Recommendations for a general Woodworking book?

[Jim Underwood]

If you were to recommend one book (or set of books) about learning woodworking, which one would you recommend?

I'm realizing that although I've fooled around with wood since I was just a lad, and I now work in a cabinet shop, (and have my own home shop) I still haven't cut any dovetails (with saw, router, or otherwise) and that's just one example of many things I don't know or have the skill to do.

So I'm realizing I have a desire to know more about woodworking, and also wish to develop some skills...

Lacking the necessary time and funding to go to one of these fancy schools, I figure I can learn a lot from a book, and after a bit of trial and error, go visit a couple very experienced woodworkers for some tips and maybe a bit of oversight...

So to repeat the question... what book would you recommend? I've been eyeing Tage Frid's book for quite some time...

[Neil Brooks]

Re: Tage Frid's book (the series of three):

Stop eying and start buying. It's a classic.

[Thomas S Stockton]

I'll second that, you can't go wrong with Tage Frid's books and I think they are pretty reasonably priced.

[Dave MacArthur]

Books are great, but IMO a well done video can be much better... 10,000 words and all that. With that in mind, I actually watched about 15 videos from "The WoodWright's Shop" with Roy Underhill, last night.

http://www.pbs.org/woodwrightsshop/video/2900/2901.html

This is a show on PBS in some areas, but you can watch them all on the computer without any commercials, good quality video.

I have to say, he teaches more basic skills, faster, than any of the TV shows I've watched. And I've got all the NYW and David Marks shows recorded to DVD. Strangely, just last night I kinda felt like I was getting a "re-grounding" in core techniques by watching him. He cuts dovetails, sliding dovetails, mortise and tenon, etc. etc. with hand-tools, and goes from setup and marking to done in about 5-10 minutes... a real eye-opener, as it takes me like 1 hour to set up for router dovetails lol.

Try looking at this link, and browse the right side for pieces that look interesting to you, the pedestal table in this one had good techniques.

Oh, and for a book, a recent magazine I just bought is really a great basic reference for good tool use, "Fine Woodworking's Tool Techniques and Tips", on the newsstands right now. It's all stuff we both probably know, but it's nice to see a single magazine reference with instructions on how to safely use every tool in a shop, make all the cuts that tool makes, make frame & panel doors, mortise & tenon, cope & stick, rip, crosscut, etc. --I bought it thinking it would be the perfect book to give to a beginner or someone who maybe didn't ever learn the "safe" way to use his tools.

I realize it's likely way below your skills, working in a shop as you do, but it's the only recent publication I've thought "Hmm, that's not bad", and it's what I'll hand my son I'd guess.

[Bill Whig]

If you were to recommend one book (or set of books) about learning woodworking, which one would you recommend?



Definitely more than one. Hard to go wrong with "The Joint Book" by Terry Noll. It will make you think. Cost is not much more than $10. A bargain.

In general, I've found books publichsed by Taunton's Press to be much better than average, but I've found at least one exception.

I liked Bill Hylton's "Woodworking with the Router" but not his book in the "Illustrated" series (this is the exception I was thinking of above). I don't blame the author.

The Woodright Shop on PBS once a week is an efficient way to learn things, and it seems to me to be better this season than last.

Go with your interests. Have fun. I've been picking up interest in tool building. There are books on that too, of course (but not as many as I would like)! : )

Bill

[Stephen Cherry]

Or a subscription to fine woodworking's website. Lots of content.