Tom Carpenter - Woodworking

My uncle Darrel has been an avid woodworker since Ive known him. Whenever my family would drive down for a visit while I was growing up, the first place I wanted to go was always Darrels workshop. In preparation for my visit, hed set aside a few scraps and cutoff pieces for me to experiment with. At first I was only allowed to use a coping saw, a tack hammer, and a few other hand tools that werent particularly dangerous. But as I grew older and more experienced, he let me use more powerful tools and build more complex projects.

During my sophomore year of high school, I spent a weekend with Uncle Darrel helping him build a futon frame from a birch tree hed felled on his land then rough-cut and air-dried in his garage. I almost cried when, at the end of the weekend, he gave it to me. I slept on that futon all throughout college and I thought of it often as I developed my own woodworking skills and finally set up a shop of my own.

Woodworking is like that. In fact, just about anyone who has taken the hobby beyond the obligatory birdhouse in junior high industrial arts class has a story like the one I always tell about the birch futon. When you craft something from wood, the process not only teaches you new skills and provides a creative outlet, it can also generate an heirloom. Or at least an object thats rich with sentimental value.

Woodworking: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Skills, Techniques, and Projects is both a teacher of skills and a source of ideas: Its about the process and the project. In this book, you will find all of the information and project plans you need to develop a hobby that will last a lifetime. It contains great advice on setting up your own workshop and some essential background information youll need to know about wood. It takes you through all the basic skills in the order youll need them, including measuring, marking, and layout, then using cutting and shaping tools to create solid wood joints. With clear color photos, it shows you exactly how to clamp and glue your joints, then offers a complete section on sanding and finishing for professional results.

But where a lot of woodworking books only show you some skills, this new woodworking compendium gives you over 300 pages of complete project plans so you can put your skills to use. Indoor or outdoor, easy or more involved, youre sure to find projects to match your skills and needs right here. There are even a couple projects for your shop itself.

Woodworking is a never-ending journey. Whether youve been doing it for one year or fifty, there are always new skills to master and exciting projects to tackle. Let this book be your companion every step of the way.

And while youre at it, be sure to pass the passion on to a young person who means something to you. Youll create memoriesand projectsthat will last a lifetime.

Mark Johanson, Editor

The best woodworking takes place in a well-organized, safe, and efficient space that is devoted to (or at least designed for) the task. Couple those factors with a detailed knowledge of the wood youll be working with, and youre well on your way to some very rewarding timesand memorable projectsin your workshop.

Thats what this chapter is all about. See how to set up your workshop for maximum efficiency. Make sure your layout, equipment, and techniques are safe. Maintain everything in good working order. And understand the ins, outs, and intricacies of all the various kinds of lumber youll be dealing with.