james rabbit Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 Hi there! I am looking for a woodworking books for beginners to develop confidence with tools. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonas_Clap Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 As a beginner, you can go for Woodworking Basics by Peter Korn. This woodwork book is a great starter book for those who want to get into woodworking and develop confidence with tools. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 You are going to get many responses to that question, and all will be worth investigating. There is no one book that will get you started, all of them will give you insights. A little here, a little there. But it's all worth absorbing. Check out some Youtube videos as well. But the very first thing you need to learn is safety. The loss of fingers kinda screws up your day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 Welcome! My advice is pick an entry level project or even a difficult one and start researching what you need to learn in order to complete it. FWIW this is my advice on tools as well pick the project and buy the tools as you need them. As things come up ask questions here there is a lot of knowledge on this site and folks are very willing to share. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave's Not Here Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 As mentioned, there many books out there that are worth buying. One that I've found helpful is New Woodworker Handbook by Tom Hintz, https://www.amazon.com/New-Woodworker-Handbook-Spending-Working/dp/1565232976/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=tom+hintz&qid=1570302356&sr=8-2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick S Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 Understanding Wood, R. Bruce Hoadley. Not a How-to book, but it helps a lot to have a solid understanding of the material you're working with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted October 6, 2019 Report Share Posted October 6, 2019 Its not a book but there is a lot of good information in the videos of Marc's free site. https://thewoodwhisperer.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted October 6, 2019 Report Share Posted October 6, 2019 There was a recent thread on reading material but I’ll be darned if I can find it. Maybe someone with more knowledgeable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted October 6, 2019 Report Share Posted October 6, 2019 Aside from reading here, there are numerous sources in print and online. Do have a leaning toward electro-powered vs. meat-powered tools? If so, it might help narrow your search a bit. In either case, I suggest you include information on making and keeping your cutting edges sharp. Much like bacon, sharp makes everything better. The Perfect Edge , by Ron Hock, is a good treatise on the hows and whys of sharp tools. In fact, the Hock websites sells a number of useful volumes from various authors. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted October 6, 2019 Report Share Posted October 6, 2019 “The Perfect Edge” is on my workbench , as we speak! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted October 6, 2019 Report Share Posted October 6, 2019 10 hours ago, K Cooper said: There was a recent thread on reading material but I’ll be darned if I can find it. https://www.woodtalkonline.com/topic/29835-style-references/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted October 6, 2019 Report Share Posted October 6, 2019 There was another, more general list of recommended books, but I can't find it either. I thought it was a sticky at the top of one of the forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workswood4food Posted October 20, 2019 Report Share Posted October 20, 2019 Old, possibly out of print, but Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking is a 3 volume set and very, very good. Also, 2 thumbs up for Understanding Wood, already mentioned. Knowing how to use tools is half the battle, the other is understanding the material. Missing either will lead to disappointment, but having your china cabinet fail in a few years because you didn't understand wood movement when you built it would, to me, be more disappointing than not understanding everything about a table saw. Of course, read the tool book to learn how to use those tools safely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby W Posted October 23, 2019 Report Share Posted October 23, 2019 +1 for the Tage Frid books. That is where I learned fine woodworking. They are fun to read too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoewoodworker Posted November 21, 2019 Report Share Posted November 21, 2019 This suggestion may not be popular, but I have subscribed to Fine Woodworking online for years. This past year they changed their structure. A FWW Unlimited membership gives you the magazine but the most useful thing to me is that you have access to all information from their past issues and to a variety of basic technique and woodworking information books online also. It is pricey at $99 a year, but then you have access to books (digitally) that would cost quite a bit if purchased separately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alishakihn Posted August 7, 2023 Report Share Posted August 7, 2023 On 10/5/2019 at 10:07 PM, james rabbit said: Hi there! I am looking for a woodworking books for beginners to develop confidence with tools. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance. Flappy Bird I'd be happy to recommend a woodworking book for beginners! One highly regarded option is "The Complete Book of Woodworking" by Tom Carpenter. It covers a wide range of woodworking topics, including tools, techniques, joinery, and projects. Another popular choice is "The Essential Woodworker" by Robert Wearing, which focuses on hand tool woodworking and provides step-by-step instructions for various projects. If you're specifically interested in learning about joinery, "Joinery" by Gary Rogowski is an excellent resource. It delves into different types of joinery techniques with clear explanations and visual aids.Remember, woodworking is a hands-on craft, so while books are valuable sources of knowledge, practice and experience are equally important. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Swanson Jr. Posted August 7, 2023 Report Share Posted August 7, 2023 Mike Pekovich "The Why and How of Woodworking" is excellent. Really learned a lot in this book. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted August 7, 2023 Report Share Posted August 7, 2023 On 8/7/2023 at 5:01 AM, D W C said: Mike Pekovich "The Why and How of Woodworking" is excellent. Really learned a lot in this book. Agreed! Easy reed and very informative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted August 7, 2023 Report Share Posted August 7, 2023 Do any of you have woodworking places that allow you to fit a fee participate in the shop to learn? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted August 7, 2023 Report Share Posted August 7, 2023 On 8/7/2023 at 12:56 PM, BillyJack said: Do any of you have woodworking places that allow you to fit a fee participate in the shop to learn? We have a pretty active woodworkers guild here in the twin cities that provides a fair amount of learning opportunities. There were some group shops a few years back but not sure if any are still around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted August 7, 2023 Report Share Posted August 7, 2023 I went to a meeting at a guild in Lees Summit , Missouri. They spent an hour talking about a little 6” bowl an 80 year old guy made. Beautiful bowl, but not worth dues and an hour of discussion.. During the DIY boom. They were trying to start a woodworking school in Lees Summit and applied a# a mentor. The class I guess didn’t have enough sponsors., I offered my shop several times to those that wanted to learn cabinetry, but no one will ge5 involved. It’s too much a hobby today, a waste tomorrow.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted August 8, 2023 Report Share Posted August 8, 2023 On 8/6/2023 at 9:34 PM, alishakihn said: I'd be happy to recommend a woodworking book for beginners! One highly regarded option is "The Complete Book of Woodworking" by Tom Carpenter. It covers a wide range of woodworking topics, including tools, techniques, joinery, and projects. Another popular choice is "The Essential Woodworker" by Robert Wearing, which focuses on hand tool woodworking and provides step-by-step instructions for various projects. If you're specifically interested in learning about joinery, "Joinery" by Gary Rogowski is an excellent resource. It delves into different types of joinery techniques with clear explanations and visual aids.Remember, woodworking is a hands-on craft, so while books are valuable sources of knowledge, practice and experience are equally important. That sounds like an AI response. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted August 9, 2023 Report Share Posted August 9, 2023 19 hours ago, Immortan D said: That sounds like an AI response. Sure does. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Von Posted August 10, 2023 Report Share Posted August 10, 2023 On 8/7/2023 at 1:56 PM, BillyJack said: Do any of you have woodworking places that allow you to fit a fee participate in the shop to learn? We have a relatively inexpensive maker's space here with basic woodworking, metalworking and fiber arts tools. It would be OK for a beginning woodworking IMHO. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soonerdg Posted August 16, 2023 Report Share Posted August 16, 2023 On 10/5/2019 at 9:21 PM, Coop said: There was a recent thread on reading material but I’ll be darned if I can find it. Maybe someone with more knowledgeable? Love Marc's site. The pay site thewoodwhispererguild.com is great as well if you want VERY detailed learning. For books, check out a couple of recent books by Mike Pekovich from Fine Woodworking. I don't recall the names. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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