Customer Reviews

Automotive Woodworking: Restoration, Repair and Replacement

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Restoring a woodie is a challenge for car guys used to working with metal, but almost ALL old cars have wood in them, whether it's structural or decorative. In addition, automotive wood is subjected to conditions that furniture never sees -- vibration, flexing, rain, sun, and ever-changing temperature and humidity. After 50 years or more, it always needs work.

Rollie Johnson is a writer and a professional woodworker -- he's a regular contributor to Taunton's Fine Woodworking magazine -- in addition to being a car guy. He's uniquely qualified to give us the information we need to work with wood in old cars.

This book shows you how to restore, repair, or fabricate all new wood for your restoration or hot rod project, with special attention given to the unique needs of wood in the high-stress automotive environment. Johnson shows us what woods to use, what joinery techniques work best, how to cut and shape complex pieces and even veneers, and what glues and finishes to use. It's first-rate information that any car guy should have in his library -- regular woodworkers will find it a good read too.

There is nothing in this book that can not be gleaned from any book on basic woodworking and joinery. I expected a more specific discussion of the dynamic loads exerted on automotive wood framing and construction strategies to counter them. What is contained in this book is a chapter on shop safety, another on tools and saw set-up, one on wood types and characteristics, as well as one on basic joinery techniques. Other than the inclusion of some pictures of a few woodies and a few pictures of one wood framed early touring car body, there is little to differentiate this book from a basic, albeit well written woodworking text which should retail for about twenty dollars.

I have been a profesional woodworker for more than 25 years now. I also love cars so the two paths have converged and I am building woodies now. Mr. Johnson's book about automotive woodworking is excellent. He is the only author of automotive woodwork that I have ever read that is really a woodworker. He obviously knows his way around a shop and relates it well. This is great book for anyone interested in doing woodwork on your car, with step by step instructions right on the money. Lets hope he continues to share his wealth of knowledge of woodworking and woodies.

As a woodworker with 20 years of experience I was interested in what it would take to apply my craft to an automobile. More than half of this book is just a primer on basic finish carpentry and what types of woods were used in "woodies". A total of 4 pages is dedicated to the general project sequence of how to work on a woodie car but nothing about woodies themselves. There is no discussion of how a body is attached to a chassis, no discussion of any disassembly, use or types of fasteners nor is there any detailed discussion of the differences in "woodie" types. This book has many glossy pictures but it does not in anyway prepare you to build or restore a woodie. It does give a good overview of types of woods and finished but you can get that for less then half the price (and more detail) at your local hardware stores. Go to any Woodie website for more education on woodie restoration. Disappointing!