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We are currently at work on our June 2011 issue, which we have dubbed “The Bookcase Issue,” and it is the first jab at steering the magazine’s content so that the articles relate to each other in obvious and sometimes not-obvious ways – a la Woodworking Magazine, may she rest in peace.
To that end, we are working on a couple articles for the issue that I
don’t want to say too much about because it will give it away to our
competitors, and I happen to be a bit of the Type A personality.
For one of the articles, I’d like to ask your assistance. Just answer the
following question: If you could own only one woodworking book, what
would it be? You can make your choice based on sentimental or practical
factors. Maybe you like the pictures. Maybe you use it every day in the
shop. Perhaps it opened your eyes in some significant way. It can be a
book that’s in print or long out of print.
Simply post the title of the book and the author as a comment below. You don’t have to say why
you like it, or why you chose it. You are welcome to do that, however.
So thanks in advance!
Oh, and to kick things off, here’s my pick: “Illustrated Cabinetmaking” by Bill Hylton.
— Christopher Schwarz
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Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
Anyway, to continue my oversell job of last post, Guidice’s book did convey some real gems that might save somebody else some money if they are just starting out. One is, since you’re working dry, rather than green, wood, you don’t need a crosscut saw; a rip saw will do nicely and more efficiently. Another is, he’s puzzled, and frankly so am I, by the American failure to adopt the bow saw in place of the carpenter’s Western-style saw for furniture-making.
I know I’m way late, but my library is ….. scattered? Anyway, my vote would have gone to Anthony Guidice’s Seven Essentials of Woodworking. It’s pointed, blunt, which is why I suspect it never made anyone’s list, because it sounds like a lot of the Michigan “dutch uncles” to whom I was honorably forced to hear over and over till I tossed my cookies while I was growing up.
“Made By Hand” by Tom Fidgen. It completely changed my outlook as a woodworker.
The Soul of a Tree by George Nakashima.
John Passacantando
American Furniture of the 18th Century: History, Technique, and Structure by Jeffrey P Greene.
This would be my choice for one book that is both inspirational – Newport style furniture, claw feet, mahogany for miles,and practical – hand cut dovetails, veneering, turning. You could take the construction techniques and joinery illustrated for 18th Century furniture and apply it to many other styles.
-Stephen
Made by hand-Tom Fidgen
"A Cabinetmaker’s Notebook"
Manny
Essential Woodworker – Wearing
Close Second, though: Workbenches (D&T to C&U) – Schwarz.
The first because, going forward, I’d need to as a reference. The second place vote gets cast for the book that inspired hand tool use, the building of my bench, work holding strategies, re-introduced me to vintage tools, etc. etc.
Another vote for Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking, by Tage Frid.
1) The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery by Gary Rogowski
2) Fine Art of Cabinet Making – Krenov
3) The Impractical Cabinetmaker – Krenov (although i think he takes a pop at us lefties in this one, and certainly takes a pop at what he considers to be "Hobbiest")
4) A Cabinetmakers Notebook – Krenov
5) In the Shaker Style: Building Furniture Inspired by the Shaker Tradition Fine Woodworking
Wow, lots of votes for Tage Frid. His three volumes were among the first woodworking books I got, back when they first came out, and they still hold up really well. I had the good fortune to see him give demonstrations several times many years ago, and he was every bit as good an entertainer as a woodworker and teacher.
It seems there are two categories here. The first is a practical, hands-on "how to" sort of book, while the second is a more philosophical, inspirational tome.
Chris, I have virtually every book listed above but my new favorite is Spons on Carpentry and Joinery. I can’t believe all of the little things I am picking up in this book. I am actually treating as a reference book complete with highlighted passages. 31 years out of college but would have loved this book then as well. :o) Fred
My vote goes for The Woodwright’s Shop: A Practical Guide to Traditional Woodcraft by Roy Underhill. All of Roy’s books are great.
Number 2 would be American Furniture of the 18th Century by Jeffrey Greene. Great book. Give’s a history of furniture styles from Jacobean to American Empire and everything in between. It also discusses quite a bit of technique and has some great pictures and measured drawings of pieces.
