Product Description
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Christian woodworking
The title is misleading, since this book has nothing to do with scented wood. Its subtitle "Wood and Woodworking in the Bible" is a lot more accurate but still a bit off. This is a book about the Bible and the plants in it, with an emphasis on wood. It consists of a contemplative text on the Bible (p7-83), a pretty extensivetreatment of plant names in the Bible (p99-241), a brief treatment on non-Biblical trees and shrubs in Palestine (p243-255), an even briefer treatment of the appropriate woodworking tools (p257-266) and a mysterious conclusion (p267-275).

In a way this is quite intriguing. This is a print-on-demand book at a Christian publisher, which means that anybody who fancies himself a writer and who compiles a book on something Christian can have a book in print, without an editor getting involved. A book on the plants in the Bible by somebody who feels passionately on the topic but whose expertise is in none of the several fields involved seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Against this background this is quite a good book, free of disaster. Since I well know where the errors are likely to be in a book of this kind I looked for them, and indeed they are there. But not nearly as many of them as there might be. The author certainly did a fair bit of homework and avoided most of the likely pitfalls. In its way this is a quite a commendable book.

Nevertheless this is a book with a narrow focus, without any illustrations, with its due share of errors and with a printing quality that is only average. Likely it will be nowhere near a match for Nigel Hepper's "Planting a Bible Garden" when it comes to popular appeal. ... Read more

Product Description
After woodworkers finish projects, they want to be able to apply the best finish possible--quickly, without worry and mistakes. In this useful guide, woodworker Joe L'Erario shows them how, providing:

-28 years of finishing and refinishing experienced, presented through easy-to-master techniques and quick tricks-Steps to remove old finishes and to prep surfaces for the best results possible-Information on a variety of finishes, as well as detailed instructions on how to apply them

With step-by-step color photos, this book will show woodworkers, furniture makers, and DIY'ers how to apply a finish flawlessly. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Wood crafts
The book, Creating the Perfect Wood Finish with Joe L Erario (Popular Woodworking) was purchased as a gift and my daughter-in-law said she really has enjoyed reading it. She has not made any projects yet, but she has gotten several good ideas from the book.

average finish book
i gave it 4 stars to be nice.
its your average informative type book
large type alot pictures in most cases basic info.
you can fiy though this book in 2-3 hours
its a nice easy read. has a few tips and tech. you dont see else where.
but i gave it 4 stars for 1 reason. there are 4-5 pages on how to strip old finish.
that were worth the purchase price alone.
if you are stripping any type of a project larger than a cigar book
those few tips will help alot.
yes ive stripped and done many misc. projects.
but the author gives you a specific order of how what and why.
yes stripping is still amajor pain, no quick easy fast way.
but even worse is spending 20 hours $200.00 and still not having a clean piece of wood.
i was stripping 2 fireplace mantels right when the book arrived.
they are the same in 2 diff. rooms. same size same wood. first one took 35 hours
second one i did after i read the book took 20 hours. note there was alot of detail and
8 or more layers of every paint and wood finish known to man. plus the second one turned out better
the bare wood looks so good i am using a clear finish only.
those 5 pages plus about 6 good finish types or tipsmade the book 4 star.

Disappointing
I picked up this book because i have read just about every finishing book there is and saw the other 4 reviews and said why not...

If as much thought went into the technical content as the "humor" i might have given it a 3 star rating. Give this a pass and pick up a book by Flexner, Jewitt or Dresner.

It was very informational
I found the information in this book good but there could have been information on certain areas.He went over some areas quickly.The information provided was very good and helpful

Fantastic Finishing Book
When I saw that Joe L'Erario had written a book on finishing, I had to pick it up.I had stumbled across the Men in Toolbelts show many years ago and thought it was the funniest home improvement show I had ever seen (oddly, funnier than the comedy show).He and Ed Feldman knew what they were doing and knew how to explain it in a fun way.

And his book didn't fail to impress.The day I received it, I sat down and read it cover to cover.

The first section is a comprehensive volume on removing and repairing existing finishes.I had expected this to be a book on finishing woodworking projects, so that was a pleasant surprise.

The second section includes several techniques for finishing, including some I had never considered before, such as using lye to age cherry.He also includes a diatribe on hand-rubbed finishing which is the most comprehensive explanation of a finish I've ever seen.

