Everything you need to know about every kind of tool, saw, planes, chisels, marking and testing tools, drills, knives, hammers, clamps, and basic power tools. Learn how they are made, how they function, and how to condition them. Step-by-step exercises show proper use of each tool and easy projects demonstrate the application of techniques. All you need to do is read through this book, get a good tool and a piece of honest to goodness wood, and get started. At the end of it all you will know how to judge the keenness of a blade by eye. You will be able to use a plane in much the same way as did your folks way back. You will know how and why a bent gouge does what it does. You will be able to cut a joint and shape and fashion a piece of oak. You will be able to sit in a chair of your own making. You will be able to build furniture for the whole house. All are wonderful experiences that should not be missed.

Includes how-to information.

“Many woodworkers are discovering the pleasures of working with hand tools....The sections on using clamps and measuring and marking tools should be required reading for all woodworkers, whether they use hand or power tools. This especially attractive book is an essential public library purchase.”—Library Journal. “Particularly useful for the novice...plenty of pictures.” —Woodshop News.

Spiral bound. An introduction to uses and operation of circular and saber saws, electric drills, routers, joiners, and sanders.

Woodworkers, carvers and turners who are frustrated with keeping sharp edges on tools, and with handles that don't fit the hand precisely, can use this book as a guide for creating customized woodworking tools either with or without blacksmithing. The authors considerable research into heat treatment of knives results in a chapter that will surprise the reader the author recommends heat treating with fruit! He helps carvers cut through the controversy on how to get a hard cutting edge while keeping the back of the knife soft for extra strength. An extensive section on salvage steel is for those ready to experiment. A chapter on carving handles offers advice for customizing handles that distribute pressure over larger areas of the heel of the hand to relieve stress from long hours of carving.

For woodworkers, hand tools put the emphasis on the process of woodworking rather than the result. Yet hand tools also are essential to the highest level of craftsmanship, bringing a refinement to work that machines alone cannot produce. Whether using hand tools alone as a source of pleasure, quality, or efficiency, or in combination with machines, woodworker can trust the information in Woodworking with Hand Tools, a collection of 35 articles from the experts at Fine Woodworking magazine. In Woodworking with Hand Tools, expert craftsmen explain how they choose, sharpen, and use every kind of hand tool. There's advice on tool maintenance, techniques for getting the most from the tools, and projects made using hand tools. With clear photographs, drawings, and step-by-step instructions, Woodworking with Hand Tools will be a useful and necessary resource for anyone who works wood.