Published between 1976 and 1996, The Scale Cabinetmaker set the standard
for plans, patterns, and tool and technique instructions for the aspiring
and experienced miniaturist. In August 1996, Jim Dorsett wrote his
"concluding" essay, "Why Scale...and The Scale Cabinetmaker,"
in which he recounted the 20
plus year span of TSC and described the journal's editorial philosophy
and purpose::
By scale modeling we meant the reduced scale reproduction of full
scale, or life size, houses, furniture, and related objects. Scale
modeling begins with a thorough knowledge of objects in the "real
world": not only their characteristics, shape, and details
of construction, but their history and social context as well.
...
The core of the magazine's content would be the presentation of
scale modeling plans and directions, coupled with information on
the tools and modeling techniques essential to their reproduction.
Here we acknowledged that the designer of the plan, the author would
have accomplished for the modeler much of the task of measuring
the prototype object (the "full sized" piece in the "real
world"). But the modeler would still have to be conscious of
those proportions and their application to the workpiece. We intended
to put a measuring instrument, a tool, a piece of material, and
a plan into the hands of the reader, depending on the combination
to work itsown magic. And we predicted that the measure of the magazine's
success would be the development of its readers beyond its plans
to the measurement of the prototype itself, the design of the scale
model, and any further dependence on the publication. In effect,
the success of the magazine would be measured by the eventual graduation
of its readers.
Despite
being 30 plus years removed from the genesis of TSC, the content is
still as relevant and useful as it was when it was first published.
Over the next five years, Dorsett Publications will be re-releasing
The Scale Cabinetmaker on cd-rom. The cd-rom versions have a number
of extras, including historical and cultural information, construction
notes, and photographs not included in the original issues. The first
two year will be released August 15, 2007.
Some issues are still available in their original form. Please check
the TSC Out-of-Print Availability List,
which we will periodically update as individual issues are sold out.
The TSC Article Guide
provides a full list of the issues and articles published over the
20 year span.
In addition, we are continuing to develop books in the BEST
of TSC series. The series is being developed to group articles
of similar style, period, or technique into a single publication.
Whether you are interested in kitchen cabinets, furniture from the
Arts and Crafts period, or in handwoven caning, there may be a publication
that provides you with articles of interest in a single publication.
Ordering from Dorsett Publications
After going ten rounds with various online options (all of which
cost Dorsett Publications and our custormers a small fortune and required
far more programming capability than any of us exhibit), we decided
to take the simpler and more direct approach. Download the retail
order form (pdf file), fill it in, and either email, mail, fax,
or phone in your order. We can process credit card purchases onsite
and it removes the possibility of online theft of credit information.
Please see second page of the retail
order form for more information. Due to problems with currency
exchange (we are located in the non-population end of Virginia), we
ask that all payments be in US funds only. Thank you to those customers
who have been patient with our trial and error. (mhd)
The Scale Cabinetmaker
