Some Fun Woodworking Books

Just two of many great titles

I tend to think that I'm a little outside the norm in my tastes on most things so you may not agree with these suggestions but I'm OK with that. In woodworking books I tend to lean toward those that teach you more how to make things than those that describe how to make a particular thing. What I mean by that is I want to learn how to make boxes, windows, or bookshelves in general. Measured drawings and cut lists never appeal to me since I never want to make exactly what is shown since I want to put something else in it, on it, or put it somewhere that doesn't fit as shown.

This list of books tends more in the direction of generalized woodworking/making skills. While they won't, or rarely will, tell you how to make an exact item you will learn the essence of making those items.

• The Boy Joiner and Model Maker - What a fun book! This one does have some specific projects in it but there is plenty to learn from them. I love this book because it describes a basic hand tool set to build all the projects and the projects build on one another. It also makes me realize that we once expected a lot more from our children. As an added bonus it has one of the best descriptions of laying out Gothic tracery I have ever found if you like that sort of thing. Probably a great beginners book in hand tool wood working for any age. 
• Door Making and Window Making - Woodworking on a more advanced level than the above book but it takes the process of making doors and windows from a very basic starting point. It describes the taking of measurements, laying out and construction of a variety of windows and doors from the simple to the fairly complex. 
• The New Traditional Woodworker - Another great book that helps those getting started in the hand tool world. Includes another take on the list of tools one may want to have and a progression of shop related projects that build skills and are tools that you'll continue to use. 

So that's just a few of the books I reference over and over in my shop and that help me think of woodworking in different ways. Tell us about your favorite woodworking books that inspire you in the comments today. Also don't forget to like TNYW on Facebook to enter the handsaw drawing.