Hand Tool Books?

[Zachary Bulacan]

Hi all I want to know more about going neander. What good books are out there on hand tools both western and Japanese? There use as well as tuning.

Thanks

[harry strasil]

The Complete Woodworker - Edited by Bernard E. Jones - ISBN: 0-89815-022-1
The Practical Woodworker - " " " " " - ISBN: 0-89815-106-6
Audels, 4 Vol. set of Carpenters and Builders Guides, an old set from the early 1900's

The above are my bibles, especially the first two.

Japanese tools I have no interest in. To me they are the power tools you buy at the borgs etc, but China is wupping up on them in that market.

[Robert Rozaieski]

Anything by Roy Underhill.

[Wilbur Pan]

These are the books on hand tools that got me started. Both of them are from the "New Best of Fine Woodworking" series:


Selecting and Using Hand Tools
Working with Handplanes

For Japanese tools, these books by Toshio Odate are very good:


Japanese Woodworking Tools: Their Tradition, Spirit, and Use
Making Shoji

The first book is more a survey of the types of Japanese tools out there. The second book has a lot of information on how they are used, even though the primary goal is to show how to build a Shoji.

In addition, the two workbench books by Scott Landis and Christopher Schwarz deal not only with the workbench, which you'll need for your hand tools, but also how hand tools are used on the workbench. For Japanese tools, Scott Landis' book has a very good chapter on the Japanese workbench.

It's good to keep an open mind in terms of learning. Even though I mainly use Japanese tools, I have learned much from reading about their western counterparts. I would think that if you are interested in using western hand tools, the same would apply.

[John Erhardt]

Hi all I want to know more about going neander. What good books are out there on hand tools both western and Japanese? There use as well as tuning.

Thanks

Hi Zachary:

This isn't a book, but I've found it a great resource for hand tool use:

http://www.cianperez.com/Wood/WoodDocs/Wood_How_To/INDEX_How_To.htm

Also, free.

Hope that helps,

J

[Michael Fross]

My favorites:

The Handplane Book - Garrett Hack
Traditional Woodworking Hand tools - Graham Blackburn
Hand Tools - Aldren Watson
Classic Hand Tools - Garrett Hack
The Complete Guide to Sharpening - Lenard Lee

I guess I've really yet to find a bad one, although there is a lot of overlap between the books.

Michael

[Brent Smith]

Hi Zachary,

There are more indepth books, but two good ones to start with for western (and some info on Japanese) are;

http://www.amazon.com/David-Charlesworths-Furniture-Making-Techniques-Methods/dp/1861084331/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219521506&sr=1-2 or any of his books for that matter.

http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Tool-Essentials-Techniques-Woodworking/dp/1558708154/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219521589&sr=1-2

Two to look at for Japanese tools;

http://www.amazon.com/Care-Use-Japanese-Woodworking-Tools/dp/1933330139/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219521706&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Woodworking-Tools-Tradition-Spirit/dp/0941936465/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219521706&sr=1-1

[Don Pierson]

David Charlesworth books and his DVDs are really excellent!

[Johnny Kleso]

I am happy to say I am friends with David Charlesworth and love reading his books.. I think it is because of him I love hand tools so much..

I'll ask him to sign in here and ask him to recommend his pick for best hand tool book..

[Tom Wiarda]

Make a Chair from a Tree: An Introduction to Working Green Wood by John D. Alexander, Jr.

Finding this book inspired me to start working green wood with hand tools. So for I have completed 3 chairs.

[Zachary Bulacan]

WOW everyone thank you so much for all the info I have the handplanes book and it is really good thankfully lots of pictures:) I will check out those books and buy some and the website is chock full o stuff! I am getting some cash soon (i hope) so will be looking at getting most of my needed handtools LV and LMI are going to be seeing some $$$$ Thanks!

[Johnny Kleso]

I have a lot of info on hand planes on my site too
www.rexmill.com (http://www.rexmill.com)

If you buy at Amazon they have some awesome deals on used books.. All I have ordered have looked brand new and about 1/2 price..

[Danny Thompson]

Try "Hand Tool Essentials" from Popular Woodworking, which includes articles from David Charlesworth, Chris Schwartz, Adam Cherubini, and many others. Covers planing, buying, restoration, sharpening/honing, and use. Less about history.

[Joe Cunningham]

David Charlesworth books and his DVDs are really excellent!

+1. I found his DVDs to be excellent and I think I get more out of DVDs than books. Something about seeing the technique through the entire motion rather than still photos or line drawings.

