Woodworking history

[Daniel Rode]

I've been poking around for resources on the history of woodworking and happened on this site. It's organized as an online book.

http://www.woodworkinghistory.com/index.html

Any thoughts on the quality of the information here?

We discuss how it used to be done but I have little direct knowledge myself. What other books should I start with to better understand the history of woodworking? I'm most interested in 17th and 18th century but not exclusively.

[steven c newman]

Maybe might a copy of Schwarz' Good Book? J. Moxxon wrote a decent enough one....

[Denny Tudor]

Try " the Village Carpenter". Books by Alex Beale. And Aldren Watson. And Eric Sloane (. Sloane are Not necessary woodworking but great sense of the old times with lots of wood knowledge in general). I would add the bibliography in Aldren Watson's book " country furniture" is extensive. Country furniture is not really about furniture but about old tools.

[Daniel Rode]

Thanks. I'll check them out. Also, Steven is right. I absolutely have Moxxon and Rubo on my list.


Try " the Village Carpenter". Books by Alex Beale. And Aldren Watson. And Eric Sloane (. Sloane are Not necessary woodworking but great sense of the old times with lots of wood knowledge in general). I would add the bibliography in Aldren Watson's book " country furniture" is extensive. Country furniture is not really about furniture but about old tools.

[Larry Frank]

I came across an interesting site with old woodworking tools and how they were made. I have spent several enjoyable hours reading there.

www.wkfinetools.com

[paul cottingham]

Shwarz book. "the anarchists toolchest"
aldren a Watson "country furniture" and "hand tools"
George Sturt. "The wheel wrights shop"
Walter Rose "the Village Carpenter"
"The Artisan of Ipswich” by Robert Tarule
"With hammer in hand" Charles Hummel
“The Essential Woodworker” by Robert Wearing.
Moxon

this is a good start, i have more, if you wish.

[Bill Houghton]

That guy took on a massive project.

[lowell holmes]

I attended a conference at Colonial Williamsburg in 2006. The subject that year was "Working Wood in the 18th Century".

I suggest you try it next January. It was a blast.:)