The Woodworker's Studio Handbook Traditional and Contemporary Techniques for the Home Woodworking Shop

Celebrate the joys of working with wood in your own home studio or wood shop.

The Woodworker’s Studio Handbook is a comprehensive guide to the artistry, design, and skills all woodworkers need to propel their hobby to the next level.

Master woodworker Jim Whitman walks you through planning your work space, helps you select tools and the right wood for the right projects, and gets you comfortable with your tools so you feel at ease in the studio and ready to experiment—all with gentle instruction and reassuring humor. His 20 teaching projects make you feel like a seasoned craftsman from step one, regardless of your experience level.

Learn about the importance of proper planning, measuring twice so you just have to cut once, and how to make the most of your wood. Above all, get ready to get your hands dirty: woodworking is about play just as much as precision!

The Woodworker’s Studio Handbook:

• Teaches joinery, lamination, routing, turning, carving, and finishing—core woodworking skills in full-color photographs, and complete with illustrated tool guides.
• Illustrates the steps for 20 beautiful teaching projects for all skill levels, including a picture frame, a small cabinet, a carved pendant, turned bowls, and more.
• Engages your creativity with reclaiming recycled wood, using green wood, or using a sketchbook and drafting tools to design original work.

Jim Whitman has been working with wood for more than forty years. He started woodworking as a hobby while directing his graphic design studio in Clifton, New Jersey. In 1973, Jim and his family moved to a farm in rural Lafayette, New Jersey. Jim built a barn to house his wood shop hobby. During this time, he was introduced to the Peters Valley Craft Education Center in nearby Layton, New Jersey. He was inspired by many great teachers taking classes from some of woodworking's eminent personalities such as Tage Frid, Sam Maloof, Jere Osgood, Mack Headley, and Toshio Odote. Jim was so passionate about the mission of teaching crafts that he served on the Peters Valley Board of Directors for twenty years. In 2001, Jim retired from his graphics business and the Peters Valley Board to continue with his ever increasing woodworking commissions as well as teaching and consulting. Jim says, "I am so lucky to be able to work at what I love."

Introduction

CHAPTER 1: Setting Up the Studio

Work Space

Laying Out Your Shop

Storage

Visual Glossary of Shop Machinery

Controlling Your Environment

Visual Glossary of Hand Tools

Safety Considerations

CHAPTER 2: The Wonders of Wood

Wood Is Where You Find It

Plywood and Other Composite Panels

Recycled Wood

Veneers and Exotic Wood

Wood Lot and Backyard Lumber

Technique: How to Prepare 8' Boards for Air Drying

CHAPTER 3: Project Design

Getting Started with Design

Drawing Your Plans

Building Scale Models and Prototypes

Creating a Cutting List

CHAPTER 4: Wood Joinery

Common Techniques: Joinery

Hardware Basics

Choosing Glue

Wood Project: Hand-Cut Through Dovetails to Join a Shadow Box Frame

Wood Project: Make a Presentation Box Using the Miter Joint

Wood Project: Hanging Euro-Style Wall Cabinet

Wood Project: Shaker-Style End Table with a Drawer

CHAPTER 5: Bending Laminated Wood

Overview of the Lamination Process

Wood Project: Laminated Wood Salad Tongs

Wood Project: Making Larger Laminated Shapes

Wood Project: Veneered Flower Pendant

CHAPTER 6: Routers

Basic Router Styles

Router Bits

Technique: Using Routing Patterns and Templates

Wood Project: Making Decorative Inlays

Using a Router Table

Router Safety

Technique: Build Your Own Router Table

Technique: Routing Cope and Stick Joints for Door Frames

Wood Project: Dovetails Made with the Router

CHAPTER 7: Carving Wood

Styles of Carving

Learning to Carve

Selecting Wood

Choosing Your Carving Tools

Sharpening: The Secret to Carving Success

Setting Up Your Project

Beginning Your Project

Wood Project: Leaf Scroll

Wood Project: Eagle’s Head

Wood Project: Simple Flower

CHAPTER 8: Turning Wood

Materials for Turning

Tools for Turning

Wood Project: Turning a Spindle

Wood Project: Turning a Bowl from Green Wood

CHAPTER 9: The Final Finish & Gallery

Surface Preparation

Hand-Applied Finishes

Correcting and Preventing Mistakes

Wood Project: Finishing the Laminated Wood Salad Tongs

Wood Project: Finishing the Veneered Flower Pendant

Wood Project: Finishing the Shaker-style End Table

Wood Project: Finishing the Shadow Box Frame

Wood Project: Presenting the Presentation Box

Wood Project: Finishing the Hanging Euro-style Wall Cabinet

The Woodworker’s Gallery

Appendix I: Measurement Conversions

Appendix II: Estimating Template

Resources

Glossary

About the Author

About the Photographer

Acknowledgments

Index

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