Carpentry for Dummies [Paperback]

Gene Hamilton (Author), Katie Hamilton (Author), Roy Barnhart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1999 | Series: For Dummies

Finding a carpenter who does quality work—at a reasonable price and in a timely fashion—can be a real challenge. For little jobs you can spend more time searching for a carpenter than you would doing the job yourself, if you only had some basic tools and carpentry skills. Over the years, the ability to handle small carpentry jobs can save you a great deal of money. Perhaps more important, you can make small repairs before they turn into big ones. With a set of basic carpentry skills you can also make a lot of little improvements that you might not have if you had to hire someone to do the work.

If you would like to develop a basic understanding of carpentry and the tools of the trade, Carpentry For Dummies can help. Whether you have little or no experience with carpentry tools, repairs, or home improvements, this book can show you how to handle a project from the first cut to the final finish.

Carpentry For Dummies is divided into four parts to help you easily find the information you need. You’ll start off on the right foot by becoming familiar with structures such as foundations, floors, and roofs. With step-by-step illustrations throughout the book, you’ll also discover how to use a variety of tools and techniques as you take on different projects in and around your house. Carpentry For Dummies also deals with other topics, including:

• Finding a good lumber or hardware store, and choosing the right materials for the job
• Mastering the finer points f measuring, marking, and gauging to make sure everything fits perfectly
• Boning up on sanding, sealing, and staining basics
• Playing it safe with power tools and potentially toxic chemicals

With pointers on choosing the right materials, finding the best way to put them together, and working safely, Carpentry For Dummies is your ideal reference for basic carpentry.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Carpentry For Dummies is a terrific guide to stay on the right track." —Richard Karn, Al Borland on TV's Home Improvement "Probably the most useful tool to have in the home workshop — solid information about everything is right at your fingertips." — Don Geary, President of the National Association of Home & Workshop Writers

Step-By-Step Illustrations Show You How to Do It!

Have you ever wanted to trim out a room — but didn't know where to start? In Carpentry For Dummies^®, Gene and Katie Hamilton and Roy Barnhart show you the drill (not to mention the saw and the hammer) and guide you step by step through basic household projects. With pointers on choosing the right materials, finding the best way to put them together, and working safely, it's your ideal basic carpentry reference. Step-by-Step Solutions — from the First Cut to the Final Finish:

• Find a good lumber or hardware store — and choose the right materials for the job
• Master the fine points of measuring, marking, and gauging to make sure everything fits perfectly
• Bone up on sanding, sealing, and staining basics
• Get the scoop on safety precautions with power tools and potentially toxic chemicals

About the Author

About the Authors Gene and Katie Hamilton are the husband-and-wife team behind "Do It Yourself or Not?", a syndicated newspaper column from the Los Angeles Times as well as the founders of www.HouseNet.com, a comprehensive website for do-it-yourselfers. The Hamiltons have written more than a dozen bestselling books, including Home Improvement For Dummies^®. Roy Barnhart, a lifelong do-it-your-selfer, is a freelance writer, editor, and consultant in the home improvement field. He has contributed to such magazines as Home, House Beautiful, Family Handyman, Workbench, and Today's Homeowner.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (September 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764551752
• ISBN-13: 978-0764551758
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,046,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jane Hamilton is the author of The Book of Ruth, winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award for first fiction, and A Map of the World, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and named one of the top ten books of the year by Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, the Miami Herald, and People. Both The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World have been selections of Oprah's Book Club. Her following work, The Short History of a Prince, was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1998, her novel Disobedience was published in 2000, and her last novel When Madeline Was Young was a Washington Post Best Book of 2006. She lives in and writes in an orchard farmhouse in Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Dummie for buying this book..., August 13, 2002

By 

John M. Mcnally (Huntington, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carpentry for Dummies (Paperback)

You'll still be a dummie after reading this book. For those with little or no knowledge of carpentry, you won't find what you are looking for in this book.

There are no photos and almost NO illustrations (or drawings), so things are just described and you'll have to imagine how it looks. For example, the vast variety of screws and nails are addressed without a single illustration! A picture says a thousand words and helps the reader to visualize and comprehend the topic, but you won't find it here.

Skip this book and try Black & Decker's Complete Guide to Home Carpentry. It's loaded with color photos of the actual work you'll be doing and explains everything step-by-step.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Truly for dummies, January 14, 2002

By 

O. Lerma "StratPlaya" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carpentry for Dummies (Paperback)

When you read the title of this book, please take it to heart. It really is only for dummies. Who else but a dummy would need to know how to nail, how to push a button to turn on a saw, etc? There is no real information on basic carpentry skills such as the use of a framing square,framing itself, the use of leveling tools to make sure you are starting with level ground, and so on. A more appropriate title for this book would have been "Home Improvment for Dummies" as one could not take knowledge from this book and build from scratch.

I will no longer purchase "For Dummies" books without checking it out at a bookstore first.

8 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carpentry For Dummies?, April 12, 2000

By 

"pow699" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carpentry for Dummies (Paperback)

First time builders need not worry! This books explains all you need to know. From tools and uses to step by step instructions. I highly recommend this for any beginner.