LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Book advice

2K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  JAAune 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I know this is probably a matter of opinion,I am wanting to know if there is a book that folks would reccomend a new guy starting out that may have how to:tips,tricks,plans,jigs etc… I am llike a sponge rite now trying to learn and soak up as much as possible.
Thanks
 
#2 ·
A lot depends upon what you plan to do. All hand tools, all power tools or a combination? Small items or do you want to jump right into building furniture?

If you have a library near you, go check out the woodworking book section. Even my small town library (pop under 400) has 8 or 10 good woodworking books and one down the road in a bigger town has at least two dozen.

After you get a free taste then you will know what style of book fits best and you can follow up by finding more books from that author or publisher.

Don't overlook used books . I have a shelf full of WW books and except for a few gifts I got them all used at flea markets or through Amazon book sellers.
 
#4 ·
After a rather long apprentice ship (I taught myself), and getting some good practice under my belt (so to speak), after about 2-3 years, I decided I would like to try and build some furniture, since I had done a lot of small projects….And more practice…..I choose the Shaker style , because I didn't and don't care for gawdy styles like Queen Anne and Victorian….I've been doing Shaker style for several years now, and that was my choice….What I'm saying is: Read and watch everything you can get your hands on, i.e. books, magazines, ww videos, etc. Then after you've had some practice under your belt, then choose the type and style of things you want to do, and try different things to help you along….Then you can narrow it down to what you like best and least, and go from there…...In my case….Shaker….The Shakers were a simple people, who believed that "simple" should follow form and function….That's why I like it….clean lines and east to build…..
 
#7 ·
The books that most blew my mind and changed the way I work is the Dave Gingery Build Your Own Metalworking Shop From Scrap series.

Not because I went out and built a blast furnace in my back yard, but because in reading through the "build your own lathe/scraper/milling machine" I learned different ways to approach design and construction and precision, and it expanded my thinking to "oh, a machine/jig/tool isn't something I buy off the shelf, it's something I can use off the shelf parts to evolve more quickly".

So, yeah: When I need to build a tapered mast, I grab a couple 2×6s and build an ad-hoc 10' long router lathe. I start to think about odd-angled glue-ups in terms of ways to do different clamping jigs. Or different ways to control and guide a router. Or a saw.
 
#9 ·
The Taunton Press books are excellent.

But for a new guy, start with the 3 Tage Frid books, then a good finishing book (Understanding Wood Finishing by Flexner is a good one but not the only one). Those 4 books will answer 90% of the questions you will ever have. After you've been woodworking for awhile, go back and read Tage Frid again.
 
#10 ·
The library is your friend here. I checked out about a dozen cabinet making
books before I settled on one and bought it from Amazon. Most of the
books were complete and utter crap. Hence get them for free from the
library and then support of the author of those books that you find well
written and useful.
 
#11 ·
There's a lot of information to absorb. There are
a few books like the "Encyclopedia of Furniture Making"
that try to explain everything, but at the cost
of inadequate illustrations and things like that.

I too read a whole lot of books from the library
when I was starting out. Then I bought books
on special woodworking topics over the years,
plus reading a lot of back issues of Fine
Wooworking.
 
#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
Understanding Wood by Bruce Hoadley is the only one I absolutely recommend. Almost everything else depends upon what sort of work you wish to do but if you don't know the properties of your material of choice (wood), you can't be a proficient woodworker.

It can be a dull read and most of the information isn't necessary to memorize. It will change the way you design your work though and that will be for the better.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top