book recommendations

[Mark Keller]

Hi,

So I'm an experienced woodworker but have almost no experience with hand tools. It's been limited to things like cleaning up machine cut mortises with chisels, cabinet scraper use, and shaping with rasps and files. I'm interested in building some simple pieces with hand tools exclusively but am pretty clueless when it comes to dimensioning stock, edge joining, things like dados using nothing but hand planes and hand saws. Any good books that go over these techniques you all would recommend?

Thanks,
Mark

[Tony Wilkins]

Hi,

So I'm an experienced woodworker but have almost no experience with hand tools. It's been limited to things like cleaning up machine cut mortises with chisels, cabinet scraper use, and shaping with rasps and files. I'm interested in building some simple pieces with hand tools exclusively but am pretty clueless when it comes to dimensioning stock, edge joining, things like dados using nothing but hand planes and hand saws. Any good books that go over these techniques you all would recommend?

Thanks,
Mark

First thought for me is Jim Tolpin’s New Traditional Woodworker (think I’m close on the title). I think it does a good job of doing what you’re asking about.

[David Bassett]

I think it depends a lot on what specifically you're looking to learn. For a historic sense of hand woodworking as well as a tutorial on basic techniques, I like "The Joiner and Cabinet Maker" from LAP. (It is a reprint of book written as part of a series to recruit boys into the trades, augmented by Joel Moskowitz and Christopher Schwarz with historic and project specific information.)

For more titles, Joel of TFWW just posted his recommendations on his Blog: Looks at Books (https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/blog/1123/title/Looks%20at%20Books)

[Richard Line]

A basic hand tools book, that I've gone back to many times is 'Hand Tools, Their Ways and Workings' by Aldren A. Watson. It covers a wide range of hand tools, for woodworking (planes, saws, chisels, brace and bits, files and rasp, marking gauges and so on. It has many drawings that illustrate maintaining, adjusting and using a tool. Its not as in depth as many books that deal with a single type of tool, but it is a good starting point or touches on those tools that aren't in the lime light.

It is available through Amazon.

[Bill Houghton]

How far away is your local public library? Go check out everything they've got about hand tool woodworking and have a read.

[David Warkentin]

Paul Seller’s book Essential Woodworking Hand Tools is a good book for understanding the tools.

[Mark Keller]

Thanks for the recs and also thanks for reminding me about brick and mortar resources vs. internet resources. I live very close to one of the largest new and used bookstores in the country and sometimes forget to go down there and browse their shelves.

[John Stevens]

Zach Dillinger’s “With Saw, Plane and Chisel: Building Historic American Furniture with Hand Tools.” I own this book and recommend it for what you’re interested in, even if the style of furniture isn’t what you like (I don’t like early American). The projects are good, but for me the most valuable info is on the methods of work—in particular, knowing what matters and what doesn’t, and when you can call a task “done.” It’s informative in a liberating way. Hope this helps.

—John

[steven c newman]

And...go to the Library, and order out the complete set ( 6..7?) of Roy Underhill's Woodwright books....includes a "workbook" with projects to do....

[Ted Phillips]

I would recommend Chris Schwarz' The Anarchist's Tool Chest (https://lostartpress.com/collections/books/products/the-anarchists-tool-chest). His writing style is really entertaining and he makes a lot of good points in the book. I would also second David's recommendation of Paul Seller's Essential Woodworking with Hand Tools (https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Woodworking-Hand-Tools-Sellers/dp/0993442307/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542425815&sr=8-1&keywords=paul+seller). Very thorough introduction to the use and care of each category of hand tools.

If you are looking to invest a bit more money - you can't go wrong with the four volume Charles Hayward set "The Woodworker (https://lostartpress.com/collections/books/products/the-woodworker-the-charles-h-hayward-years-vols-i-iv)" from Lost Art Press. It collects Charles' magazine columns from over 30 years and organizes them by topic. It is a FANTASTIC reference set - I keep one or more volumes open on my desk almost all the time. It is great for refreshing yourself on hand tool techniques before tackling a new project.

[Mark Rainey]

All great recommendations! And use this forum as a valuable resource with any questions on any hand tool. There are experienced experts here who have helped me with a myriad of questions. Sometimes I think a forum like this has such a fund of knowledge that no one book can equal it.

[Joe A Faulkner]

I know that you asked about books, but there are ton's of video-based resources you should consider as well. You might want to consider Rob Cosman's From Rough to Ready video series. It might be a good supplement to some of the books recommended above.

One of the challenges with doing a hands tool only build that starts with rough stock is that you need a number of hand tools - rip saw, cross-cut saw, a hand plane or two, possibly bits and a brace, and chisels. A shooting board is another key tool for hand-tool only builds. You may want to make a simple shooting board and saw bench among your initial hand-tool only projects.

[Matt Lau]

You may find a close by creaker or lumberjock.

[William Fretwell]

Tage Frid teaches woodworking. Get a real book!

[Nick Carpenter]

^^^ This +1

[Kory Cassel]

James Krenov's books are nice and inspiring, written with passion. The Complete Woodworker and The Practical Woodworker are full of useful jigs and I particularly like the sections on wood species and uses, written in a sweet spot of using plain, easy to understand English at a time when widespread professional hand tool woodworking was still in living memory. Guitarmaking Tradition and Technology is THE how-to book. The techniques are somewhat specialized, but it is written perfectly. Should be required reading for any woodworker, person who plans a hand made project, and most importantly, anyone who ever thinks of writing a how-to book or article. This is how it should be done.