Definitive book on finish carpentry?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Is there a definitive text book on finish carpentry or general carpentry?

Over 30 years ago I bought a college text book on carpentry and it has been a life saver but obviously the technology has changed. Is there a definitive text book on finish carpentry or general carpentry?

Thanks!

[roger wiegand]

I find a lot of useful information on finish carpentry in my back issues of Fine Homebuilding. Between that and the interweb I haven't needed to look for a book.

I have an ~1840 volume called "The New England Church Builder" that's still a pretty good general carpentry book.

[Victor Robinson]

I don't think there is. I have pretty much all of them and there is not one single one that is particularly amazing. I like Trim Complete.

The DVD series from Gary Katz is quite good though significantly more of an investment than a single book. I'd recommend picking up used, watching, and then selling if you are serious about trim and learning to do it like the pros. Ron Paulk just put up an excellent series on crown on YouTube that I thought was pretty good as well.

[scott vroom]

Ken, I haven't seen a book on general carpentry that I could recommend. There just too many aspects of carpentry, really, to cover in depth in a single book. Is there a particular area of carpentry you're interested in? There are a number of books on Amazon that focus on framing, roofing, etc. that provide a more focused examination of those trades than couldn't be presented in an all-in-one book.

For finish trim I haven't found a book that covers the topic better than "Crown Moulding & Trim" by Wayne Drake. He does a great job of explaining and illustrating complex moulding cuts.

[Victor Robinson]

Ken, I haven't seen a book on general carpentry that I could recommend. There just too many aspects of carpentry, really, to cover in depth in a single book. Is there a particular area of carpentry you're interested in? There are a number of books on Amazon that focus on framing, roofing, etc. that provide a more focused examination of those trades than couldn't be presented in an all-in-one book.

For finish trim I haven't found a book that covers the topic better than "Crown Moulding & Trim" by Wayne Drake. He does a great job of explaining and illustrating complex moulding cuts.

That's one that I don't have. If it really does do a good job with complex crown situations, (e.g. cathedral ceilings etc), it would be a unique book.

[scott vroom]

That's one that I don't have. If it really does do a good job with complex crown situations, (e.g. cathedral ceilings etc), it would be a unique book.

We bought the book 4 or 5 years ago to learn how to make the transition from horizontal to vaulted.....it was invaluable. Here's a pic one of the lower transitions, didn't get a pic of the top transition. Getting the compound angles right on the transition pieces is tricky.

[Tom Ewell]

There are a bunch of apps available for those who are into them for either doing the calculations or just as visual aids

Here's one for crown solutions
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.crownmoldingtools.android

I have a baluster app on my phone which gets things started quickly at the job site.

If one is interested in the built-to-code stuff, the International Residential Code book (which we have to follow locally) is a good guide with plenty of illustrations but not much in the way of trim finishing ideas or the latest and greatest in innovative techniques.