Book suggestion for advanced carpentry?

[Peter Quinn]

Any suggestions for a book that explains how to do more advanced framing and trim carpentry, using geometry and trig functions? I'm doing a job presently rebuilding some neoclassical pediments that involve crown going from a horizontal return to a rake, and soffit and fascia returning to a sloped sill. I've been able to figure out the compound angles using my friends hunt and peck, but I'd like to learn a more direct and accurate method for figuring these things out.

I checked Amazon, the borg, local book stores, but it seems all the carpentry books I'm finding are aimed at novice home owners. I'm looking for a thorough old school text that teaches a carpenter the theory for rendering classical architectural features. Any ideas?

[Ben Franz]

One possibility - The National Historic Society published a set of books in 1990 titled "The Modern Carpenter Joiner and Cabinet Maker" comprised of 8 volumes. These books collect a lot of traditional craft methods and are quite interesting. I can't promise that they will address your exact needs. Availability is also a question but I've heard about some new-fangled Gizmo called Google that may help.

If you want roof framing info, get "Roof Framing" by Marshall Gross (Craftsman Press). He covers any roof cutting problem you might run into and several more using trig functions on a calculator. It's an industry standard reference.

Also:

Carpentry & Building Construction - Feirer and Hutchings (MacMillan)

Trim Carpentry Techniques - Craig Savage (Taunton)

There is (or was) a Builder's Book Source store in Berkley, CA that had a lot of good titles that were well beyond the BORG/Amazon homeowner oriented basics.

Hope some of this helps. Good luck.

[Peter Quinn]

Thanks for that info Ben, I'll check into all of those options. I don't like figuring out how to do something and not knowing why it works. Man its been a long time since ap trig.:eek:

[Mac McQuinn]

From my collection;

1) Simplified Engineering For Architects & Builders/Harry Parker & James Ambrose/ John Wiley & Sons Pub.

2) Basic Engineering Calculations For Contractors/August W. Domel Jr./McGraw Hill Pub.

3) Building Layout/W.P. Jackson/Craftsman Pub.

4) Simplified Site Engineering/Harry Parker, John W. MacQuire, James Ambrose/John Wiley & Sons Pub.

Mac