Top 5 woodworking books which I have read. Share yours.

[Steve Ayerse]

Hey guys, most of woodworkers often read books to expand their knowledge so it would ne nice if everyone could share their favourite books about woodworking. So here is my collection :
TOP 5 Woodworking books I have used to move to intermediate level of woodworking :)

1. The Complete Manual of Woodworking
My review: A well-crafted and nicely illustrated reference manual for the woodworker. It covers all the basics for hand and power tools, and has chapters on wood as a material, workshops, bending wood, veneering, wood carving and finishing. You'll probably keep this book as long as you can make sawdust.

2. I Can Do That! Woodworking Projects - Updated and Expanded
My review: This book is great, it is not only a book to read but also a must have. It contains detailed information and tips which is particularly important for beginners. I highly recommend the book, additionally to the projects it contains. Lenguage is very easy to understand and whatever it's technical it will contain the explanation.

3. The Complete Book of Woodworking
My review: This is a great book full of very useful information. This book was easy to follow. It is about 480 pages with 150 pages of reference and the rest of nice project plans, pictures and tips.

4. The Big Book of Weekend Woodworking: 150 Easy Projects
My review: This book was a touchdown for a Christmas present from my wife. This book seem to be feasible and have enough instructions and blueprints for a newer woodworker to complete.

5. Woodworking basics
My review: Very good book for the beginning word worker. Withing the first two chapters I was amazed at how much I had already learned. The chapters are short and to the point which is exactly my type of reading.

Also I would really appreciate if everyone actively post their books, even 1 or 2 books :)

[Frederick Skelly]

Hi Steve. Welcome to the Creek! Sounds like you're a relatively new woodworker? This is a great place to learn. You can search the archives here for "books" and that will add to your list. But for new wooodworkers, I suggest these:

1. Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking
3 volume set. Covers all the basic operations and tools in text and illustrations. Superb foundational work.

2. A Cabinetmaker's Notebook, by James Krenov.
This is another foundational work. It teaches "attitude" toward the craft. He stresses the importance of small details that make a piece "yours", whether it's for a customer or yourself. It inspired me to go the extra mile on my projects, just as a source of personal pride. I can't give this book enough praise.

3. Woodwork Magazine
This is a collection of all the back issues of a long-gone but very respected magazine on DVD. You can buy it from Amazon and it's excellent for someone starting out. Contains a wide range of topics, from profiles of professional woodworkers, to very well written 'how to' articles. Each issue of the magazine is a separate .pdf, so it's easy to read on a tablet or computer.

4. Fine Woodworking, Shopnotes and Woodsmith Magazine Collections, on DVD.
FWW, especially in its early years, had great articles, inspirational pictures and articles and good 'how to' articles. They inspired me to try hand tools and other things I might not have otherwise tried. Shopnotes and Woodsmith are superb 'how to' magazines, one is full of projects and the other is workshop and toolbuilding.

So many more, on hand tools, making tools, sharpening tools, etc. But these are the ones I suggest as basics beyond the kind of books you've already listed.

Your blog looks interesting. I'll explore it in more detail later.

Speaking of blogs, treat yourself to Derek Cohen's blog called "In the Workshop". (It comes up quickly on google.) Derek is an Australian who is very "into" handtools AND teaching folks what he learns. He also builds stunning furniture. You might get ideas for your blog from his. (Derek is a regular contribuor to SMC's Neanderthal Forum.)

Look forward to seeing posts of some of your work.

Fred

[Cody Colston]

1. A Cabinetmaker's Notebook - James Krenov
I have all of Krenov's books and have read them all numerous times but "Notebook" is my all-time favorite because it focuses on the "Why"of woodworking rather than the "How."

2. Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking
Again, his first book is my favorite as it shows how to make numerous classic woodworking joints.

3. American Furniture of the 18th Century - Jeffrey P. Greene
I love Period furniture and this book is the best I have read on the subject.

4. Understanding Wood - R. Bruce Hoadley
A must for anyone who works with wood.

5. Drying Hardwood Lumber - Joseph Denig, Eugene M. Wengert, William T. Simpson
Not a book but a technical paper from the Forest Products Laboratory. I saw and dry my own wood and found this publication very useful. It's also a free download.

[Andrew Hughes]

I like David Charlesworths wood working books.
James Krenovs books and
The last book is the Unknown craftsman .A insight to beauty.

[Art Mann]

Illustrated Cabinetmaking by Bill Hilton. The book isn't well named. It is really an encyclopedia of joints and construction techniques for furniture building.

