Introduction and search for books

[Hlsmith]

Hello everyone

New member with a recent interest in woodworking
I recently got married and we decided to make a lot of the decorations for the day including the bar which i framed out of oak i found this really interesting and enjoyed it and then more recently built a pair of book trolleys for my wifes school
I come from a family of metal workers and as such my knowledge of woodworking is limited with my desighns and joints needing much improvement on top of this we are looking to buy our first house and im interested in building some if not all of the kitchen
So i was wondering if anyone can suggest books to help me learn about techniques materials and joints before undertaking any more projects
Thanks in advance

 

[Trevanion]

Everyone will have their own recommendations but I think Ernest Joyce's "The Technique of Furniture Making" is a must for anyone getting into anything woodworking, It is a massive book hence why some call it "The Joyce Bible". The "Ultimate Woodwork Bible" by Phil Davy and Ben Plewes is a modern book and is very informative for beginners in my opinion. "Working Wood 1&2, The artisan course with Paul Sellars" is also another very good book based on handtool woodworking, Paul Sellars' videos on youtube are also a very good watch and an easy way to burn a few hours.

There are literally hundreds of books on the topic and a lot can be picked up quite cheaply on eBay secondhand.

 

[Stanleymonkey]

Hello and welcome

The Collins woodworkers manual - by Jackson and Day. I always found it clear and easy to read.

Lots of helpful stuff on Youtube of course.

If you managed to make stuff that's safe enough to use in a school - then you must be pretty good already!

Martin

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Anything by Robert Wearing, Jim Kingshott or Charles Hayward. Don't be put off by the age - hand tool work hasn't changed much.

 

[Westwood]

Yep I'm a big fan of Collins Complete Woodworkers Manual , best general book on woodworking that I know. But beware the one on Amazon at the moment which says its a completely updated and revised version - it isn't. I ordered one and found it was the same as the original 1995 version. When I wrote a review about this, Amazon wouldn't allow it . Anyone else been had like this ?

 

[Seb]

The following are good general woodworking books:-

Woodwork: The Complete Step By Step Manual
Hybrid Woodworking (Marc Spagnuolo)
Complete Guide To Woodworking (Chris Tribe)
Collins Complete Woodworker's Manual (Albert Jackson & David Day)

The Complete Guide To Joint-Making (John Bullar) is handy for an overview of joints.

I'm enjoying the following too, but might not be exactly what you're after:-

The Art And Craft Of Wood (Silas J Kyler & David Hildreth)
The Furniture Bible (Christophe Pourny)
Wood Identification & Use (Terry Porter)
The Handplane Book (Garrett Hack).

 

[F Flinstone]

I asked this question some time since and got various replies, so if you will allow me I will give you a list of the books I have just bought and what I think of them. If you are thinking of DIY kitchens then a Concrete worktop may be an idea, the book I had was by a Japanese man living in America, very good book, sorry no longer have the book.

Power-Tool Joinery, Bill Hyltons Very good lots of pics and advice.

Complete Manual of woodworking, Jackson/Day/Jennings, Very good all the basic from a log to a chair.

Learn to Timber Frame, Will Beemer, very good for framing joints for larger projects, again well illustrated.

Carpentry and Joinery Vol 1 & 3, Brian Porter, Didn't like sorry, its for an apprentice, so full of H&S, and schoolboy instructions.

Table saw projects, Ken Burton, good book some nice projects for a "new" home.

Bandsaw Handbook, Mark Duginske perhaps later for you but a very good book for a beginner like me.

The Workbench Book Scott Landis, very good read, the history of the workbench, some plans.

The Essential Woodworker, Stephen Corbett, a small basic guide, not bad.

The Encyclopedia of Joint Making, Terrie Noll, all things Joints, very good, lots of pics and advice.

I come from the metalworking side of things, so I have based these opinions on my limited knowledge of all things wood.

 

[ED65]

There are a few previous threads on book recommendations which you might want to hunt down. You'll read more recommendations than you'll likely get in just this one thread and in addition get a feel for the search function on the site so it's well worth taking the time. Here's one I remember from January, woodworking-books-t109884.html

Tell us more about the type(s) of woodworking you want to do, that will usefully narrow the focus of recommendations. There are some great books out there that are of zero use to certain woodworkers because they don't tie in well with their specific interests.

For example if you plan to work 99% with power tools you'll have little use for Robert Wearing's "The Essential Woodworker", classic or no. And conversely if you plan to be 95% a hand-tool guy, then many of the most modern books (especially the American ones) are of relatively limited value to you at this stage because the how-to is focussed so heavily on the use of power tools, including table saw, jointer and thickness planer.

 

[thetyreman]

I'd say sellers essential woodworking 1 & 2 is perfect for starting out, it's hands on with lots of projects to make as well as sharpening advice and troubleshooting section which answers a lot of questions to common problems.

 

[Inspector]

I assume you have a library near you. Go in and see what they've got. If there is a title they don't have, they will bring it in from one of the other branches. Read the ones that interest you. Then any you really like you can buy.

Pete

 

[Hlsmith]

Thanks everyone added many books to my Christmas list and cant wait to get started

 

[Phil Pascoe]

https://www.alibris.co.uk/
Might be worth a look as well as Amazon for second hand stuff - it took over or merged with WaterstonesMarketplace. If you're to use the book in a working environment the odd mark on it doesn't matterif you're picking it up for a fraction of the published price, and of course a lot of the best stuff will be out of print anyway.
https://www.classichandtools.com/acatal ... Books.html
Is good for books that are possibly a bit more specialised.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

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Strike while the iron's hot.