Beginners Guide To Woodworking: An Introduction To Basic Hand Tools, Equipment, And Techniques In Starting Your Woodworking Journey Paperback – August 22, 2022

This is a very basic book that covers a wide range of topics related to woodworking. If you have a lot of experience you will not find much new here. For me, who is returning to woodworking after a hiatus of over 30 years the book was a good review. I am rating it 5 stars because it is exactly what it says it is. The book is a quick read and fairly well organized. It is not a replacement for more substantive works such as "The Anarchist's Tool Chest" and other books by Christopher Schwarz but again, this book is exactly what it states it is.

A little about me, I started on my woodworking journey 30 plus years ago, currently I run a small shop out of my garage and I moderate a few woodworking groups, and forums. I run into a lot of aspiring woodworkers, people who have no clue how to start this as a hobby. There is nothing more satisfying than building something with your own hands and this book is a great starting point.Kirk covered a lot of key points that many people overlook when creating an introduction to woodworking. Such as wood constantly being under tension, most people have to figure that out on their own, when a piece of wood kick backs during sawing or explodes, this leads into shop safety which is often an after thought, PPE is covered extensively and should be worn.There is a good overview of both hand and power tools, then we come to finishing and the part everyone seems to hate sanding. I was taught a long time ago that sanding is our true hobby, everything else is a by product of that hobby. Knowing how to sand is just as important as being able to sand.Bonus points for the easily to follow plans included in the book.Kirk presented all the information in a clear manner that is easy to understand.If you are an aspiring woodworker I highly recommend this book, or if you are a seasoned woodworking, I would also recommend this book as a refresher.

In an informal, approachable style, Kirk Anderson introduces the beginner to some concepts that many other books overlook.The reader is given a concise overview of the material itself, from the parts of a tree trunk to the way each grade of lumber lays in that trunk to how to read a board to determine if it is suited for the given project. Several types of wood-based building materials are then described, as well.The subject of shop safety is treated more intentionally than the obligatory "always wear your safety glasses" rubber stamp.The reader is progressed through the stages of developing basic understanding and skills, graduating to more advanced tools and techniques, and finally instructed in the different ways to take the project from bare wood to a beautiful and durable piece.Anderson ends the course by turning the reader loose in the shop to put this new knowledge to work.This is no dry textbook. Anderson walks you through each chapter in an easy, conversational way that draws you into this most rewarding of hobbies. I highly recommend this book!

Like the title says. If you have never picked up a tool this book has decent information in it. However if you have just the basic knowledge of woodworking do not buy this book. Overall great book for extreme beginners.

I read this book from cover to cover. I have been instructing inter city high school dropouts woodshop skills for several years and I have to tell you his book is spot on.Anyone that wants a very strong introduction into woodworking must read this book. The chapters take you from forest, to tools, to creation of personal projects with very detailed information expressed for your reference. The book is easy to read and easy to comprehend.The book is a must have for both formal and informal information and skills.I’ve been preparing my students to enter the trades job sector and this type of book would be a fantastic reference for many years to come.Please take my words seriously, he created a good book, please buy a copy or two for gifts.

I've been a hobbyist woodworking on and off for 30 years (since high school). I learned all the basics in school. This book is great for at least these four audiences:- The absolute beginner who wants to start somewhere.- The hobbyist who pretty much winged it so far.- The more experienced woodworkers who need an occasional refresher- Anyone in a position of teaching woodworking to another person.I'm the guy that needs a refresher and still learned from this book. I also have an interest in teaching workshops or something so this book also helps as a basis for a curriculum and figure out how I can articulate instructions. Nice work. My only feedback is I'm more of a visual guy and this book was a bit heavy on the text side.

Great for important info with the broad knowledge on wood working, hacks, rules and education on basics.

For those interested in getting into woodwork but are buried with a plethora of questions, this book is a good start. Some intro guides get too deep into the minutia or try to cover too many topics leaving you holding a book that resembles something akin to War and Peace. The Beginners Guide to Woodworking is concise enough to not be overly intimidating yet still covers the majority of what you need to know to get started in woodworking. The author selected some good topics to cover and writes in an easy to understand, informal almost conversational manner. I would recommend this book for anyone looking to get into woodworking.

This book is a good place to learn about the basic of woodworking. Everything is well explained with good examples. Super easy to read.At the end of the book, there is a list of well detailed project that you can do to learn basic techniques. Those are fun rojects that you can do with your kids.

This is a book that my father should have written when he gave me a kit of tools all those years ago. I would have understood timber better from the get go, instead of wasting so much time and timber making things that warped, twisted or just fell apart.Chapter 2 is the most important chapter in this book - THINK SAFETY. It should be required reading for anyone starting out using any kind of tool.This being a beginners book, we can overlook the fact that the author does not go into any detail on sharpening tools. He also has just skipped by Hand Planes, which to me are the most important tool for any woodworker who will only be using hand tools.We can also forgive him for using a cordless drill as a powered screwdriver, although most hardware stores sell a cordless drill and a cordless impact driver as a set.I would like to have seen more information on using Japanese saws and planes. BTW, Ryobi is a brand of power tools, a Ryoba is the proper name for a double edged Japanese saw.My father however would have been horrified if I replicated the projects in this book. Although they are good practice at cutting and gluing bits of wood together to make useful things, they are not proper joinery. Dad's rule was "No IFS or BUTTS", which meant no Iron Fixings (nails or screws) and no Butt joints. Maybe a second edition of this book will include projects that teach rabbets, dadoes, mortise & tenons, and box or dovetail joints.

Good afternoon. It's not everyday you get selected to review a book before it's launched. To say the least, I was very excited... key word being was...While I've worked with wood materials my entire adult life, I still consider myself a novice builder. I've studied building at the trade level, forest engineering at the university level, and I have a woodshop out back.Right away I realized that this was written as a "technical manual." It reminded me of my days as a university student, when late at night I would pour myself into a text book, trying to absorb as much information as possible, while consuming copious amounts of caffeine... painful to say the least.The basic information is all there, and I know a beginner woodworker will gain practical information from reading this book. At what cost though? In this digital age there is already so much information out there that is fun to watch or read, and it's free.The challenge for a beginner woodworker, in my opinion, is whether they will have the drive to finish this book... it's not very exciting to say the least.... a chapter dedicated to each subject, sprinkled with a photo here and there, and not much of anything else.If someone approached me today, asking me to recommend an introductory book to woodworking, "Beginners Guide to Woodworking: An introduction to Basic Hand Tools, Equipment, and Techniques in Starting Your Woodworking Journey" would be way down on my list.3 out of 5, and I am being generous..