Woodworking Basics is the perfect introduction to the fundamentals of working with wood for those with little or no experience. The book covers all of the basic hand tools that a beginner will need and describes how to use each one, giving useful tips and expert advice along the way. Successful woodworking is all about best practice and this book shows how it is possible to create all manner of pieces with a very limited and inexpensive set of tools. Includes photos and diagrams to guide you through each project and technique. Also covered are the important techniques of accurate measuring and marking, gluing, sanding and making simple joints such as butt, lap, and mitres. 6 simple projects are included. Projects which can be made using the skills are covered: toolbox, shelf unit, table, cabinet, box, and picture frame.

A celebration of good craftsmanship by a Norwegian master carpenter - the anatomy of a job well done.

"An enriching and poetic tribute to manual labour" Karl Ove Knausgård

"In Thorstensen's skilled hands, the everyday story of a suburban loft conversion is turned into an urgent study on the value of doing good work. It should be widely read." Robert Penn - author of The Man Who Made Things Out of Trees

This is, quite simply, the story of a loft conversion. It is also a book about work and identity, about collaboration and pride in skilled craftsmanship, and about what it means to make things with your hands in a consumerism-driven world.

A master carpenter and builder with thirty years' experience, Thorstensen gives a matter-of-fact, reflective voice to the workers who construct our living spaces and our urban environment. He looks upon his tools as an important part of himself and as a reflection of his respect for his trade, and he addresses the gulf in understanding and communication between skilled craftsmen and "academic" workers.

From the moment of a client's phone call to their occupation of a newly constructed living space, Making Things Right tracks the project as it takes shape: the delicate negotiation to establish an optimum plan; the collaboration with a trusted team of specialist painters, plasterers, plumbers, electricians; the handling of materials; the blood, sweat and frustration involved in doing a job well.

Why is it that manual skills are underestimated? After all, working with your hands gives you time to think. With all its practical detail, Making Things Right is the simple philosophy of a working life.

Will interest readers of The Craftsman by Richard Sennett: Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain; The Man Who Made Things Out of Trees by Robert Penn; Do No Harm by James Marsh and A Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks

Translated from the Norwegian by Sean Kinsella

This essential reference for pros and passionate amateurs is back with a fresh design and updated content. Written by respected builders from all over America, this extensive revision collects all the latest roof framing articles from the pages of Fine Homebuilding magazine--from cutting rafters and framing roof valleys to building dormers and working with roof trusses. The contributors offer hard-earned, job-tested advice on an impressive variety of tools, techniques, and trade secrets. Framing Roofs shows how to work with speed and precision, and, since working on a roof is often a complicated and dangerous task, safety is always at the forefront.

All of the techniques necessary for capturing the sleek beauty and strength of dolphins and whales in wood are presented here. In direct and basic language and color photographs Dale Power takes the carver through each step in the process of creating a dolphin from basswood with a combination of hand and power tools. Once the dolphin is carved, woodburning and painting techniques are explored in detail to add life to the work. Helpful hints for mounting the finished work are included as well. Patterns for three dolphins and two whales are provided as well as a color gallery showing a variety of dolphins and whales in groupings which are sure to inspire. With full color illustrations and explicit directions, this book is invaluable to both the novice and the experienced carver.

A comprehensive hands-on guide for builders - both self-builders and professionals - and an essential handbook for designers that includes many construction details. Straw bale buildings are warm in winter and cool in summer. The natural materials used create beautiful healthy homes that also have a low environmental impact. For self-builders, working with straw is affordable and enjoyable. In professional construction, a positive relationship between quality, price and long-term savings can easily be achieved. Straw bale is also especially suited to community-based projects as it generates curiosity and often needs groups of enthusiastic volunteers. This complete guide gives detailed descriptions about how straw bales react to different applications and enables anyone to design and build these natural homes in different climates. Included are: * Step-by-step instructions for many processes * Tips, tricks, advice and warnings * Over 600 photos, drawings and diagrams * Materials, tools and building techniques * Solutions to common problems * Plans for a practice straw bale building Since every build is unique (availability of materials, skills, budget, climate etc.), many different and varied building techniques are explained. Self-builders will learn a vast array of skills and the confidence to build on their own, while professionals will be enabled to successfully incorporate bale building into their portfolios.