[Frank Drew]

Modern Practical Joinery (1901) - George Ellis. If you want to see how joinery and carpentry were done by the pros in England 100+ years ago, this is your book. Highly recommended.

Purpose-Made Joinery (1989) - Edward Foad. Many similarities to Ellis' book; lots of technical advice and calculations, geometry, etc.

Cabinetmaking - The Professional Approach (1984) - Alan Peters. Peters apprenticed with Edward Barnsley and this is his very useful book about the business and practice of making furniture.

Modern Cabinetmaking in Solid Wood (1980; originally 1978 in Germany) - Franz Karg. Many photo examples of high quality, super clean cabinetmaking from a top German woodworking school; sort of like upscale Krenov. Just enough technical data to guide the builder, should you wish.

Solid Wood Cabinet Construction (1991) - Franz Karg. Taunton Press' edition, very similar to the previous, with additional photos.

And, of course, the bible, Ernest Joyce's The Encyclopedia of Furniture Making (also called The Technique of Furniture Making?).

Oops, that's six. Sorry.

[Kevin Jenness]

Frank Drew's recommendations are spot on. Other useful books in the British tradition are A.B.Emary's "Handbook of Carpentry and Joinery", Annette Carruthers' " Edward Barnsely and His Workshop" and anything by Charles H. Hayward. David Pye's "The Nature and Art of Workmanship" and " The Nature of Design" are interesting for theory. Anyone interested in Japanese joinery and traditions will benefit from Edward S. Morse"'s "Japanese Homes and Their Surroundings" and S. Azby Brown's "The Genius of Japanese Carpentry". For veneer work. Scott Groves' "Advanced Veneering" and Lincoln's "Complete Manual of Wood Veneering" are excellent, and Silas Kopf's "An Odyssey in Marquetry" is positively inspiring. George Nakashima's "The Soul of a Tree" is a good companion to Krenov.

[jerry cousins]

Not a book about fabrication or the masterial but an interesting read by a furniture maker about what we do
"why we make things and why it matters" - peter korn
jerry

[Steve Ayerse]

Frederick Skelly, Cody Colston, Andew Hughes, Frank Drew, Art Mann, Kevin Jenness, Jerry Cousins thank you for sharing such a great books, some of the are already on my to do list!

[Jim Becker]

My favorites are by Thos Moser and George Nakashima...

[Frank Drew]

Kevin, thanks for the additional recommendations and titles, and you might know this -- is Toshio Odate(?) the name of the occasional contributor to FineWoodWorking who also wrote a book or two on Japanese joinery? And there was at least one book (not from him) published in English with lots of photos of some of the very intricate joints used in Japanese woodworking; I think I had a copy but can't put my hand on it right now.

For the record, Edward Barnsley's work usually makes me say to myself, "I wish I'd made that"; a real inspiration when I first learned about him.

[Al Launier]

Care and Repair of Shop Machines by John White
Wood Finishing 101 by Bob Flexner
Complete Woodfinishing (Revised Edition) by Ian Hosker

[Cody Colston]

I have a couple of books mentioned here that I didn't include on my favorites list. "The Nature and Art of Workmanship" by David Pye and "The Unknown Craftsman" by Soetsu Yanagi as interpreted by his friend Bernard Leach.

I found both to be difficult reads although I enjoyed the pictures and critique by Yanagi. Note, Yanagi's book is not about woodworking but primarily deals with pottery and what he considered to be beautiful.

[Kevin Jenness]

Frank, I believe Toshio Odate has written such a book. Other relevant titles are Hideo Sato "Japanese Woodworking" and Yasuo Nakahara "Japanese Joinery" published in one volume as "The Complete Japanese Joinery" and Heino Engel "Measure and Construction of the Japanese House".

There is a very interesting blog called "The Carpentry Way" written by a westerner who has spent time in Japan studying joinery and has written several volumes on the subject as well.

[Frank Drew]

Thanks, Kevin, I'll look for those.

[Joe Jensen]

1) Cabinetmaking and Millwork, by John Louis Feirer
2) Understanding Wood Finishing HC (FC Edition): How to Select and Apply the RIght Finish by Bob Flexner
3) Understanding Wood: A Craftsman's Guide to Wood Technology, by Bruce Hoadly

[Rick Whitehead]

Mine are:
The Encyclopedia of Furniture Making-Ernest Joyce.
Understanding Wood Finishing- Bob Flexner
Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking
Woodwork Joints- Charles Hayward
The Acoustic Guitar- Don Teeter (it's woodworking, too!)
Rick