Jlosacco Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 Hello all, Your help and feedback have been an immense help, thank you all so much. That being said, would anyone recommend a good woodworking book or two that might help a beginner? I know the internet and youtube have endless videos for that, but sometimes I like a good book to refer back to. Thanks in advance, - John 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 Techniques, styles, inspiration or philosophy? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post OldSouthWoodCraft Posted June 12, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 Well let's see what the man himself has to say about this matter... I do have a couple from the list and I enjoy them. I would add one to the list Marc already had presented is Making Authentic Craftsman Furniture by Gustav Stickley. It's not a thick or fancy book but for the price (I paid around 7ish bucks) and simple cut lists for each project, I love it. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 I have lots of books, and they have all been great reading. There are only a few i constantly go back to, and the one I refer to the most is Flexner's "understanding wood finishing", which I recently mentioned in another thread. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pondhockey Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 My suggestions as a fellow neophyte: USDA (2007) The encyclopedia of wood I have a hard copy, but I think you can get this online. This has a section on characteristics of different species as well as an understanding of hard and softwoods in general. You want this. ------------- Korn, Peter (2003) Woodworking Basics Exactly that. I found it useful; maybe there are even better books. ------------- Jackson, A. et al. (1989) The complete manual of woodworking. Includes basics of wood, design (very helpful if you want to modify a set of plans), joinery techniques, and more. ------------ Flexnor, Bob (2005) Understanding wood finishing Has been very helpful to me in understanding the choices, how to use and why. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeset202 Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 Pondhockey, I recommend you start reading Woodsmith magazine. I believe you can get all their issues online. I used this source (long before the Internet) to learn about woodworking skills. The directions are very clear and they have excellent projects both simple and complex that teach all the proper ways to construct quality pieces and tool use. They provide very detailed plans and step by step instructions and they provide wonderful jigs that every woodworker needs to learn. Check it out! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Coop Posted June 13, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 5 hours ago, OldSouthWoodCraft said: Well let's see what the man himself has to say about this matter... I do have a couple from the list and I enjoy them. I would add one to the list Marc already had presented is Making Authentic Craftsman Furniture by Gustav Stickley. It's not a thick or fancy book but for the price (I paid around 7ish bucks) and simple cut lists for each project, I love it. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk Thanks for sharing. I haven't seen this before. Marc is very modest here. Perhaps he didn't "invent" anything as he states, but without him and everyone here on the forum that he created, I would still be making bookcases and tables and such from 2x's and ply. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pondhockey Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 12 minutes ago, Cheeset202 said: Pondhockey, I recommend you start reading Woodsmith magazine. I believe you can get all their issues online. I used this source (long before the Internet) to learn about woodworking skills. The directions are very clear and they have excellent projects both simple and complex that teach all the proper ways to construct quality pieces and tool use. They provide very detailed plans and step by step instructions and they provide wonderful jigs that every woodworker needs to learn. Check it out! Thanks for the tip. I do subscribe to Fine Wood Working online, which has been very helpful, I'll check out Woodsmith. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Art Posted June 13, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 Nobody wants to mention: http://www.twwstore.com/product/hybrid-woodworking ? Well worth it in it's own right, and helps support Marc and the site. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSouthWoodCraft Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 Nobody wants to mention: http://www.twwstore.com/product/hybrid-woodworking ? Well worth it in it's own right, and helps support Marc and the site. Marc mentions Hybrid Woodworking in his video and has a direct link in the video description along with Amazon links to all of the other books he mentions. This is where I got my first Krenov book. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 13 minutes ago, OldSouthWoodCraft said: Marc mentions Hybrid Woodworking in his video and has a direct link in the video description along with Amazon links to all of the other books he mentions. This is where I got my first Krenov book. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk I figured that might be the case, but thought the specific mention of his book would be nice 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewisc Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 Collins Complete Woodworker's Manual is one of my go to books. Info on tools, techniques, timbers, finishes, style, ergonomics...you name it, it could be in there. It also has some excellent diagrams that show styles of furniture and methods of joinery for that particular piece. I got mine for about $20 off eBay. Having a look now, you could pick it up for less than $10. Well worth it. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Collins-Complete-Woodworkers-Manual-By-Albert-Jackson-David-D-9780004140056-/311858195075?hash=item489c326a83:g:1aoAAOSwuMZZArqL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 Knowing the type of stuff you want to pursue will help us get you better answers. If you want to re-do your own kitchen, a book on Queen Anne styles will be pretty useless. If you are looking to build chairs, a book on the Joys of Pocket Hole joinery is not going to help you. If you are looking for beginner basics, you will find authors that focus on power tools and those that focus on hand tools, some do a fair job of speaking to both. You will find different authors speak to different people. A Barnes and Nobel or the public library could give you a preview before you op[en your wallet. Some 'basics' books I found of value: Joinery / Rogowski Router Joinery / Rogowski Cabinet Construction / Rae A trial subscription to Fine Woodworking Online can yield a wide variety of articles and videos, most very well done, on drawers, hand tools, carcass constructions, doors, wall cabinets, beds, etc. All involve methods that will help you hone your skills. Marc's free videos carry a lot of valuable info as well. As in any field, the boos promising "professional result in a weekend" or "master woodworking overnight" are not really going to help you if you are looking at a long term relationship with the craft and want to turn out something a cut above Crate and Barrel. On the other hand, if you are after quick-n-dirty, there are books out there for that too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RileyD Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 +1 For "Understanding Wood Finishing" by Flexner Check your local library and try out a bunch of books. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minnesota Steve Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 Check out books at Lee Valley, Highland Woodworking, and Lost Art Press. They have a lot of books you won't find on Amazon. Paul Seller's has a good book called Essential Woodworking Hand Tools which is a great learning resource. It's covering hand tools, but I think he's showing a great way to get started without spending a lot of money. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jlosacco Posted June 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 22 hours ago, Eric. said: Techniques, styles, inspiration or philosophy? I guess all three 17 hours ago, Pondhockey said: My suggestions as a fellow neophyte: USDA (2007) The encyclopedia of wood I have a hard copy, but I think you can get this online. This has a section on characteristics of different species as well as an understanding of hard and softwoods in general. You want this. ------------- Korn, Peter (2003) Woodworking Basics Exactly that. I found it useful; maybe there are even better books. ------------- Jackson, A. et al. (1989) The complete manual of woodworking. Includes basics of wood, design (very helpful if you want to modify a set of plans), joinery techniques, and more. ------------ Flexnor, Bob (2005) Understanding wood finishing Has been very helpful to me in understanding the choices, how to use and why. Perfect, thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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