Customer Reviews

The Complete Book of Woodworking: Step-By-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Skills, Techniques, Tools and Tips

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of my favorite in my collection. Very good pictures and and projects in the book. I got it for less than $20 at Lowes which is well worth it. Just get it!

Overall the book is very good. It gives you many alternatives to achieving a goal without resorting to buying the latest most expensive tools. My only complaint is that I don't think the writer actually built the projects listed in the book. (at least not the saw horses) If you look at the shopping list for the saw horses it calls for 1 piece of 3/4 x 2 x 4 foot plywood. From that you need to cut (2) 29in x 16in shelves and (4) 8 5/8 x 6in gussets. I challenge anyone to get the two shelves from this one piece of plywood. So check the plans BEFORE you shop and you'll be a lot happier with this book.

Overall the book is very good. It gives you many alternatives to achieving a goal without resorting to buying the latest most expensive tools. My only complaint is that I don't think the writer actually built the projects listed in the book. (at least not the saw horses) If you look at the shopping list for the saw horses it calls for 1 piece of 3/4 x 2 x 4 foot plywood. From that you need to cut (2) 29in x 16in shelves and (4) 8 5/8 x 6in gussets. I challenge anyone to get the two shelves from this one piece of plywood. So check the plans BEFORE you shop and you'll be a lot happier with this book.

Of all the woodworking books I have bought, this is the best book I have. In saying this, I think it's an excellent book for woodworker beginners, there is general information (but not in-depth) on all facets of woodworking. On top there are may plans for interesting, not too hard, projects easily accessible to beginners.
It's nicely layed out, good printing (colors), lots of images for inspiration, and good plans.

As the title says, this is a very complete book about woodworking. In it, they tell you about wood, how to design projects, the different tools and how to use them, and finishes. The second part of the book shows 40 projects with step by step instructions on how to put build them. And the color photographs and drawings are beautiful and show a lot of detail. If you're only going to buy one book about woodworking, this is the book you should get. What more can you ask for in a woodworking book?

This book is good in the descriptions about wood selection and wood types. It has a wide variety of woodworking techniques and operations. However, the overall techniques used range from good, to absurd, to dangerous. The problem is, a beginner may not be able to know the difference between a good technique and a dangerous or poor technique. Also, some of the projects are good, and some are poor. The main problem with this book is lack of consistency. The positive is that there is good stuff in it and a wide breadth of subject matter.

I have purchased or checked out from the Library probably 30 books on woodworking in the last 6 months. This one I'd rate as the Very Best, of the none specialized books on woodworking. You simply must get this book, especially if you are just getting started into woodworking. As far as I am concerned, this book is a bargain.

What a terrific book! This combines a great overview of woodworking basics with a huge section of great projects that will keep me busy for a long time! I like the way the projects are organized: Outdoor, Home Furnishings, Home Accessories and Shop. The four-color photography is superb and the exploded diagrams are coupled with great step-by-step color photos. This book lives up to the word, "complete".

The Complete Book of Woodworking: Step-by-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Skills, Techniques, Tools and Tips is a superbly presented, comprehensive, and practical reference packed with just about everything a basic or advanced woodworker needs to know about squaring and cutting stock, making joints, assembly, applying finishes, projects for home and outdoors and much, much more. Every page is filled with color photographs to clearly illustrate each step of the art and craft of woodworking, and over 40 excellent and useful projects are narrated in explicit detail for woodworkers of all skill levels. The Complete Book of Woodworking guides every step with a thorough explanation of technique, and is a highly recommended reference for school and community library, as well as do-it-yourself hobbyist woodworking reference collections.