Woodworking Basics: Mastering the Essentials of Craftsmanship

great workbook, tool explanations, bench project, well written.

Well thought out and presented, it is not only a reference book full of information it is also a skill building class taking the reader through various tasks that will be used in a couple of projects later on in the book. The projects are useful, elegant and as a skill building project they incorporate the techniques in the book providing practical application of some fundamental techniques. I purchased about $50 of additional tools that the projects could require (you don't have to have them but a work-around can be tedious) so if you are just starting, be prepared for the additional expense. Not a great deal of money but the book assumes that you already have some fundamental tools either powered or non powered. Also a mortising marking device is not a common item to me, but I now own one so i could complete the projects accordingly. The basics are really essential for designing and building you own furniture. I am only a third of the way into the first project but having read the book prior to starting I see that this is a great, fun way to learn and build up those wood working creds.

Good book. Using it for a woodworking class. Informative, though current edition is old.

Amazing

I took a beginning woodworking course a long time ago, but have decided to refresh my interest. Korn's book is almost identical to the structure and pacing of instruction from my course. His project based instruction and step by step approach is exactly what newcomer's need. I also like Korn's lack of pretense when presenting tools or techniques. Many books these days wax the "poetic" of woodworking with seductive images and effusive text, being little more than a showcase of very expensive premium hand tools. Korn appears to take a more modest (and affordable) approach with essential hand tools. Although much of the machinery shown in the book may be beyond a beginner's pocket book, the alternative hand tool approach is well within reach and will drive home the fundamentals of woodworking more than machine milling will. The first 70 pages introduce the reader to wood, joinery and (power and hand) tools. The reader learns a great deal without being intimidated by too much detail. The sections are a bit terse (particularly sharpening), but the simpler introductions are appropriate to the scope of the book. There are other books that specialize in the topics of advanced machine use, hand planes and sharpening. Korn's book has just enough to get you going without making you feel it is too complicated to proceed. The first project, milling a board four square, is a fundamental task of woodworking that deserves the attention it gets in this book. Korn does a superb job of providing step-by-step instruction using hand tools or power tools. For me, Sharpening was the first "project" in the WW class I took since it is also a fundamental. The second and third project is to take the boards you dimensioned and do some basic joinery (before working on any furniture). First, the basic mortise and tenon and then the through-dovetail joint. Joinery is also a fundamental, and these particular joints are the most widely used. Korn takes us step-by-step through the process with plenty of clear photographs showing the technique. The milled boards are long enough that the reader can practice the joints several times. Each time your joints will get better, and you will gain valuable experience and confidence. The last 80 pages include two small projects, a handsome stool and a side table. These projects are big enough to introduce several more fundamentals without being too complex that the reader will never finish. The stool introduces half-blind dovetails, pinned tenons, glue-up procedure, and basic finishing. The side table introduces basic carcase and drawer/panel door construction. Again, all steps are well documented with plenty of photographs.

First I need to point out that I am an armchair woodworker, unfortunately I have not had the pleasure (yet) to do the various exercises/projects. This was my first woodworking book. The author has a vast experience not only in woodworking, but also, and perhaps more importantly at this level, in *teaching* woodworking. He can explain the various concepts and techniques very eloquently, precisely and concisely. The descriptions are so accurate that it feels like you are actually seeing it done - no, doing it yourself, even though you are (like I was) sitting in a train. The pictures are also excellent, and the balance between text, pictures, drawings and sidebars denotes first-class editing. From a macro level, the book is also carefully structured. The first part describes the properties of wood and how they affect woodworking. Then machines are explained one by one, followed by hand tools (I would have done it the other way around, but never mind). After that, the student is taken through a number of basic exercises, in many cases giving various choices of hand tools and machines. Finally, there are a couple of projects. Be warned, reading the book takes some effort on your side. Especially if you are unfamiliar with technical terms, which are always introduced before they are used in context, you will have to look them up again in the index, which is by the way complete and functional. The author's writing is packed with information (which is good), and he is explaining difficult operations so you sometimes have to read the same paragraph twice to understand how to do things properly. When later projects build on previously-learnt material, the reader is referred to the specific page instead of repeating the explanation. Five stars, well deserved.

j'ai acheté cet ouvrage pour apprendre tous les termes techniques de la menuiserie en anglais dans le but d'aller travailler à l'étranger. Excellent ouvrage, très riche, et répondant parfaitement à ma recherche d'un anglais à usage professionnel.

Fast Amazon Delivery! Good Packaging! Responsive Customer Care! Reasonable Price! About the book, good start for beginners. It includes soo many basic guides for woodworking. You won't regret getting one. All the best 👍🏼

Información muy completa sobre herramientas y cómo aprender a trabajar la madera, con proyectos muy fáciles de seguir e inrformación vital sobre seguridad. Encantado con mi compra.

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angesichts des mangels an unterrichtsmaterialien zu diesem themenbereich aus dem englischsprachigen bereich ein durchaus lohnenswertes buch; es bedarf jedoch der anpassung an die individuellen bedürfnisse