Hand Tool Book Review

A cabinetmaker's notebook by James Krenov is a relatively famous book that I've been avoiding reviewing for a while now, join me on today's podcast as a I tell you why.

Chinese classical furniture in the Ming style demonstrates some very interesting solutions to typical problems, some fascinating joinery and some timeless elegance in design. I found this book to be a great "read" - its got very little text but lots of inspiration. Upon reading it's easy to see why this is considered one of the seminal works in this style of furniture.

A fun book that I enjoy is this book on kinetic toys by Bob Gilsdorf. It's one that I return to every so often to look for inspiration for a project with my boys. I hope that one day visitors to our house will be encouraged to join in and make a toy (rather than the current propensity for small scale weapons manufacture - that seems to be my son's primary rationale for visiting the woodworking room).

A great book if you want a really in depth look at the core tools in your workshop. I enjoyed this book and could heartily recommend it to anyone who is interested in the distilled wisdom of a master craftsman.

Another Work is Possible is a very different take on how the task of building a structure can be completed. With the help of Charpentiers Sans Frontieres (CSF) - the folk at Mortise and Tenon set about constructing a new Blacksmith shop. Part philosophy, part construction log, part beautiful coffee table book - this book documents both the steps and ethos behind this project.

The Craftsman is a thoughtful and thought-provoking look at mankind's conflicted relationship with technology and craftsmanship. I learnt a lot from this book, but it is a bit of a tough read. You have to be paying attention. A book that I would suggest breaking up over a number of sessions. It's taken me a few months to re-read it, but I am glad I did!

The Art of Saw-Filing by HW Holly is a fun little book that takes a quite complicated topic and breaks it down into a very easy to understand process - in a book which covers everything from the finest saw to a monster two-man saw to a circular saw and everything in between.

A book made of solid gold? Certainly feels that way if you try and buy a copy these days. The companion to Handplane Essentials is one of the hardest books to come by at a reasonable price. Join me on today's show as I discuss whether you should seriously consider paying this price for it!

PSA: Don't buy this book. Join me on the show to find out why, and to hear about my recent experience with hide glue.

Peter Korn has written an excellent Philosophy-Autobiography. After all who doesn't like a book that tells a great woodworker's story and gives some deep insights into why this story matters!

A Rural Carpenter's World is an important book, and one I think that future researchers and historians will reference. Unfortunately, unlike Robert Tarule's evocative descriptions in An Artisan of Ipswich, this book is dryer and less accessible.

History meets trees, what more is there to say about this book. A great read with a sweeping scope.

If I was to take one book to a remote island to learn the craft of woodworking - well the basics at least, Robert Wearing's book is a likely candidate. This is one of the great books for people starting to get going with hand tools (and for many intermediate skilled woodworkers as well).

A question recently posed on a forum - "Where have all the planes gone?" was important enough to me that I thought I would reach out to Thomas Lie-Nielsen and see if he could shed some light on the challenges that they are facing as a result of Coivd-19.

If you want to take a few notes about how to build an authentic Arts and Crafts Furniture piece, Nancy Hiller's book is a great resource. Join me on the show as we dive into an interesting book on an interesting topic from a different perspective.

Chapter 4 of John Ruskin's work Unto This Last narrated by Ray Deftereos

Chapter 3 of John Ruskin's work Unto This Last narrated by Ray Deftereos

Chapter 2 of John Ruskin's work Unto This Last narrated by Ray Deftereos

I had a wonderful interview and discussion with Nancy Hiller about her book Making Things Work, her other projects, a book recommendation etc. And I asked her all the questions I could about her work and life. It was a great conversation and could have gone on for hours. She was really wonderful to talk too.

Nancy Hiller's book, Making things work is a poignant and funny account of what life is really like as a cabinet maker. It's a book that I enjoyed, and if you've ever considered turning your side hussle into a day job, perhaps reading this first is a good idea.

John Ruskin's series of essays collected into Unto this Last, is in my opinion one of the most influential writings ever. Fortunately Tolstoy, Proust and Gandhi, amongst others agree, so you don't have to trust my judgement on this one. I'm doing a narration of the work, and this is the introduction and rationale, as well as some notes. It will also let you know where to find the first chapter. (Clue you can go to the Cut The Craft Podcast - https://www.cutthecraftpodcast.com/episodes/coffeeandruskins ).

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Tim Ewald, the keynote speaker whose presentation - Programming with Hand Tools opened my eyes to a world that I did not know even existed. The presentation is suitable for all hand tool enthusiasts - IT and non-IT in that very little of the presentation actually covers IT in any way. I think you'll really enjoy watching it. I believe it is one of the stand out influential discussion on hand tools of our time. https://youtu.be/ShEez0JkOFw

Thought I'd do a show before Black Friday, with what's on my Christmas shopping list, I hope this provides some inspiration for all of you.

Shannon Rogers mentioned at the end of the interview that he had also done a podcast on Jeffrey Greene's American Furniture of the 18th Century. I've remastered the original, which can be found here: https://www.renaissancewoodworker.com/rww-62-wia-jeffrey-greene-anatomy-of-a-masterpiece/ If you enjoy it, go take a look at some of his other articles there is some really interesting stuff there.

A wonderful interview with Shannon Rogers about the classic book American Furniture of the 18th Century by Jeffrey Greene. As discussed in the show here the next episode is Shannon's Renaissance Woodworker podcast from Woodworking in America.

American Furniture of the 18th Century is in my opinion one of the best period furniture books that is available. It's an affordable buy in most cases on the second hand market, and I believe it's the kind of book that will stand you in good stead for years to come. Join me on the show as I review it, and then listen to a great interview with Shannon Rogers as we discuss it further.

Craeft by Alexander Langlands is an interesting book. I'm going to take a possibly controversial stance here and say that while it is a book with an important idea, it is possibly not a book for every woodworking library. Join me on the show as I explore why I came to this conclusion.

Join me as I interview Matt Bickford about his book Mouldings in Practise. I had a great time talking to him about the book and if you're considering hollows and rounds this is a great place to start.

Mouldings in Practice by Matt Bickford is my go to book for everything related to hollow and rounds. Before you rush out and buy a set of hollow and rounds I'd suggest you seriously consider this book as it will save you not only money but frustration.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Appendix D Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Appendix C Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Appendix B Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Appendix A Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Chapter 16 Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Chapter 15 Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Chapter 14 Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Chapter 13 Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Chapter 12 Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Chapter 10 Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Chapter 11 Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

Issue 6 of Mortise and Tenon Magazine has one of my favorite articles of all time - Mike Updegraff's excellent piece on the radical efficiency of green woodworking.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Chapter 9 Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Chapter 8 Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Chapter 7 Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

The Lost Carving by David Esterly is a really interesting view into the head and working life of a master woodcarver. I think this is a book worth reading slowly and pondering, as it has a lot of deep thoughts about what the pursuit of excellence really entails.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Chapter 6 Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

In today's episode, I am joined by Shannon Rogers and we discuss one of the great historical books - The Artisan of Ipswich by Robert Tarule.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Chapter 4 Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

A great book to have on your bookshelf if you're looking for inspiration for your next project is Wood! Identifying and using hundreds of woods worldwide by Eric Meier.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Chapter 4 Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.

The Anarchist's Workbench by Christopher Schwarz - Chapter 3 Published by Lost Art Press. Narrated by Ray Deftereos, this narration is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lost Art Press in any manner.