Chris,
As a beginner the book I found to be irreplaceable is
"Woodworking Basics, Mastering the Essentials of Craftsmanship" by Peter Korn. A book you recommended to me back 4-5 years ago when I first started.
Now that I’ve been woodworking for a few years "Illustrated Cabinetmaking"
Bill
The Essential Woodworker, Robert Wearing
I’ve read it straight through and keep it out in the shop as a reference. I’ve found it contains the answer to just about any question I have about a hand technique.
The Perfect Edge – Ron Hock
Is "The Essential Woodworker" still available anywhere (not including the bay and the list, of course)?
Thanks!
Full Disclosure: I’m cheating and naming another:
Tage Frid. After Krenov, the second book(s) I read that opened my eyes to what woodworking could be. No offense to Krenov, but Frid grounded me in the sensible approaches to cutting and forming wood, the marrying of form and function and the awareness that there is more than one way to accomplish a task.
Gary
"The Woodwright’s Shop" by Roy Underhill. It changed my way of looking at (and working) wood the way no other book could. I’m glad I don’t actually have to go without his other brilliant books, though 🙂
The Cabinetmaker’s Notebook, by James Krenov, is a book I go back to time and time again. It is where I go to when I need motivation and inspiration – not to make something in the style of Mr. Krenov, but just to go do SOMETHING with wood, even if it is to take a walk through a forest of not-quite-ready lumber.
Tage Frid three volume work on woodworking
Joinery
Shaping, Veneering Finishing
Furniture making
I would love to see you guys update this with new pictures and methods, but it is the most comprehensive.
John
I have to echo the book, Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking. It was my first, and I always pull it back out for reference.
The Complete Illustrated guide to joinery by Gary Rogowski.
You know how to make good joints you can build anything.
Still another vote for Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking
I bought my copy years ago, long before I had time to actually work wood. It’s as good for dreaming as for doing.
The Great All-American Wooden Toy Book
By Norm Marshall
First woodworking book I ever acquired….
Toys kids will play w/ for years,
runs on imagination
Mark McKay
Sandston, Virginia
Hand Tools by Aldren A Watson.
Amazing book. Clear and concise. Opens up the whole world of hand tool woodworking.
Tim
Chris:
What a great way to start to build a reading list. Ask for more – the top five books – so that we can get deeper and broader suggestions.
I continue to return to "The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking," by James Krenov.
I value all five of the books by Mr. Krenov because he contemplated more the "whys" of woodworking.
The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery by Gary Rogowski
The book is huge, some 300 pages.
Very well laid out and illustrated with full colour step by steps.
Full of alternative methods.
Very clear and concise in its instruction.
Aaaaarrrrgh!
Just one hunh?
How about Mike Abbotts
"Living Wood From Buying a Woodland to Making a Chair"
Living Wood Books
ISBN: 0-9542345-1-0
or his earlier
Green Woodwork
Working With Wood the Natural Way
Mike Abbott
Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd (August 1992)
ISBN 0946819181
or the classic
Make a Chair from A Tree by Alexander
an introduction to working green wood
Taunton Press, c1978
ISBN 0918804019
Lavorare il legno
by Ernest Scott
(Working in Wood: The Illustrated Manual of Tools, Methods, Materials and Classic Constructions)
The only good book translate in italian language.
But I learned from Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking, so that’s a close second. I just don’t open it as much anymore.
Encyclopedia of Furniture Making, Ernest Joyce.
Contains almost everything.
Weeehooo… one book…
Bernard Jones, editor: The Practical Woodworker 4 or 2 volume set
or, and perhaps of more importance to the woodworker:
Complete Practical Brewer, by M. L. Byrn, 1856
I just can’t decide which is more vital to the craft?
Gary
Soul of the Tree by Nakashima, cause I wouldn’t be here without it, and everytime I read it, it teaches me something.
-Cory Watson
Cabinetmaking and Millwork by John L. Feirer. My ‘bible’ for 35 years.
