Good Wood Handbook (Paperback)

by Albert Jackson (Author), David Day (Author) "Though some woodworkers can't see the trees for the wood, it is useful to understand something of the physical make-up of trees, and of how..." (more)
Key Phrases: glues satisfactorily, surplus veneer, lipping can, North America, Asia Minor, South America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Brazilian mahogany is among the most versatile woods in the world. Sturdy enough for heavy construction, it is also popular for interior and exterior joinery, doors, flooring, furniture, cabinets, turnery, carving, pattern making, sports equipment, boats, and musical instruments, including pianos. It's also listed as an endangered species.

Good Wood Handbook addresses Brazilian mahogany's dueling traits--its inherent quality and fragile future--in a thorough and educational manner that leaves the reader seeing the forest and the trees. Authors Albert Jackson and David Day organized this effort as a guide to selecting the right wood for the job. Along the way, they cover softwoods, hardwoods, veneers, and manufactured boards. Wood production, logging, milling, drying, and seasoning are explained, as are tips and techniques on laminating, veneering, and steam bending. The middle of the book is devoted to nearly 150 types of wood. Each is pictured in color and specifically detailed in a number of categories, including what country it comes from, the characteristics of the tree, the characteristics of the wood, common uses for the wood, and its average dried weight. Good Wood Handbook explains, for example, that while all wood shrinks as it dries, it will shrink roughly twice as much when cut along the line of a tree's annual rings as it does if cut across them. (And, yes, there are good illustrations to make such descriptions easier to understand.) It also covers the varieties of plywood, including decorative, three-ply, drawerside, multi-ply, four-ply, and six-ply.

As with Brazilian mahogany, Jackson and Day are keenly aware that some woods are in short supply, even endangered. They note in their introduction that it's important that any new--as opposed to recycled--wood come from a well-managed source, and that users should be aware of which species are at risk. This way, they write, "informed choices can be made and steps taken to ensure continued supplies of this beautiful material." --John Russell

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Popular Woodworking Books; 2 edition (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558705309
• ISBN-13: 978-1558705302
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,224,240 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal starter's book, November 25, 2000

By	P. van Rijckevorsel (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This seems pretty close to an ideal introduction to the world of wood and woods. After the succes of the British version of this book ("Collins_Good_Wood_Guide") there now are US, French and German versions (and perhaps some more in other languages?).

The great thing about the book is the quality of the illustrations which convey a very great deal of information very effectively. I am not entirely sure of the quality of the text, which dips into a very wide range of topics, but owing to the quick-in quick-out style the authors certainly manage to avoid saying anything stupid.

My favorite part is the 74 individually photographed wood samples (also including a bit of end-grain and a bit of side-grain, occasionally including the bark) which are faithfully reproduced at an ample size and in glorious color.

This 128-page book may not completely satify the wood buff, but it is pretty close to an ideal introduction to woods for anyone starting out doing anything with wood. Great value for money!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for the money, November 19, 2002

By	Earl J. Mcgehee "earl49" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book covers more than just the lumber. It explains how trees grow, how forests are managed, how lumber is cut, and some basic woodworking techniques. Endangered trees are discussed and marked throughout the book. Traditional woodworking woods, plywood, and man-made woods are covered with characteristics, common uses, workability, and finishing tips for each. There are many beautiful pictures and drawings throughout.

A few things could be improved. The wood descriptions are arranged by scientific name so a better index is needed to help locate common names. For example "Walnut" and "Black Walnut" are not in the index, but "American Walnut" is. A section of the book shows pictures of each tree species (20 per page) but instead of having the name by each picture there is a "from left to right" list in a small box at the bottom of each page.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great beginner's book!, April 3, 2007

By	Bob Fitzsimmons (New York City) - See all my reviews

This book is terrific for beginners! Get this book alongside the US Dept of Agriculture's "Encyclopedia of Wood" for the best wood books around.