The final section goes through 2 projects, a refinishing project and a finishing project.These are mostly application of knowledge, but do show the techniques in action. ... Read more

Product Description
With fuel prices still going higher, more people than ever are looking at alternative ways to stay warm.This third edition of Dirk Thomas's popular and authoritative guide adds a section on getting started with wood heat.In addition there is a new "FAQ" section where frequently asked questions are answered.
Thousands have benefited from reading The Woodburner's Companion, first published in 2000, revised in 2004 and now even better in its third edition.You can stay warm without going broke, and as an added benefit, you can weather a mid-winter power outage in style! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Practical Guide for Anyone with a Wood Stove or Fireplace
I have burned wood in a woodstove for years, but there was a lot that I didn't know, especially regarding chimney safety. I will be having my chimney inspected for cracked flue tiles, since I know that there was once a chimney fire (before my time). I don't want to endanger my family to save a few bucks. Thank you, Dirk, for writing such a clear and sensible guide. I expect that more people will be using wood to heat their homes as fuel and electricity costs continue to rise. This book is well worth buying as a reference and guide to safely useing a woodstove or fireplace.

Great Book for education on heating with wood.
I found this book to have answered every question that can come to mind involving burning wood either as a primary source of heat or esthetic enjoyment.It is enjoyable reading as well as informative.I particularly enjoyed the pros and cons revealed about different methods of wood heat and also Dirk's subtle sense of humor in defending the burning of wood as an institution---as he so aptly states, it is defensible politically since no wars have been fought over wood (unlike oil), and if you have a wood spill, you're not looking at a major ecological catastrophe.It's not hard to see that Mr. Thomas likes his trade (chimney sweeping)and is the best choice to write a book of this nature.To all prospective readers:Enjoy!

The Suburban Guide to Wood Heat
In his earlier, complementary book "The Harrowsmith Country Life Guide to Wood Heat" Dirk Thomas lays out burning wood for heat from A to Z.Everything is covered from felling and limbing trees, using block and tackle to move them on any kind of surface, rigging up trucks to remove trees on hillsides, bucking wood, to installing stoves and chimneys."The Woodburner's Companion" is more for the less adventurous homeowner who gets his wood ready-to-go or who is building a new house with woodburning in mind.
As such the book is very useful.Heating values of wood, fuel, coal and the like are compared, stove installation and chimney maintenance are covered in some depth, and enlightening facts about clean burning and types of creosote are discussed.I especially value Thomas's remarks on the best way to keep a proper fire in a wood stove going, which is to neither frequently feed it all the time nor starve it down to embers.
He covers types of chimneys, pros and cons of various materials, chimney cleaning techniques, and how best to handle fireplaces and fireplace inserts, as well as wood stoves and wood furnaces.
This is a capable book whose information will get the novice off to a flying start and hone the woodburning skills of the veteran.It will enhance efficiency and safety in the home.

All you need to know
If you operate a woodstove, you should have this book. It covers every topic the woodburner should read prior to purchasing, for installation and operation. The information on safety, cleaning and chimney problems is vital. The advice on buying wood will prevent a rip-off (very easily done in the cord wood biz). Woodstove manufacturers should ship this book with their stoves. Highly recommended.

Considerable value for experienced woodburners
In an age of rapidly rising energy costs for the homeowner, fresh attention is being given to heating alternatives to electricity and natural gas. Foremost among them is the woodburning stove and/or fireplace. Dirk Thomas is a Vermont chimney sweep how drew upon his many years of experience and expertise to write The Woodburner's Companion, a definitive "how to" manual and guide on the proper ways to utilize wood and fireplace stoves, boilers, furnaces, masonry heaters, and more. Thomas comprehensively covers such pertinent issues as the fuel value of various woods, how to purchase firewood, getting the most heat from what you buy, the environmental impact of woodburning, and a variety of chimney and flue arrangements for best efficiency. Curry provides specific emphasis on the safety issues involved with burning wood for fuel and heat. "Must" reading for the novice wood burner, The Woodburner's Companion will also offer considerable value for experienced woodburners with detailed discussions of woodstove installation, and American and Canadian building and fire codes. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Teaching me what I need to know
I've used this book extensively. It has taught me the basics on drying wet wood for a home/hobby wood worker.

Good book for making lumber
This book is a collection of articles from Fine Woodworking over the last several years.The number and scope of articles is pretty comprehensive.If you have all the mags, you can find these articles or just go to this one source and find what you need.It even has articles on staining/fading of different types of wood/stains and health concerns with certain species of domestic and imported woods--not things one always considers.Overall, def worth the $12 or so. ... Read more

Product Description
Have you ever wanted to begin woodworking at home? Woodworking can be a fun, yet dangerous experience if not performed properly. In The Art of Woodworking – Beginners Guide, we will show you how to choose everything from saws to hand tools and how to use them properly to avoid ending up in the ER.

