Old houses share their secrets only if they survive. Trading the corporate ladder for a stepladder, Lee McColgan commits to preserving the ramshackle Loring House, built in 1702, using period materials and methods and on a holiday deadline. But his enchantment withers as he discovers the massive repairs it needs. A small kitchen fix reveals that the structure’s rotten frame could collapse at any moment. In a bathroom, mold appears and spreads. He fights deteriorating bricks, frozen pipes, shattered windows, a punctured foundation, and even an airborne chimney cap while learning from a diverse cast of preservationists, including a master mason named Irons, a stone whisperer, and the Window Witch. But can he meet his deadline before family and friends arrive, or will it all come crashing down? McColgan’s journey expertly examines our relationship to history through the homes we inhabit, beautifully articulating the philosophy of preserving the past to find purpose for the future.

With "The Woodwright's Companinon," Roy Underhill continues to demonstrate "how to start with a tree and an axe and make one thing after another until you have a house and everything in it." This volume features chapters on helves and handles, saws, the search for the whetstone quarry, crow chasers and turkey calls, hurdles, whimmy diddles, snaplines and marking gauges, candle stands, planes, window sash, riven shingles, and pit sawing. The final chapter offers a glimpse of traditional woodworking techniques still used by the Colonial Williamsburg housewrights. More than 260 photographs complement the text.

Finally back in print, Carpentry & Joinery, first published in 1907, is the bible of finish carpentry from a golden era of architectural woodworking. Every aspect of joinery is covered in this book, with more than 1800 engravings and twelve spectacular plates to illustrate the topics. This incredibly comprehensive volume contains chapters on timber; joints; floors; partitions; windows; doors; moldings; tools and more. Each subject is explored, illustrated, and examined first in the simple case and then in fancier and fancier permutations. This is the best instruction ever written that explains the details of both simple and fancy late Victorian architectural woodworking. Whether you are a joiner, restorer, or architect, you will be amazed at the level of practical information, clarity of explanation, and continued utility of this book. Certain subjects which are commonly ignored such as the use of joiner s rods are covered in great detail along with detailed instructions for layout all the various constructions in the book. Because this is such an important book we wanted an expert opinion to put the book in the context of its time. In a new introduction master housewright Roy Underhill compares the instruction in the book with a first hand account of an early 20th century joiner. "We again have the voices of first rate masters at our sides." - Roy Underhill, from his Introduction The original book contained 12 color plates which, sadly, we could not afford to reproduce in color. However we are making a PDF of the color plates available for download http: //www.brooklyntoolandcraft.com/hasluckplates. Softcover 6 3/4" x 9 5/8" 567 pages plus 12 plates.

During an impassioned address to the U.N. General Assembly, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, irritated by the indifference of his audience, astounded his peers by taking off his shoe and pounding it vigorously on the podium. His indelible gesture not only captured the attention of the audience, but it also transformed their lack of interest into outrage.In Khrushchev's Shoe, Roy Underhill recounts this incident and offers dozens of other stories to illustrate how our efforts to engage an audience can make or break a presentation. With pointers that show you how to bring the intimacy of small-group interaction to every event, Khrushchev's Shoe reveals the principles that make interaction both more meaningful and more enjoyable. Filled with wit and insight, this thoughtful guide will seize readers' interest from start to finish because it practices what it preaches--it engages the readers' intelligence and rewards it generously.

For more than ten years, Roy Underhill has taught the techniques of traditional woodcraft, or 'how to start with a tree and an axe and make one thing after another until you have a house and everything in it.' Through his popular PBS series, "The Woodwright's Shop, '" and his previous books, Roy has inspired millions--from professional craftspeople to armchair woodworkers--with his talent, knowledge, and enthusiasm.
Roy returns now with his fourth book, "The Woodwright's Eclectic Workshop." It features step-by-step instructions for many projects featured on the television series in recent years, including such popular projects as the Adirondack chair, tavern table, folding ladder, rocking horse, lathe, and kayak. All projects are illustrated with photographs and measured drawings.
The book also includes colorful descriptions of what it was like to be a tradesperson who made a living by hand, working with the tools and methods Roy describes on television and in his books: carpenters, joiners, wheelwright, millwrights, chairmakers, and blacksmiths. As Roy puts it, he wants to examine 'the old paths in the way that they were originally taken: not as adventuresome recreations but a profession that put food on the table and clothes on the kids.'

