Customer Reviews

Basics of Craftsmanship (Essentials of Woodworking)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My desire to get back into woodworking after many, many years has led me to purchase about a dozen different books on setting up shop, buying tools, woodworking techniques, etc. Now I wish I had found this book much sooner.

The book itself is a collection of articles from "Fine Woodworking" magazine. For the most part, the editor's choice of articles is excellent. For example, the Setting Up Shop section has three articles: 1)outfitting a shop, 2) buying used hand tools, and 3)converting your garage into a workshop. Although I found little of interest in the 2nd article, I learned as much from the other two has entire books on the subject. I especially liked the fact that the article on outfitting a shop had the pull-no-punches opinions of 3 different woodworkers. This lets the reader see that no two experts agree on the subject, but there is enough agreement that it should help a beginner make wiser choices.

The 4 articles on buying wood, sheet goods, glue, and sandpaper were all full of practical information normally lacking in other books.

The Tools and Techniques sections have 13 well-chosen articles, although the collection is far from being a comprehensive survey of the subject. The only power tools covered in any depth are the table saw and router. You may want to supplement your education with other books on these topics.

I found the sections on "First Projects" and "Finishes" to be a little weaker than the other parts. These articles suffer from the fact that this type of book no flow of logic from one chapter to the next. The chapters on finishing suffer from considerable overlap and some conflicting information. Still, I found the individual articles interesting.

In summary, I think this book is an excellent place to start if you are new to woodworking. After buying this very inexpensive book, you can go straight to more definitive books on only the topics you have real interest in. From what I have seen, you can safely skip the other introductory books.

When I started woodworking I had no idea how little I knew. Each question seemed to launch five more. What tool do I need, how much space, where do I get wood and how do I choose what I need? The list of things I didn't know enough about was endless!

This new book from The Taunton Press addresses these kinds of questions. It discusses setting up a shop, what tools to buy (both power and hand tools) and shows an example of a well designed small shop. It goes on to cover among other subjects, the use of tools and materials, layout, techniques, and finishing.

Also included are tips on buying lumber, an overview of sheet goods (plywood etc.), a good primer on glues and how to produce good glue joints as well as a section on sandpaper that explains in 8 pages what I have seen whole books fail to get across.

Unlike other books that have tried to cover this subject, this book concentrates on the basics and doesn't try to give the reader more than they can absorb. More importantly it covers subjects that others overlook. For example the chapter on techniques covers two of the most important aspects of woodworking, layout and shop drawing.

There are certainly areas where I disagree on a point or two, as I'm sure some readers will and I'm not suggesting that this is the beginning and end of your search for answers. However the information is relevant, clearly presented and easy to understand and should prove invaluable for woodworkers in the early stages of their craft.

If you're a complete newbie to woodworking, you may find this book is not the "starting point" you are looking for, but I would advise you to buy it anyway. The information is basic, even fundamentally important to all aspects of the craft of woodworking.

Sooner or later, you're going to need to put a finish on something you've made. You'll have questions about what the advantages and disadvantages of different finishes are, or where (and which) abrasives come into the finishing process.

You may get the idea that you need a shop full of bench planes, from #1 to #8, and a mass of specials. Wouldn't it be good if several experts, who have access to masses of equipment, told you, quite honestly, which planes they actually used 95% of the time?

If you're committed to machines, it would be nice to know that you could get more information than your owner's manual provides about safety, jigs, setting-up for accuracy and, of course, general maintenance.

This book has it all, just as the title suggests. The photos and drawings are excellent and the captions and notes informative.

What I appreciate, above all, in my growing collection of Taunton books, is the balanced view that the editors take. One old-timer always cuts the dovetail 'pins' first; another does the 'tails' first. One person always uses a machine for certain operations; another prefers to hand-work the same kind of piece.

The greatest strength of this book is that it will help YOU to work out how YOU want to approach the craft of woodworking. The fact that it's bargain-priced is just icing on an already delicious cake. Buy it now and enjoy it immediately, and long into the future.

Happy woodworking!

I didn't want to give this book a star rating, but they made me. I'm sure it's fine and very informative, but I caution readers, if you are looking for a real starter's guide, a sort of Woodworking for Dummies, don't get this book. The jargon starts on page one and never lets up. I hope in a few years I'll have learned enough to know what the hell they're talking about, and then I'm sure it will be useful. But right now? Very intimidating for newbies like me.

To move this book up to 5 stars, it would need a bit more explanation of terms. Throughout the book, terms are used without explanation. That not withstanding, I have found this book thoroughly enjoyable and informative. There are good discussions in each chapter on setting up your first shop, wood types and uses, staining, sanding, and use of a variety of power AND hand tools. Armed with the information, I am on my way to getting my small, garage shop up and running.

(This book is BETTER than "The Complete Manual of Woodworking", which is not quite as practical in my opinion)

This is not a good book for those without any woodworking experience. There is too much jargon that is unexplained, and no real starting projects. I'm certain that there is excellent info for beginners who are looking to expand their knowledge and skills, but for people with no background who are looking for the most basic advice, I would look elsewhere.

As a beginning woodworker, I can't recommend this book enough. It covers just about everything to get you going - laying out a shop, table saws, hand tools, ideal tools to own, dovetail joints, finishes, the list goes on and on. I'm constantly referring back to it as questions pop up.

This is not too bad a book, very informative of the basics, if you have at least a rudimentary knowlege of the jargon used by woodworkers. If you don't, you will be a jargon expert by the books end, alternativly, you may end up totally confused.

Also, the first project they give for a beginning woodworker involves owning a biscuit joiner. Noone brand new to woodworking even THINKS about buying such a thing, and at $100 a pop, they may be a bit spendy for someone who just plopped down a truckload of cash on tools.

but I digress.... Overall a very handy reference, and comes reccomended.

Although I have played with wood all my life (50+) this gave me ideas and told me why some of my projects did not turn out well. It now has an honored place in my garage/workshop.

I don't recommend this book. It was too general in the information that it provided and was not very useful.