.com www.textbookx.com

£30 at a UK bookseller.

Several ebay listings.

Of course, everyone is out of stock.

Rats, that's a book missing from my woodturning library...

JKJ
 
Oh, for those interested here's a book I can recommend:

Woodturning Design by Mike Darlow, 271 pages
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Click on the "Read Sample" and at least look at the table of contents.
And I'll bet the used one at $12.46 is fine!

He has an excellent coverage of form, not only diagrams and photos but reasons. I find all of Darlow's books worthwhile.

JKJ
 
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