Roy Underhill brings to woodworking the intimate relationship with wood that craftsmen enjoyed in the days before power tools. Combining historical background, folklore, alternative technololgy, and humor, he provides both a source of general information and a detailed introduction to traditional woodworking. Beginning with a guide to trees and tools, "The Woodwright's Shop" includes chapters on gluts and mauls, shaving horses, rakes, chairs, weaving wood, hay forks, dough bowls, lathes, blacksmithing, dovetails, panel-frame construction, log houses, and timber-frame construction. More than 330 photographs illustrate the text.
For more than twenty-five years, Roy Underhill has taught the techniques of traditional hand-tool woodworking. In five books and on his popular, long-running PBS series, The Woodwright's Shop, America's leading authority on old-time woodcraft has inspired millions to take up chisel and plane. Designed for both woodworking novices and for more seasoned woodworkers looking for enjoyable projects, the books feature step-by-step instructions, complete with easy-to-follow photographs and measured drawings.
Roy Underhill is the former master housewright at Colonial Williamsburg. He created The Woodwright's Shop, one of the first television programs devoted to woodworking, in 1979. The series is produced by the University of North Carolina Center for Public Television and has aired nationally since 1981. Roy is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a master's degree from Duke University. He lives in Williamsburg, Virginia.
The Woodwright's Shop
A Practical Guide to Traditional Woodcraft
Features a guide to trees and tools as well as chapters on gluts and mauls, shaving horses, chairs, lathes, blacksmithing, log houses, and more.
The Woodwright's Companion
Exploring Traditional Woodcraft
Includes chapters on helves and handles, saws, the search for the whetstone quarry, hurdles, whimmy diddles, planes, window sashes, and pit sawing.
The Woodwright's Workbook
Further Explorations in Traditional Woodcraft
With step-by-step instructions for tool chests, workbenches, lathes, and historical reproductions of items for the home. Roy also explores building barns, boats, and even colonial fortresses.
The Woodwright's Eclectic Workshop
Popular projects include the Adirondack chair, tavern table, folding ladder, rocking horse, lathe, and kayak, all illustrated with photographs and measured drawings.
The Woodwright's Apprentice
Twenty Favorite Projects from The Woodwright's Shop
Begins with directions for building a workbench, then builds new skills--from frame construction to dovetailing, turning, steam-bending, and carving--with each successive project.

This book is written by America's master of traditional woodcraft.For thirty years, Roy Underhill's PBS program, ""The Woodwright's Shop,"" has brought classic hand-tool craftsmanship to viewers across America. Now, in his seventh book, Roy shows how to engage the mysteries of the splitting wedge and the cutting edge to shape wood from forest to furniture.Beginning with the standing tree, each chapter of ""The Woodwright's Guide"" explores one of nine trades of woodcraft: faller, countryman and cleaver, hewer, log-builder, sawyer, carpenter, joiner, turner, and cabinetmaker. Each trade brings new tools and techniques; each trade uses a different character of material; but all are united by the grain in the wood and the enduring mastery of muscle and steel.Hundreds of detailed drawings by Eleanor Underhill (Roy's daughter) illustrate the hand tools and processes for shaping and joining wood. A special concluding section contains detailed plans for making your own foot-powered lathes, workbenches, shaving horses, and taps and dies for wooden screws.""The Woodwright's Guide"" is informed by a lifetime of experience and study. A former master craftsman at Colonial Williamsburg, Roy has inspired millions to ""just say no to power tools"" through his continuing work as a historian, craftsman, activist, and teacher. In ""The Woodwright's Guide"", he takes readers on a personal journey through a legacy of off-the-grid, self-reliant craftsmanship. It's a toolbox filled with insight and technique, as well as wisdom and confidence for the artisan in all of us.