Audel’s Carpenters & Builders Guide Volume 1-4. It’s purely sentimental.
My dad had a set when I was kid, and they sort of remind me of the foundations he used to the great cabinet work he later created.
Although they do include some information on power tools, they also were written when hand tools were the go-to option for many (if not most) woodworkers.
Chairmakers Workshop
Drew Langsner
Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking for someone who doesn’t yet know woodworking. Krenov’s Cabinetmaker’s Notebook for someone who thinks they do. But best of all a blank sketchbook.
Um, Chris … you can have *one* woodworking book … (or is there a doppelganger out there?)
"The Wheelwright’s Shop" by George Sturt
American Furniture of the 18th Century: History, Technique, and Structure – Jeffrey P Greene
A Cabinet Makers Notebook, James Krenov
Inspirational.
Jim
Restoring, Tuning, & Using Classic Woodworking Tools by Mike Dunbar
I first thought of Flexner’s finishing book, then the Schwarz workbench book. Then, I noticed a missing classic, so I will pick it.
A complete guide to sharpening by Lee. A great treatment of the most basic of woodworking skills.
Woodwork Joints by Charles Hayward or
Encyclopedia of Furnituremaking Earnest Joyce
Basically the same text,concerning use of hand tools, except Joyce uses more photos of finished pieces and goes into veneering and production work using power tools and plywood.
Hayward was always my goto book. Well written and illustrated.
F.
Here’s another one for A Cabinetmakers Notebook. It’s the first book that showed me the true spirit of woodworking, not just the grunt work of it.
The Woodworker’s Bible by Percy W. Blandford
American Country Furniture David T. Smith
The Woodwright’s Apprentice by Roy Underhill.
There are projects in there that have really kicked my keister, but I learn more about the process of woodworking with each project I try than from any other single book.
For me it’s a tie between Woodworking Magazine-Issues 1 through 7 in hardbound book format, and Sam Maloof, Woodworker.
The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking.
James Krenov.
why- It covers everything one really needs to know in order to understand using wood and its natural grain to build fine work.
Krenov J, A Cabinetmaker’s Notebook
"Illustrated Cabinetmaking" by Bill Hylton
And I’m not sucking up! (Not that I’m opposed to sucking up) I blogged that it was my favorite in the past so I’m on record.
Another vote for:
Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking: A Step-By-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Techniques.
This book will give the beginning woodworker a solid way to build furniture by hand or with power tools. The methods shown are simple enough to get the job done without being fussy or confusing.
Norm Abrams, Cut Once Measure Twice
Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking.
I want to include The Soul of a Tree: A Master Woodworkers Reflections by George Nakashima but if we only get on then Tage Frid is my choice.
There’s a lot to be said for a laptop and a broadband Internet connection too.
Phil
Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking
Woodworking magazine compilation No. 1
A great book made up from an extraordinary good magazine.
Brgds Jonas
Queen Anne Furniture by Norm Vandal. Choice 2 would be American Furniture of the 18th Century: History, Technique, and Structure by Jeffrey P Greene. Choice 3 is Morrison Heckscher’s American furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Late Colonial Period: The Queen Anne and Chippendale Styles. These are all close, but I’d pick Vandal first.
The Joiner and Cabinetmaker, anon, Schwarz, Moskowitz
A Reverence For Wood, by Eric Sloane
It was among my first proper books, along with My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (which has some basic carpentry discussed in it as well). I didn’t realize it at the time, but it set up the foundation for what would later become an appreciation for greenwood working. It is also a terrific reference (all of Sloane’s books are) for dating various antique items and building styles, including how to tell the difference between gang sawn and pit sawn wood, for example. I still learn something new every time I pick it up.
With Hammer in Hand – Charles Hummel
First choice: Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking: A Step-By-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Techniques.
(Second Choice: Bob Flexner’s Books—good stuff.)
Thanx
Bill B.
A Cabinetmaker’s Notebook – James Krenov
The first book, for me, that put into words the emotional, sometimes spiritual, journey that is possible when working with wood.