Everyone learns different, so maybe try a single book and a single dvd/video.

[Narayan Nayar]

Zachary,

I think anyone on this board is happy to rattle off the neander classics, but perhaps you can tell us a little more about yourself and how much experience you have working wood already so our recommendations are a bit more focused. Are you currently a power woodworker looking to "go neander" (as you put it) or are you looking to come into woodworking through handtool work?

I ask because while both approaches may bring you to the same destination, I do think that they require different curriculum, at least at first. Power tool woodworking has a skillset which is primarily focused on using machines, as the machines mediate the interface with wood. For me, at least, hand tool woodworking is largely about learning about wood, as the hand tools used to work wood are very much contingent upon the woodworker knowing how that wood will be worked best.

The usual disclaimers--I'm not trying to be pedantic nor am I saying that power tool woodworkers don't know anything about wood. What I'm saying is that I think your first few books might be different if you're coming to this from power tool woodworking than if you're a blank slate. What I'm also saying is that if you're coming from power tool woodworking, I'll assume you have a shop in which you can work wood, and "going neander" might just involve slowly bringing over one task at a time from the power tool world (e.g. this time I'll plane instead of sand, next time I'll cut that mortise and tenon by hand, etc.). It's a great way to learn how to work wood by hand and maintain a sense of accomplishment.

That said, we know that minimally you'll need to know how to cut and dimension wood, how to create joinery, how to prepare wood for finishing, and how to sharpen the tools you use. For these things I have to say, take advantage of the fact that we're in the 21st century. There are fantastic DVDs which show you in ways that books cannot how things are done and what they look like when done. The books and magazines will bring a depth to that knowledge later--teach you fundamental principles, method, etc.

DVDs I recommend:

Coarse, Medium, Fine (Chris Schwarz)
Rough to Ready (Rob Cosman)
Building Furniture with Planes (Schwarz)
Hand Tool Techniques (Charlesworth) -- there are 4 of these: sharpening, planing, shooting, and chisels.


Watching these several times will give you a variety of perspectives on what working with hand tools looks like and sounds like (the auditory component of hand tool woodworking is often overlooked), and Schwarz's videos will give you an excellent idea of how a piece comes together with handtools.

Anyway, my $.02. There are myriad books which follow this list, but I think that unless you're really "going neander" and pulling your house from the electrical grid, DVDs are a really, really fantastic way to come into the craft.

[Zachary Bulacan]

Zachary,

I think anyone on this board is happy to rattle off the neander classics, but perhaps you can tell us a little more about yourself and how much experience you have working wood already so our recommendations are a bit more focused. Are you currently a power woodworker looking to "go neander" (as you put it) or are you looking to come into woodworking through handtool work?


WOW great question heres the lowdown on me and my woodworking experience...almost non

I have a power drill (that I hate) a mouse sander (that I learned may be detail but is still too aggressive) Growing up I had A shop class and built a few things that turned out horrible. I became interested in instrument building about 2 years ago and have been reading and lurking finally just started building from kits (1 done and on #2) I discovered the magic of a block plane last week and since I work on a kitchen counter in my apt I need to use quiet and family friendly tools. I have discovered I really enjoy hand tools so I want to learn how to use them properly. I have tried the scary sharp method on a cheap chisel and a granite offcut. I like pull saws but that is the only tool I have used enough to have an opinion on. I am ALMOST a blank slate:) The tools I want to learn and use are all focused on instrument making and I have posted on some luthier forums but some tools general woodworking forums has alot more info

[Bill Houghton]

A Woodcraft reprint of a British book that focuses on the Record line of its era - somewhere in the 1950s, I believe - and thus emphasizes some tools not available now, or no longer in common use (fiberboard planes, for instance) and suffers, from the American perspective, from some old-fashioned British language; but which goes into more detail about how to use hand planes than any other book I've ever read. There are lots of good books out there; I consider this one of the essentials for Western hand tool use. It's a bit of a niche book, but no one else fulfills its niche quite as well.

Disclaimer: I haven't kept up with the newer stuff, having put limited money into tools. I may well be wrong measured against the current crop of books. But for about $12, it's hard to go wrong with this book.

[Narayan Nayar]

Ah, well, I know nothing of making instruments. I suspect the same principles are at play and that your basic tasks--cutting, planing, joinery, and finish prep are still very relevant. But on top of that you'll have a lot of specialized knowledge for which I am no help.

But Jameel Abraham, a creeker, is supposedly a renowned luthier, and he might be coaxed into contributing to this thread. Shoot him a PM.