Do you know the difference between softwood and hardwood? Which wood is better for indoor projects and which wood is better for outdoor projects? We will discuss the properties of wood and how they will affect various woodworking techniques and projects you may want to work on.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have all those questions about woodworking for beginners offered in one place? You could spend hours on the internet looking for answers or you could spend hundreds of dollars taking a class or seminar that would show you details that are enclosed all in one place, The Art of Woodworking – Beginners Guide.

Books are expensive and much of the content is full of fluff and not the real nitty-gritty stuff that you need to know to begin working with wood. The information contained within this text may not help you build everything you want to, but it can have you on the way to being more in tuned with what you need to begin a career or hobby working with wood. It is so frustrating hearing advice from one webpage only to find it contradicted on another. Give up those endless hours of research and reading because there is a one stop, tell-all source that will give you the information that you need to begin the art of woodworking.

How to Get Started With Woodworking is an in depth report that is going to tell you what to choose when going to the lumber yard and which saw is the best for which project and how to design a project from beginning to end. The most recent information regarding woodworking from adhesive choices to joint making will be discussed.
... Read more

Product Description
The most detailed and comprehensive reference of its kind, The Encyclopedia of Wood is the first source book to reflect the full significance of wood as our most versatile and enduring natural resource. More than 400 illustrations. Full color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Wood properties
This book is loaded with facts about wood and its preservation.Also, the pictures of various woods are outstanding.It is better than four other books (similar ones) THAT I LOOKED AT

It is very useful

Encyclopedia??
A lot of information here but not enough to truly be considered an encyclopedia.The illustrations are nice to be sure, but that's not what I was looking for in this book.On the other hand, The Encyclopedia of Wood was put together by the United States Department of Agriculture so it's as thorough as you could ever want!It covers all the same material as this book, only in more detail, and it's written specifically for people who want to learn about wood in order to work with it safely and efficiently.It's also a better bargain - more book for a smaller price!!

Good Photographic Reference for Preliminary Identification
This book fills the need for a color reference that can quickly help in the identification of both softwoods and hardwoods.The charts showing the home range of the species greatly helps with ID.I highly recommend this book for use by the interested layman.The color photographs, while small, are a great aid to wood identification for the non-professional.It is an excellent resource.

Scotty Drye, Wood Scientist

The book itself is fine!
I was waiting for probably over one month.
But the book is fine, anyway.
Thanks.

Excellent book for the money, but ...
To start, this is a very nice book, lots of nice pictures of things made from wood, location shots, and as much information as almost anyone would want to know about wood, in general.My problem is with the title word "Encyclopedia". "Thorough Introduction" would have been a better choice.As for the individual woods covered, the author selected about 150 which he expanded on nicely.Considering the thousands of woods in the world, 150 could hardly be considered encyclopedic (unless of course this was just volume one).There is a mixture of common and very obscure woods.I can only assume there was a reason behind the selection process.There was also a considerable bias toward European wood over the western hemisphere.The wood ID photos seemed a bit small at 1.25 inches square (about 3.3 centimeters for the Europeans).
So to sum up: excellent photos (except the tiny wood examples), lots of interesting information, reasonable price, wish there were more woods covered (which would have obviously impacted the price).Knowing what I know now, would I still have bought the book?Yes. ... Read more

Product Description
Traditional Finishing Techniques offers a variety of ways to complete this critical step, including surface preparation. From the editors of Fine Woodworking—the dream team of woodworking professionals—this is the ultimate visual reference for woodworkers of every skill level. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good book for finishing in various techniques
With this book I'd learned new techniques for finishing my furniture.
Buy it, it's readable and very interesting at good price.
regard
Ferdinando

Traditional Finishing Techniques : The New Best of Fine Woodworking (New Best of Fine Woodworking Series) (Paperback)
Very informative... ... Read more

Product Description

Made to complement our heirloom-quality Arts and Crafts bed, this solid-oak nightstand features matching corbels and arched rails in addition to ample drawer and open storage.

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Good variety of puzzles
I found this book at my local library but had to eventually purchase it.Lots of variety in construction and difficulty.Some of the puzzles in this book can be made in a few hours, some take several evenings.Similarly, some take a few minutes to solve and some several days without instructions.

Easy to follow instructions, good photos, an all-around fun book and great intro to wood logic puzzles.