A revised, redesigned and updated edition of the definitive and bestselling woodworker's bible. Authoritative, superbly crafted and easy to use, Collins Complete Woodworker's Manual is the UK bestseller and the one book every woodworker needs. This revised edition has been extensively rewritten and contains new photographs and illustrations. It includes new products and techniques developed since the last edition, as well as updated trees' conservation status. Every stage in crafting furniture and other decorative pieces are fully explained starting with the basics; the nature of wood, the tools required and setting up a workshop. The book then examines the principles of three-dimensional design from inspiration to construction. Step-by-step illustrations demonstrate how to make every type of joint and all the major crafts are given detailed coverage with the same step-by-step approach: bending wood, veneering and marquetry, woodcarving and finishing. The book also includes a chapter on using other materials, such as metal, glass and leather in combination with wood, plus a chapter on fixings and fittings.

Woodcarving remains one of the most popular crafts in the U.S. and continues to grow in popularity. While there are many books on how to carve wood, including Taunton's popular How to Carve Wood (1985), this book provides inspiration for carvers through original patterns. Any carver knows that once the technique is mastered, the greatest challenge is finding clear, well-illustrated designs to carve. This book solves that problem by offering a wide variety of carefully detailed drawings of designs especially suited to carving.

Trained in European carving and drawing techniques, artist/author Lora Irish presents an extensive library of ornamental designs with a traditional look. Included here are classic ornamental motifs from 18th century and other period furniture as well as original designs by the author. The motifs include line designs, triangular designs, square and rectangular designs, circular and oval designs, S- and C-curve designs, mirror-image designs, and free-form designs.

The book can be used in number of ways: The drawings can be adapted to the carver's preference or used directly as patterns, easily enlarged by photocopying and transferred directly to the wood to be carved. The patterns can also be used in other woodcrafts including woodburning and woodpainting.

This comprehensive, step-by-step pictorial reference covers all the methods for making small boxes crafted in wood. Organised for quick access, the book makes it easy to find each technique and: - Tools - Box-making Materials - Box Joinery - Lids - Box Feet and Bases - - Box Interiors - Hinges and Hardware - Decorating Boxes - Shaped Boxes - More than 500 colour photographs and drawings illustrate how to make beautiful joined, turned and bandsawn boxes. Taunton's most successful series ever launched expands to include an illustrated, step-by-step guide to the essential techniques for elegant box joinery: turned and shaped boxes, making dividers and trays, lids, bases and feet, and installing hardware. * STEP-BY-STEP PICTORIAL REFERENCE, organised for quick reference. * Over 500 step-by-step colour photographs illustrate all the processes from basic tools to surface decorating in this book.

Create charming holiday decorations that double as small toys with this easy-to-follow guidebook. Full-size patterns and step-by-step instructions are provided for 14 working wooden toy ornaments. From tugboats and tractors to windmills and wagons, these nostalgic moving toys make great Christmas ornaments as well as keepsake gifts for family and friends. And these simple projects don't take a lot of time, wood, or tools to make. They're a great way to reuse and repurpose scrap wood, and require only minimal painting. All you need is a scroll saw, a drill, and some glue to create memorable family heirlooms. You can create them assembly-line style and fill a tree--or make a lot of gifts--with just an afternoon's work. Better yet, get a youngster or two involved in the cutting, painting, and assembling.

The first-ever accessible guide on making DIY furniture from live-edge slabs, this book will show you everything you need to know about incorporating organic, natural wood pieces into your home. After learning techniques for milling, drying, and preparing your own slab, adding inlays, using resin and epoxy, creating waterfall edges, and more, you'll then move on to complete seven projects that range in size and offer additional ideas and inspiration to implement in your own projects while using the techniques you've learned! From charcuterie boards and floating shelves to desks, river tables, benches, and more, both beginner and advanced DIYers can accomplish these stunning woodworking projects!

