"A comprehensive, highly visual self-teaching guide that will help any beginner become a confident woodworker in no time"--

Nearly half of all new woodworkers are female--but few guides focus especially on their needs. Here’s one that does. Written by professional woodworker Marilyn MacEwen, it gives women the skills and confidence to enter this traditionally masculine preserve, from mastering complex techniques to handling advanced projects. In detail, MacEwen covers wood types and their characteristics, shows how to set up an efficient workshop, discusses and demystifies tools, explains how to read woodworking plans, and offers 16 practical and great-looking items to make, including a bed, chair, CD cabinet, and dining room table. Plus, there are invaluable tips on the ergonomics of working with wood with a woman’s physique, and how to deal with the macho culture of the lumberyard.

This vintage book contains a comprehensive guide to carpentry, with information on tools and equipment, common problems, useful tips, proper techniques, quality control, and many other related aspects. Written in clear, plain language and full of useful hints, this volume is ideal for the novice woodworker, and would make for a great addition to collections of related literature. Contents include: “To The Home Carpenter”, “What to Make”, “Beginning Carpentry”, “Gauging and Marketing”, “Saws and Sawing”, “Planes and Planing”, “Chisels and Chiselling”, “Boring and Boring Hints”, “The Spokehave and Its Use”, “Filing and Glass-Papering”, “The Screw and the Screwdriver”, etc. Many vintage books like this are becoming increasingly hard-to-come-by and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, high-quality addition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on carpentry.

This text shows how to use Japanese tools effectively and maintain them properly, and explains the role they play in traditional Japanese craftsmanship. It describes how to create razor-sharp cutting edges and introduces almost 50 different planes.--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Wood finishing doesn't have to be complicated or confusing. It can be "boiled down" to simple step-by-step instructions. And that's what this book offers; no science, no art, just easily-to-follow directions with lots of pictures to show you every step of the process. Inside, you'll find specific instructions on how to finish common woods using widely-available finishing materials—the kind of wood, stains and finish coats every home center, paint store or hardware store carries. Just match the wood to the final color and result you want. Then follow the step-by-step instructions and eliminate the guesswork. Wood Finishing 101 is by Bob Flexner, who has been writing about and teaching wood finishing to hobbyists and professionals for over 20 years. Let Bob's years of experience guide you to beautiful results using his easy to understand directions.

Fast and easy woodworking projects, from toys to furniture, folk art to garden items.

Stop pouring beer on your wood! Take your spalting time from years to hours in this detailed DIY guide to spalting wood. No more beer, mayonnaise, leaves, and blind hope. Instead, this guide gives you the specific instructions you need for successfully inducing spalting in wood. Learn how to get amazing colors and lines while minimizing time and decay, whether you're working with green to dry timber, inside conditions or out, with zone lines or pigment, and more. A basic explanation of wood structure and fungal anatomy explains the whys behind the transformations. Next, learn the different types of spalting and their temperature/moisture content preferences, time frames, and how to make your own fungal pigments. This comprehensive guide debunks myths and offers detailed guidelines for every type of spalting, including laboratory level spalting in just one hour.

Shop tested expert advice for woodworkers on how to build 50 attractive and functional woodworking projects for all areas of the house from storage for the kitchen and the outdoors, to furniture and heirlooms. An ideal resource for woodworkers looking for a new project or wanting to spruce up their home, this book has plans for projects that can take a few hours, or up to a weekend to complete.

Get started with simple, useful, handcrafted woodworking projects for everyday people—with only 12 basic tools! Lots of people want to try woodwork, but they get intimidated by dangerous power tools and difficult techniques. Good news: there are lots of ways to work with wood and anyone can get a few tools and start making projects. Everyday Woodworking starts at the very beginning—with wood. How can this common material make everything from furniture to houses? What makes it so strong? Why does it break? More importantly, what can you do to a piece of wood? Sometimes we cut it with a saw. Other times, we split it with an ax or shave it with a knife. This book explains why we choose each tool and how to pick the right cut for any project. As Rex likes to say: "Trust me, it’s not hard." Once you get a few tools and learn some simple techniques, you’ll start making things right away. You’ll begin with a simple mallet and some wooden wedges and then advance to splitting green logs into usable lumber. Next you’ll pick up a knife and a drill and after just a little practice, you’ll be making things you can give to your friends; things they’ll actually use: A wooden butter knife A desk organizer A few pieces of sturdy furniture Sawhorses A small workbench Each project is shown step-by-step with the beginner in mind. The projects are simple but not primitive. Everyday Woodworking will give you skills that you can build on as you grow as a craftsperson.