Stuck with getting started in Woodworking and finding the right book to get.
Asking yourself how do I get better at woodworking, then here are the 7 Best Woodworking Books for Beginners.
Best Woodworking Book for Beginners – Overall
The Complete Book of Woodworking: Step-by-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Skills, Techniques and Tips
It is well illustrated and has woodworking plans to use to put the techniques and tips into practise. In this book there are resources for woodworkers of all skill levels. How to use tools, make jigs and joints. From Squaring and Cutting it makes, making joints easy to follow and understand.
There is how to use and operate various tools and what tools are the right tools for the job. It comes with more than 1,200 full-colour, step-by-step illustrations, photos and diagrams. Detailed plans for home accessories, home furnishings, outdoor projects and workshop projects, with complete cutting lists.
There is an introduction to wood, wood types. Learn the difference between hardwood and softwoods. It has information on 22 different types of wood, uses, work-ability, best finishes and how to apply the finishes. With safety being as important as the work itself there is a section on safety and safety gear.
Having the ideal workshop is all woodworkers dream and this book will teach you how to create your ideal workshop with tips on things like lighting, power and ventilation.
Since its first printing this title had sold close to 500,000 books.
This is truly a fabulous all round book.
Pages – 480
Year Published 2001
Best Runner Up
Woodwork: The Complete Step-By-Step Manual
This book is full of information with 400 pages. The photos within this book give you good angles to make following the text easy. It will guide you step by step throughout giving you the confidence to tackle your chosen project.
There are clear instructions in key woodworking techniques, along with explaining how to use hand and power tools with safety tips.
There are easy to follow projects with complete illustrations.
There is a section that goes into detail about different types of wood and heir characteristics.
They cover joints It is a hard cover that will withstand being around your woodworking shop for many years.
This book would also make a great gift idea.
Pages – 400
Year Published – 2010, with a newer version available 2020
Best Others
Why and How of Woodworking: A Simple Approach to Making Meaningful Work.
This book written by Michael Pekovich, like his furniture, is well thought out, well presented, useful and well executed.
The teachings in this book is what Michael puts into practice and has been implementing for years. He explains the basics of woodworking, from choosing timber, cutting joinery accurately, and preparing and finishing the surfaces.
This early introduction into the fundamentals set you up for success as you progress. There is a simple approach to using timber to create meaningful pieces that are both useful and are damn good looking.
This book will have you making pieces that will leave a legacy.
Creating pieces using basic techniques, simple designs and that are made to last is what this book is about.
All 224 pages of this hardcover book has detailed information, knowledge and tips.
If you are really looking to express yourself through woodworking and making every piece a stand out then this is the book for you.
Pages – 224
Year Published – 2018
Woodworking For Beginners: The Ultimate Guide and Projects for Beginners
This booked is geared for the early stage beginners looking to learn everything every beginner needs to know, from setting up a workshop, scrutinising wood, the basic safety rules of woodworking, and putting your knowledge into practice.
It provides plenty of tips and tricks and is easy to follow.
It discusses how you can set up your work shop and buying second hand tools to get started.
This is a great feature of this book. There is a basic project in the book however, the detail are limited.
Pages – 88
Year Published – 2016
Joint Book – The Complete Guide to Wood Joinery
Within, you’ll find over 70 step-by-step illustrated instructions for making all the basic joints in every joint family and, mortise and tenon, dovetails, miters and their variations.
Both hand tool methods and power tool techniques, plus a variety of easy-to-build jigs.
How the nature of wood and its properties affect joinery, glue, and furniture design.
The book is spiral bound so it is great for having in the work shop as you work.
The book is full of great photographs, illustrations and diagrams and can be laid out flat for ease of use.
This book will enable you to select the correct woodworking joint for your project.
Pages – 192
Year Published – 2009
Complete Manual of Woodworking
The Complete Manual of Woodworking has stood the test of time and has more than 1800 drawings, diagrams and photos to illustrate the whole art and craft of woodworking.
The book will inspire woodworkers and includes a discussion of all the principal hardwoods and softwoods, how to choose and use hand tools, detailed information on every woodworking technique, jointing, bonding, fastening, laminating, and much more.
It has easy to follow woodworking techniques and information on setting up a home workshop.
There are useful project ideas with some examples of wood creations to wet the appetite.
It is crammed with usable information for any aspiring woodworker.
Pages – 320
Year Published – 1997
Woodworking Basics: Mastering the Essentials of Craftsmanship
This book is the revised version o Working with Wood from 1993.
Woodworking Basis – Mastering the Essentials of Craftmanship, being the new version has the basic woodworking properties and techniques for both hand and power tools.
The book takes a classic approach to teaching woodworking. It introduces the fundamentals in tools and shop practices and is a great learning tool for the advanced beginner.
This book is based off lessons from a two-week in class course that the author runs, taking the traditional teaching approach and putting it into this book.
This book will teach you the basic and fundamental skills that are essential to good craftsmanship.
Pages – 208
Year Published – 2004
Alternate to Woodworking Books
Woodworking magazines can be a great resource which can be a subscription with new content coming out on a regular basis.
Woodworking forums provide topic specific answers and helpful tips to peoples questions that you can join and ask questions. They can point you in the write direction for solving a question that you may have. You will have to filter through the answers and questions which maybe time consuming.
Woodworking websites can have all kinds of information on them from tips and tricks to how to guides to assist you in the early stages and even for the more advanced woodworker.
Youtube is another great place to find out how to do videos.
If you were wondering the book in the feature photo is Woodwork – In Theory and Practice by John A Walter. It was first published in 1947 and a great reference for me and sometimes still is but it is very dated.
It has a lot of old tools not generally used today but still has a lot of relevant tools, processes, fundamental constructions, hardware, timbers, wood turning, inlaying, veneering, wood polishing and projects.
It was a book used for students in preparation for the Intermediate and Leaving Certificate Examinations in Woodworking at the time.
Although this book did not make the top 7 Woodworking Books for Beginners list, the book is still available through Amazon, Booktopia, Book Depository and Dymocks.
Final thought
Starting anything can be daunting, but there are many woodworking books for beginners that will assist you making the first steps. This woodworking book review has narrowed the search down to 7.
There is nothing better than having a book to refer back to while in your workshop, or just to even pull out to look through while having your favourite drink.
As your journey evolves so will your book collection, and with that you will need to find a Bookcase Woodworking Plan or a Woodworking Book stand, to hold the collection on.
I have tried to give a broad range of books to help the early stage beginner up to the more experienced beginner find a book to refer to when needed.
There will be Technical Terms used throughout these books that you will become familiar with and I have listed 23 Technical Terms used in Woodworking as a reference.
Happy Woodworking
Regards
Ben
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Amazing article. Couldn’t be write far better!
King regards,
Abildgaard Zacho
Thanks