As a footnote: I never would have opened this book before I began using handtools and found my inner-Zen. = )
Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking: A Step-By-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Techniques.
This is the one that "opened my eyes".
Such a tough one.
I’d be looking for inspiration if I only had one book. I’d use it to aspire to new heights, which is what this book did for me:
The Workbench: A Complete Guide to Creating Your Perfect Bench by Lon Schleining.
-Shawn
That would be:
Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking: A Step-By-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Techniques:
The Essential Woodworker – Robert Wearing
I wish I had the book when I started to learn about hand tools. I would give this book to anyone I know, who is going down the hand path.
This is a tough choice with so many good books to choose from. My favorite is probably my first woodworking book as 12 year old in junior high school by E.J Tangerman,"Whittling and Woodcarving". It just covers a massive amount of topics. Chapter 2 Woods, is an excellent reference. However page 46 covers my favorite topic carving spoons and noggins. If I could only have one book on woodworking this is it for me.
The Woodwright’s Shop: A Practical Guide to Traditional Woodcraft or any other of Roy Underhill book
My book would be Woodland crafts in Britain by H.L.Edlin 1949.
It covers a lot of woodland crafts and is an important history book, with good black and white photos of the craftspeople. It has and will constantly inspire me, a book that can be read form cover to cover or just dipped into. Probably not the sort of book that most people would recommend on this site but these craftsmen were specialists and really understood the very nature of wood and what can be made from it, in it`s raw form.
Aldren Watson………. Hand Tools
A Macbook Pro.
The Woodwright’s Workbook – Roy Underhill. My first and favorite woodworking book.
The Soul of a Tree: A Master Woodworkers Reflections – George Nakashima
The Essential Woodworker, Robert Wearing
Other than The Jointer and Cabinetmaker it is the only woodworking book I have read multiple times.
For me that would have to be The Book Of Shaker Furniture By John Kassay, which I bought when I came out, and still love to spend a few hours with.
Wesley Tanner
Woodworking Magazine (compilation) Vols.1-3 by the editors of Woodworking Magazine.
Toshio Odate : Japanese Woodworking Tools: Their Tradition, Spirit and Use
Heinz Stuecklin
I second Illustrated Cabinetmaking, and if I could have 2 books, the second would be Understanding Wood Finishing: How to Select and Apply the Right Finish by Bob Flexner.
Dang auto complete!!!
A Cabinetmakers Notebook
Thanks
"The Complete Woodworker" edited by Bernard E. Jones
A Cabinet Makers Handbook
by:JK
This book inspires me everyday
Hand Tools, Their Ways and Workings, by Aldren Watson.
Shop Drawings of Shaker Furniture & Woodenware, Vols. 1, 2 & 3 by
Ejner Handberg
It’s a great resource for shaker furniture to build and design your own variations of. This is a must have if you like shaker designs.
Um. "Woodwork Joints" by Charles H. Hayward
Modern Practical Joinery – By George Ellis (revised 3rd edition)
Please forgive me Mr. Charlesworth.
But there is only one choose.
Encyclopedia of shaker furniture.
The Essential Woodworker, Robert Wearing
I just keep picking it up and learning something new, even after reading it 20 times. It’s just such an incredibly dense book.
The Soul of a Tree: A Master Woodworkers Reflections
Fine Furniture For A Lifetime – Glen Huey
As a woodworking book, it was the first to provide furniture you’d love to have in a manner you could build w/out being discharged.
You were able to learn cabinet making while building the projects.
Workbenches: From Design And Theory To Construction And Use. Can’t remember the author…
For me it was about more than workbenches. I’m sure the intent was to show how the workbench could be used for certain operations. For me, as a beginner, it served to give a good overview of what woodworking operations are commonplace.
Thos Moser’s "How to build Shaker Furniture"
Hand Tools, Their Ways and Workings, by Aldren Watson.
But Chris, that was originally published within the last 100 years…
For my choice, I’ll go with the book that I think taught me the most: Understanding Wood Finishing by Bob Flexner.