GIft for my father
This turned out to be a great gift for my father, he loves his scroll saw and the intricate details he can craft with it.He saws this book is great.

wood puzzles
I've made three puzzles so far. Making them is a bit of a puzzle in itself, as you can imagine. All were done using a bandsaw. They all worked. I did'nt have to redue anything, so the plans were acurate. I made the twenty minute puzzle first and passed a few to freinds and family. I was surprized with the response. They could'nt leave them alone.So far, this book has been well worth it.

Perfect excuse to spend time in the shed
This book has proved to provide both interesting and in some cases challenging wood working exercises.

The resulting puzzles are a big hit with friends and family - the hints for presents are mounting.

Its also a great way to use up all those scraps of wood I've been hording but haven't been able to use.

Great New Puzzle Book
This is a really great book. It has plans for a couple of sleds for the table saw and 18 puzzles. It has materials lists, easy to use instructions with solutions to all puzzles and lots of helpful tips. Highly Recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
The Wood Carving - Design and Workmanship book is the ultimate guide to the classic art of woodworking, and includes valuable and detailed information on tools, wood used for carving, sharpening tools, graining of the wood, imitation of natural forms, contours of surface, originality, studies from nature, hardwood carving, architectural woodworking, surface finish, and MUCH MUCH more!

We are pleased to offer thousands of Books for the Kindle. Click on our Editor Name next to the book title above (eBook-Ventures) to view all of the titles that are currently available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not for Kindle
Some books are just not well-suited for Kindle and this is one.The plus is, I get to evaluate whether I want to make the investment in a hard copy.That is an ongoing process.My answer at this time is -- "not yet".

Historical prospective on Wood Carving
As a beginning wood carver I was looking for books to help me get started.There are lots of picture books that are a great help.This one takes a very different approach.There are suggestions for the tools to buy to get started.All 24 of them.There is information on sharpening the tools etc.However this book is written for the apprentice wood carver preparing to make a living carving decorative work for furniture, buildings and so on. You see this book was written one hundred years ago.It is a wonderful book to get started working with wood carving, but also to understand some of the history.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Legend has it that the forest of the world are inhabited by elusive creatures known as "Wood Spirits." Tom Wolfe finds them everywhere and brings them to life in this delightful new instructional book. Using found wood such as driftwood, roots, and old beams from dilapidated barns, he leads the reader through the carving of wondrous, fanciful faces, that are both enchanting and beautiful. On a smaller scale, Tom also finds the Wood Spirits in walking sticks, creating treasures that are handsome and functional at the same time. Tom has been carving these Spirits for years, and they are constantly in demand. Now he leads the carver, step-by-step, through their creation, each step illustrated in beautiful color photographs. An extensive gallery is included, jam-packed with examples and ideas for the reader's own work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Nice Book for Large and Small Projects
I liked this book quite a lot.As a beginner it showed me both hand carving and mallet techniques...which I was not expecting.Also a wide variety of knives and gouges are shown, so you get an understanding of when to use which type.

Tom Wolfe Carves Wood Spirits
Loved the beauty in this full color, highly instructive book.I bought 4 books to get me into carving the wood spirits of my German ancestors, and this was the most instructive by far.I feel I can really make a carving on my own now.

Tom Wolfe carves woodspirits
Tom Wolfe is an old school master with gift of putting out great and informative books, this is one of them.

Good book for the very young
The book is good for very young carvers. The pictures are great and the author does show everything. As a matter for discussion the author provides too much detail and if you need lots of detail then this book is what young starters can use effectively.

Hoped for more
Although it does cover the subject and offer examples for inspiration, it does so in very broad strokes. I had hoped for mre istruction and less inspiration. ... Read more

Product Description
The Southwestern section of this fun pattern book includes a gecko welcome peg rack, adobe bookends, cactus shelf, coyote switch plate cover, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great book
This is my father in laws favorite.The projects are endless, and explained so well even a beginner can complete most of them.It's really full of great easy to use patterns.

Warning!
The name and description of this book is deceiving.
This book would be better titled "Craft Projects
Using Wood."This is not woodworking.The vast
majority of the "projects" in the book are cutting
animal shapes and other forms out of wood then
painting it.Very "crafts" stuff.Not "woodworking"
projects like building furniture, joinery, etc.
I returned the book right away.

Enjoying the Patterns!
Your book is loaded with GREAT ideas for me to do!I love woodworking, and your patterns are so easy to follow.I especially enjoy making birdhouses.I can make gifts for all occasions using your patterns and have done so with great success.Now, if i could just find time to make ME one!! ... Read more

Product Description

Our Mission-style lamp features a low-wattage bulb in the lantern base that casts a warm glow through the stained glass. And, the practical reading height of the lamp makes it every bit as functional as it is handsome.