Wood Working Books

[ForumMFG]

Has anyone ever Read "Understanding wood"  Or "Identifying Wood".  If so, Any reviews?

Also,  can anyone recommend any really good books?  Anything from Finishing to jointery.

 

[tvgordon]

I have Understanding Wood.  If you're interested in the science of trees and how it affects the wood you work with it is an interesting book.  Besides how to cope with moisture in the wood, it also discusses wood movement and strength as well as the best ways to machine, join, finish and stabilize wood.  It has lots of pictures, formulas and charts.  If you like to read textbook style books, you can learn a lot from Mr. Hoadley.  I have the 1980 edition, I'm not sure if the book has been updated since then or not.  It also has a chapter on wood identification.

I don't have any joinery books (there's plenty of magazine articles on the subject), but I do have finishing books.  I have Understanding Wood Finishing by Bob Flexner and The Woodfinishing Book by Michael Dresdner.  Both do a good job of explaining the difference between finishes, how they cure, selecting the best finish for the job and how to apply them.  Bob's book also gives directions on how to get certain looks (toned cherry with rubbed lacquer for example).  Either one should help you understand more about finishing.

Tom.

 

[ForumMFG]

Thanks a lot.

 

[tvgordon]

I subscribe to many magazines so I created a spreadsheet to index all the articles.  That way if I want to know how to reproduce an antique cherry finish I can easily look up which magazine to look at.  I have a lot of magazines so I don't usually buy too many books.

Tom.

 

[bonesbr549]

I've looked trough the book at borders and its a wealth of information.  I keep meaning to get a copy but don't.  Another book thats very good is Jeff Jewitt's book on finishing from Taunton.  His homestead finishing site is great and I learned a tremendous amount on the subject from that text and called a spoke with him and he's very down to earth.  Great dyes and I get my shellac from him as well. 

 

[JPatrickWinstead]

'Understanding Wood' isn't the most exciting read on the planet, but I'd definitely recommend it as a part of your reference library.  There is a newer edition out.

'The Complete Guide to Sharpening' by Leonard Lee (of Lee Valley) is great.  It's another good reference book to have around for when you bring home some obscure hand tool.

I'll second the recommendation for Bob Flexner's book on Finishing.

'Illustrated Cabinetmaking' by Bill Hylton is a good one to have around as a starting point for designing furniture.  It's great for establishing a basic vocabulary of joinery.