reading materials

[Dan Racette]

I was wondering if anyone would like to post the titles of a couple of their favorite woodworking books. The ones that have served you the most.

Dan

[James Farrow]

Well I am a newbie to this so I only have 3 books so far.

Turning Wood With Richard Raffan
Turning Bowls With Richard Raffan
Turning Boxes With Richard Raffan

They came highly recommended.

Just started reading them and they seem excellent. Easy to read,
and understand.

James :)

[Dennis Peacock]

Jeff Jewitts newest book: Illustrated Guide to Finishing
Making Boxes with Inlay Techniques - Doug Stowe
All of Richard Raffan's books are good.
Mastering Woodworking Machines - Mark Dungske

Just to name a few.

[Jim Fancher]

I just picked up these:

The New Router Handbook by Patrick Spielman
Router Joinery Workshop by Carol Reed

[Jamie Buxton]

Understanding Wood by Bruce Hoadley. Lots of basic information about this material we use.

Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking. This is a three-volume set, and has been published in one, two, or three volumes over the years. A joinery bible.

[Michael Stafford]

"Woodworking: The Right Technique" by Bob Moran. This book shows you more than one way to do the same thing. I learned a lot from it. Excellently illustrated.

[Marshall Harrison]

My favorites can be narrowed down to:

Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking - I have the two vol. set
Nick Engler's Woodworking Wisdom
Woodworking: The right Technique by Bob Moran

I also like Router Magic by Bill Hylton - I was lucky enough to get an autographed copy straight from the author.

[Tom LaRussa]

I was wondering if anyone would like to post the titles of a couple of their favorite woodworking books. The ones that have served you the most.Dan

The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1402714165/qid=1099619733/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-2054718-3763950?v=glance&s=books
The Impractical Cabinetmaker, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0941936511/qid=1099619733/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/104-2054718-3763950?v=glance&s=books
A Cabinetmaker's Notebook, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0941936597/qid=1099619733/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/104-2054718-3763950?v=glance&s=books
James Krenov, Worker in Wood, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-titleid=534434&ve-field=none/qid=1099619733/sr=12-5/104-2054718-3763950
All are by James Krenov.

Reasons to Read:

[1] More inspirational than anything else I've read save for the Bible.

[2] I don't like all of Krenov's pieces, but that doesn't matter. Even when viewing (pictures of) those pieces I dislike as a whole I find myself awestruck at the beauty, simplicity, and purity of his technique, his attention to detail, his obvious love of wood and the process of making beautiful things from it.

[3] When you decide to explore the possibility of making things that are truly fine -- things that fill you not only with pride and satisfaction, but with peace, and which will bring those same feelings to their owners in a hundred years -- these are the books to read.

Krenov himself has put it better than I can:



Perhaps it's as well to start by saying this: Without a certain
attitude to our craft, information itself is of little value. It is
what we do with what we know that matters, finally: not only
the results but also the doing itself. After all, that is what we
are left with, after the piece is done and has found its owner
and we are back working again. What some of us find is an
enjoyment we can't weigh against money, recognition, or artistic
aura. By whatever term others call it, it is the feeling of doing
something we want to do -- and doing it well, by measures both
honest and sensitive.
From the Introduction to The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking.

[Shelley Bolster]

Illustrated Cabinetmaking by Bill Hylton has got to be my most read and re-read book! Over 300 pages of illustrations of how furniture is constructed using a variety of techniques. I'm also enjoying my newest book, Shaping Wood by Lonnie Bird which is part of The Complete Illustrated Guide series.