Customer Reviews

Restoring, Tuning & Using Classic Woodworking Tools

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I only recieved this book this morning, I began reading and can now thouroughly recommend this book to anyone who, for example has ever seen Norm Abram at work and thought 'Hey that's not fair. He's got $10,000 worth of power tools at least' Well this has to be the guide for those who wish to find, restore, and use old tools. I grew up with quality handtools around me and can tell this guy knows what he's talking about. The majority of this book is dedicated to planes - but I never realised just how many kinds there are! A must for anyone you know who heads for the 'rusty tool box' at flea markets and yard sales. I'd love to know what you think about this book too. Happy reading!

After searching for books in this subject, I was very pleased to finally find a book that went into the depth of not only restoring, but plane and other tool usage. This book was intended for the antique tool collector who chooses to use their tools not place them on a display shelf and accept them "as is." If you are looking for old tools needing repair for many more years of use, then this is the book for you. Michael Dunbar has done an excellent job putting his knowledge on paper for the reader's benefit.

Dunbar's book is one of the best when it comes to repairing just about any antique tool. He patiently and thoroughly describes how to repair most any hand tools you'll come across. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to learn how to restore antique hand tools. It should be noted that Dunbar now uses a different method to sharpen plane and chisel irons, etc. However, this is widely available in magazines. Highly recommended.

The tools being old, not necessarily the collectors. The vast preponderance of space is taken up with hand planes. While some attention is paid to other tools, if you do not have a plane collection, this is a costly book for topics that are covered in tons of books. The general info on sharpening and cleaning is not unique to this book. But the coverage on hand planes may not be equaled elsewhere.

Michael Dunbar's book is both comprehensive and informative. He sets it out in a logical fashion, dealing with different classes of hand tools separately.
The suggestions that he makes for restoring, tuning and using these classic tools, are based on his own user experience and not on something that he has read about.
The illustrations are clear and the photographic plates are suitable to the subject matter.
The only difficulty in appreciating a book like this, is the fact that the black and white images used do not give any appreciation of the beauty of old tools.
This is a book that begs to be revised and re-issued with colour illustrations instead of the B&W that is used.
Anyone who is interested in old wood working tools or classic antiques will benefit from this book.
We can only hope that a colour illustrated edition is around the corner.

This is an excellent reference for anyone interested in the woodworking craft. The author has captured an incredible amount of valuable and practical knowledge between this book's covers!