Production, Manufacturing & Operational

Inspired by radical Italian designer Enzo Mari, this practical book with step-by-step DIY projects for hand built, beautiful furniture is a tribute to his simple ideas that challenged the consumerism of the furniture industry.

Many interpreted Enzo Mari’s book Autoprogettazione? as a manifesto of nostalgic longing for a pre-capitalist society where people built what they needed themselves, but Mari’s goal wasn’t to make people cease consuming. Mari wanted people to consider the more basic aspects of the objects we surround ourselves with and what it is that makes a piece of furniture, beautiful, comfortable and functional.

Taking Enzo Mari and his book as his influence, Erik Eje Almqvist unpacks the practical aspects of the Autoprogettazione? theory, offering simple designs for handbuilt, beautiful furniture. Using just a hammer, nails and boards cut to standard dimensions, Hammer & Nail explores only a few techniques but arms the reader with skills and inspiration for life. With easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams, there are basic methods for making furniture joints, and includes tips on how to avoid cracking boards as you go, making clean cuts with a saw, and ideas on surface treatments.

Projects include: Sheep chair, Tilting Shaker chair, Pinstol/Windsor chair, Garden chair, Arts & Crafts chair, Ski chair, Mirror stool, Stackable stool, Beer table, Kitchen bench, Park bench, Sofa, Top and tail bed, Dining table, Worktable, Cabinet, Gun Kessle’s shelf and Giraffe lamp.

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‘A refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like … It’s an amazing tale’ Bill Gates

‘The best book I read last year was Shoe Dog, by Nike’s Phil Knight. Phil is a very wise, intelligent and competitive fellow who is also a gifted storyteller’ Warren Buffett

In 1962, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the boot of his Plymouth, Knight grossed $8000 in his first year. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In an age of start-ups, Nike is the ne plus ultra of all start-ups, and the swoosh has become a revolutionary, globe-spanning icon, one of the most ubiquitous and recognisable symbols in the world today.
 
But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always remained a mystery. Now, for the first time, he tells his story. Candid, humble, wry and gutsy, he begins with his crossroads moment when at 24 he decided to start his own business. He details the many risks and daunting setbacks that stood between him and his dream – along with his early triumphs. Above all, he recalls how his first band of partners and employees soon became a tight-knit band of brothers. Together, harnessing the transcendent power of a shared mission, and a deep belief in the spirit of sport, they built a brand that changed everything. 

A memoir rich with insight, humour and hard-won wisdom, this book is also studded with lessons – about building something from scratch, overcoming adversity, and ultimately leaving your mark on the world. 

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Health and Safety Law pocket cards are published by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and are a legal alternative to the HSE approved Health and Safety Law poster. The pocket cards are suited to issuing to workers, providing them with a personal copy of the health & safety law. All employers are required by law to either provide workers with a pocket card or to display the HSE approved poster. The pocket card is a simplified, 105 x 328mm 8 page, easy to read, version of the poster. In simple terms, using numbered lists of basic points, the pocket card outlines what employers must do, what workers must do and what to do if there are concerns with health & safety in the workplace. Existing copies of the 1999 Health and Safety law pocket cards (ISBN 9780717617029) can still be used until 5 April 2014. After this date the 2009 approved pocket cards must be used. Health and Safety law posters are also available, either as a paper encapsulated version (ISBN 9780717663149) or a semi-rigid PVC version (ISBN 9780717663392).

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