By Hand & Eye

[Dave Lehnert]

Thoughts on the Lost Art Press book "By Hand & Eye" by George R. Walker and Jim Tolpin

Worth the $40 price tag?

[Jim Koepke]

I haven't seen the book, but the reviews and the "By Hand & Eye" website seem interesting.

https://www.byhandandeye.com

Working without a tape measure or ruler works for me. At times it is convenient to use a tape measure. For designing and building projects working with dividers and story sticks can make it easier than trying to juggle a lot of numbers in your head.

jtk

[mike holden]

First a disclaimer: I know George from the Ohio River Valley SAPFM meetings.
The book is well written. It shows a design philosophy based on his research into classic furniture and architecture.
The book is more of a textbook in that it has exercises that you should do to get the best out of the book. Just reading it will not give you the understanding that doing the exercises will. Think of a math text, you can read it, but if you don't do the exercises, you won't retain the info.
Having said that, the companion book; By Hound and Eye, is a great adjunct and is a book of exercises.
Both are highly recommended if you are willing to put the effort into them.
Mike

[Hasin Haroon]

I have the book - I found it an interesting read, but not as eye-opening or revealing as I thought it would be from the reviews and so on. It did however introduce me to the use of a sector, which is an amazing tool.

[Glen Johnson]

I would say yes. It changes the way I think about design and sizing everything in a build. I would put on my list of top five woodworking books.

[Frederick Skelly]

I would say yes. It changes the way I think about design and sizing everything in a build. I would put on my list of top five woodworking books.

That's a really good summary Glen. I agree with you.

Dave, it's a good book and teaches fundamentals that I didn't know, such as proportions. It's definitely improved the way my projects look, even though I only read about half of it. But be warned: Mike is right - it's a lot like a textbook. About half way through, I got stuck because I couldn't figure out how to do some of the geometric exercises. So I put it down and just havent gotten back to it. It's still an invaluable reference for me, even so.

Whether it's worth $40 depends on how you use books. I sometimes buy highly-regarded books for references, just in case I ever need them. For example, Flexner's finishing book - I didnt read that thing cover to cover. I read about half, said "yup, this thing is just as useful as everyone said". Then I put it on my shelf and pick it up when I need it. Same thing for Hand and Eye. I go back and look at the parts I read when I need them.

For me, it was well worth the $40. I'll finish it one day and it'll be worth even more.
Fred

[Joel Thomas Runyan]

It depends on your current knowledge of design and geometry. If you're totally new to both, the book is an alright introduction to the process. But I personally found it to have a lot of fluff, and the authors' methodology to be fluffier still.

You can find everything and more in your local library or on the internet, it's just knowing where to look.

https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/constructions.html

[Dave Lehnert]

Thanks everyone.

I think the book Measure Twice, Cut Once. by Jim Tolpin is one of the most helpful books on woodworking I have read.
Hoping this book would expand on that knowledge.

[Bill Houghton]

I'm just in the process of requesting it through interlibrary loan, and find that someone library mis-listed it as "By Hound and Eye." I know dogs are eager to help, but I'm trying to imagine a shop where the dog helps design the furniture.

[sean contenti]

By Hound And Eye is the name of a companion book, with more exercises

[Dave Lehnert]

By Hound And Eye is the name of a companion book, with more exercises




What he said.

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[paul cottingham]

I have both, and I think they are both terrific.

[Chuck Nickerson]

"By Hound & Eye" was written because a number of readers bogged down working through "By Hand & Eye", like Fredrick mentioned above.
So Hound makes fewer assumptions about our starting point.

I got a few members of my WW club to try the techniques on their next design. The most common reaction was "I'm not sure it came out different but I sure enjoyed the process more."