[James Mittlefehldt]

When I first went down the path of woodworking I was similar to you Zachary, I had little to no experience growing up, but wanted to do hand tools only if possible, for my own reasons.

The book that got me going and helped me get started, was "The Stanley Book of Woodworking Tools, Techniques And Projects." by Mark Finney.

It is inexpensive, less than $20. and the tools being indicated are all modern Stanley tools, but take that with a grain of salt. The techniques are sound and totally and only hand tool. Everyting you might want to know about basic woodworking including sawing, planing, dovetailing even how to make a raised panel are there, using only hand tools.

It was the first book I was able to find that did not rely on power tools for at least part if the operation, he does everything by hand. Also has a logical order discussing tools first ,basic and more advanced as you learn, then techniques, and then projects that allow you to use the techniques and tools he told you about earlier, with lists of tools to buy to get started and what to get later, as you advance.

A very basic book but one that would allow you to move on to other projects after, and serve you well.

[Greg Stanford]

Another recomendation for the Charlesworth books & for "Hand Tool Essentials". I've enjoyed & learned from both & found "Hand Tool Essentials" to be a good starting place. I've also enjoyed reading Griffith's "Essentials of Woodworking" - found it on Amazon, nice little 100 yr old book. Good luck & have fun.

g

[John Dykes]

Welcome to what they call the "slippery slope..." It's Monday, and it's proven difficult to get into the office swing, so I'll take a few minutes to relate my experience... which perhaps you can save yourself from!

When I first started woodworking several years ago, I frequented the "wrec" (rec.woodworking). I asked those fellas, "Hey, what do I need to get started?" The answer came as Unisaws, and Powermatic jointers, stationary planers, and Leigh jigs. In face of an overwhelming consensus, I figured I might as well grit my teeth and break out the credit card. Within short order, I had a cabinet shop in my garage. Every few nights, I'd run out the garage and burn through lots of electrons. Yes, I was able to turn out a few tables, nightstands, and cabinets with a push of the button. I did pretty good work - for a beginner with a fully equiped cabinet shop!

Being an avid reader, I came across an article about 4 years back that said a hand planed surface had no equal. Interested, I asked my mentors on the "wrek" about how to get started smoothing panels with a handplane. "Buy a Lie-Nielsen! They work right out of the box!" Again, with knowledge in hand I dutifully ordered a #4 LN iron bodied smoother. Upon arrival, I opened the box - and went to work "smoothing" a panel I was working on. Butchered would be a much better word. That panel looked like I took a axe to it....

Disgusted, I put the smoother in the box and broke out the orbital sander and dust mask.

Fast forward to late last year; I'm living in Denver and sawmills are few and far in between. The dot com bust has hit and a few moves later, my cabinet shop has been downsized to "contractor" grade... But the orders still roll in - my wife wants a new walnut dining room table. I call Steve Wall in North Carolina and ask for some special care in his selection for this project. The wood he sends me is beautiful.... Wide, clear boards with rich color and figure. Wide boards... Rats! Too wide for my 6" jointer; and I'd burn in Hell if I ripped these down. After some research, I decided planing the boards flat would probably be the best route.

I'd read that I shouldn't use the LN because it's too short (and most likely defective), so I order a vintage #7 Stanley from The Best Things. In a rare moment of good judgement, I realize that this Stanley is most likely pretty dull. Thus begins another round of research into plane tuning and sharpening. I read references to David Charlesworth's "ruler trick." A bit more research, and an order of 3 of his DVDs - and it's all downhill from there.... (I also learned that my LN wasn't defective after all!)

My point is this - in the electric world, horsepower, quality fences and the like can accurately remove lots of wood from spots you want it removed. And horsepower compensates a bit for dull cutting edges. Yet, in the world of handtools - sharp tools are everything.

Sharp tools are everything.

The slippery slope has a considerable hill obsuring the path downward. That hump in the road is understaning the process of getting a sharp blade. It isn't hard, nor is it terribly time consuming, but it is a skill - a skill that must be learned, practiced, and mastered. You can't shape wood with hand tools without being able to sharpen your tools.

Be it the luck of the Irish, planetary alignment, or God's grace - stumbling upon David Charlesworth's videos was the best thing that happened to my woodworking. They changed the way I worked at this craft, and for that I'm indebted to the man.

I'm also fond of Chris Schwartz at Popular Woodworking, Woodworking Magazine. Special nod to Jim Kingshott as well.

Make the Charlesworth DVDs the first... book you get.

- jbd in Denver