This book grows out of many requests we have received for animal carving books in general, and for Tom Wolfe animals in particular. His raccoons and hounds have graced the pages of his previous books. His bears, in their original form and as reproductions, have found their way into the hearts of people across the nation. Beginning with a plain block of bass wood or white pine Tom creates a menagerie of characters. Bunnies and bears are the epitome of "cuddly," and are a favorite of children and adults alike. These projects are perfect for the person who carves for relaxation. After bandsawing the patterns, they can be completed with the simplest of tools-a knife, a gouge, a veiner, and nailset. Tom helps the less experienced reader with the basic skills required for carving. Those who are more experienced will value a few of the secrets and shortcuts he has learned over the years. The projects can be adapted so that your bear or bunny will take on a different character through its size, position, and/or color. Your imagination is all that is necessary to make the changes.

Cabinetmaking at the highest level is an art, a discipline, a philosophy--even a way of life--in addition to being a useful craft. In this book one of the greatest living cabinetmakers reflects on the deeper meanings of his craft and explains for less accomplished workers how the right attitudes toward materials, tools, and time can increase the joys of this complex activity. Craftspeople in every medium will be inspired by this account of getting started and developing habits that lessen the difficulties of a complex craft.

The Illustrated Living History series offers a close look at how Native Americans, explorers, and colonists lived their everyday lives in the America of the 16th-19th centuries. Each title in the series, especially created for grades 5 to 10, has been carefully researched for authentic detail and accurately illustrated to help young readers have fun discovering America's earliest history and development.

The Craft of Veneering starts with a simple panel made from a single piece of veneer and progresses through more complex veneer assemblies like bookmatching, bent laminations, and veneering curved panels, edging, and crossbanding. At each step, all the information needed to complete the included sample projects using each of the difference methods is provided. Introduces the novice or professional woodworker to a range of veneering techniques from simple to complex that can be used to produce stunning patterns that would be impossible to achieve with solid wood. Outlines all the tools and techniques you'll need to work with veneer (including vacuum bagging and using clamps and cauls). Includes chapters on the fascinating arts of marquetry and parquetry. An illustrated appendix presents enlarged photos of 37 species of wood veneer. Veneer can be incorporated in a variety of ways into furniture construction and other woodworking projects and encompasses a whole range of technical complexity. Everything about using veneer--from how it's made, why to use it, how to use it, and how to combine various techniques to create exciting new work--is explained and lavishly illustrated.

.After opening with detailed sections on the scroll saw basics, wood selection, safety, child-safe finishes, and more, a helpful step-by-step tutorial will show you how to make a puzzle project from start to finish. From there, be inspired by 56 high-quality, full-size scroll saw patterns and make a collection of classic yet one-of-a-kind wooden toys and puzzles, consisting of sloths, koalas, unicorns, safari animals, and sea creatures

Woodturning enthusiasts looking to advance their skills will delight in this collection of 50 challenging and diverse projects. Some of the featured designs include boxes: cylindrical, diabolo and clamshell; bowls: round-bottom, flared and winged; and platters: minimalist, handled and roll-rimmed. Each project is accompanied by diagrams, wood and tool requirements, and even suggestions for alternative designs. Beginners who wish to build skill by approaching these projects at a simpler level will benefit from the thorough sections on safety, tools and equipment, finishing products and types of wood. More seasoned turners hoping to test their expertise might take the designs found here and create even bigger, more elaborate constructions.

The follow-up book to "Workbenches: From Design & Theory to Construction & Use"

Complete plans, expert instruction and rationale for building nine workbench formsInstruction on improving existing workbenches for better workholding and an improved woodworking shop.

"The Workbench Design Book" not only shows how to design a workbench it also discusses and presents nine specific designs plus critiques of 10 additional workbenches, with suggestions for making any bench work most effectively for the kind of work the user does. The 9 workbench plans have a range suitable for all workshop needs, from handwork to power tools. A discussion of workbench design rules teach what's effective and why in a multitude of workshop situations. Additional workholding options from shop-made jigs and commercial bench dogs to vise hardware are also provided."

