Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Woodworking (Hardcover)

by Lonnie Bird (Author), Jeff Jewitt (Author), Thomas Lie-Nielsen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This step-by-step shop reference, culled from the first six volumes of Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guides, covers all of the fundamental techniques every woodworker needs to know. Organized for quick access, this book makes it easy to find the information you are looking for. Over 1,200 photos and drawings illustrate how to accomplish essential woodworking tasks from setting up a shop to finishing.

About the Author
Lonnie Bird, a professional woodworker specializing in period furniture, runs a woodworking school in Dandridge, Tennessee.
Jeff Jewitt is a professional finisher and refinisher in Cleveland, Ohio and a contributing editor to Fine Woodworking.
Thomas Lie-Nielsen is the founder and owner of Lie-Nielsen Toolworks which manufactures high quality handtools. He lives in Warren, Maine.
Andy Rae, from Asheville, North Carolina, is a professional woodworker who writes frequently for woodworking magazines and teaches woodworking.
Gary Rogowski, a contributing to Fine Woodworking, operates his own school, the Northwest Furniture Studio, in Portland Oregon.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Taunton (September 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561587699
• ISBN-13: 978-1561587698
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #271,809 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A straightforward guide for practitioners of all levels of expertise, October 13, 2005

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

The collaborative effort by wordworking experts Lonnie Bird, Jeff Jewitt, Thomas Lie-Nielsen, Andy Rae, and Gary Rogowski, Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide To Woodworking is a straightforward guide for practitioners of all levels of expertise. Chapters cover everything from setting up and outfitting one's workshop, to basic wood skills such as sanding, smoothing, or using cutting lines, to more advanced means of dimensioning and shaping wood, to joinery, sharpening, construction and finishing techniques. Each of the step-by-step instructions is illustrated with black-and-white sketches or full color photographs demonstrating every individual step. Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide To Woodworking does not spare the camera or the description, taking painstaking effort to be as clear as possible both visually and verbally. The text is straightforward, in reasonably large print and easy-to-read, and an index allows for quick and easy reference. Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide To Woodworking is a "must-have" for amateur woodworkers and an excellent basic reference review of the fundamentals suitable for advanced woodcrafters as well.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Guide, November 29, 2005

By	Sonya "readaholic" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

I've justed considering doing something about my interest in woodworking. After watching scores of decorating shows where they build fairly simple pieces of furniture, I felt I needed a more detailed guide. I was especially interested in the tools, their uses and general kind of construction. This book has it all and explains it in an easy-to-understand manner. My husband has almost all the tools, but I don't know how to use them.

I really like the Case Joinery section where they explain various ways to join pieces of wood and the Construction secion where they show you how to construct different projects, including doors, drawers and shelves. They not only explain it, but include color photographs that are easy to follow.

There is so much covered in this book and was well worth the money. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. I have several Taunton books and this one rates up there with the best of them.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What you need to get started, September 20, 2005

By	new to woodworking (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

I'm new to woodworking, and I didn't want to spend a ton of money. The Taunton Series of Woodworking books looked like a good bet, but then I discovered this newly released book, which takes the most important info from the Taunton series of books. Pretty much anything you want to do is described in this book. Everything from setting up shop to shaping wood to finishing it. It's well written and and a must have wookworking guide for the shop. I especially like the tips on how to handle pieces safely. When I need more detail, I'm sure I'll pick up the other Taunton books. For 20 bucks on Amazon, its a no-brainer for those of us starting out.