Pure Deck-adence: A Guide to Beautiful Decks is a fantasy collection of real-life deck photos from all over the United States. From the humblest of condo balcony walkouts to the most elaborate sprawling wood structures, Pure Deck-adence explores the many possibilities of add-on outdoor home improvements. This pictorial essay explores America's fascination with outdoor living, from barbecue-centered constructions to the new immersion in hot tub culture. More than 240 full-color photographs provide a rich resource of ideas for those who dream of expanding their homes, and their horizons, with wood decks.

A great finish can make even a simple project look terrific. A bad finish can ruin the most well-built, sophisticated piece of furniture. Finishing can be a daunting and mystifying task to many woodworkers and DIYers who fear wrecking their projects at this late stage in the process. This collection of articles from Fine Woodworking brings together the best information on a rich variety of finishing techniques. Nowadays, finishing wood doesn't just embrace fine clear finishes like shellac and French polishing, but also bright pigmented lacquers, dyes and stains, milk paint, and crackled paint. Finishing Wood features a whole section on the hot new trend of coloring wood. Also included is timeless information on preparing a surface before you apply a finish (a critical first step) as well as tried-and-true methods for applying all the traditional finishes, whether by brush or by spraying.

A longtime woodworker's illustrated guide to the tools of the trade and how to use them.

For those who would like to have the benefit of a woodworker's extensive experience with hand tools, this is the book to own. Crammed with practical information, it is the next best thing to looking over a craftsman's shoulder as he works with his tools, asking questions and getting straight answers in plain language, seeing how each tool is held and manipulated to get the best work out of it.

From bit brace, chisel, and mallet to saws, specialized planes, drawknife, and spokeshave, Aldren Watson describes in detail the actions of the tools basic to good woodworking. All the procedures are explicitly illustrated with handsome line drawings, and an appendix gives plans and dimensions for making a workbench and other necessary pieces of shop equipment. With 450 b/w illustrations by the author.

The debate over the merits of power tools vs. hand tools has raged for years, but the bottom line is that you need both to be a successful woodworker. Machinery provides efficiency for labor-intensive tasks such as sawing and planing, whereas hand tools are used to create fine details that machines can't duplicate. Power tools don't replace hand tools, they complement them. In Woodworking with Power Tools, expert craftsmen and craftswomen explain how they choose, maintain, and use every kind of power tool, from tablesaws to plunge routers, bandsaws to bench planers. There's advice on tool maintenance, techniques for getting the most from your tools, and projects made using power tools. With clear photographs drawings, and step-by-step instructions, Woodworking with Power Tools will be an essential resource for anyone who works wood. You'll learn how to: tune up your tablesaw choose bandsaw blades for resawing get started with your plunge router install dust collection in a small shop cut easy angled tenons get better cuts with your planer build a perfect picture frame, an elegant bookcase, and a pedestal dining table

Wood is one of the oldest known natural resources, and its universal appeal remains timeless. As every woodworker will testify, to work with this material is to appreciate its amazing versatility. This practical book demonstrates the basic techniques of woodworking, providing the foundation on which to build your skills. It begins with an introduction to timber and a guide to tools. Advice on getting started is given, as well as in-depth guides to fixings and fastening, joints, and advanced techniques. There are 20 step-by-step projects, from basic tasks such as a wine rack and picture frame, to complex ventures for experts such as a bedside cabinet and dining table.

Aimed at keen woodworkers of all levels, this book features 25 designs to suit all tastes - from traditional hinged jewellery-box designs to boxes with more elaborate and sophisticated opening mechanisms such as a quatrefoil box. Woodworkers will be spoilt for choice. Many of the projects include helpful hints and tips to ensure a perfect result and all projects include step-by-step instructions, along with either clear diagrams or easy-to-follow step-by-step photography. Plans are also provided where necessary.