cover image Woodworker’s Handbook: The Beginner’s Reference to Tools, Materials, and Skills, Plus Essential Projects to Make

Woodworker’s Handbook: The Beginner’s Reference to Tools, Materials, and Skills, Plus Essential Projects to Make

Roger Horwood. Fox Chapel, $17.99 trade paper (168p) ISBN 978-1-4971-0065-7

In this easy-to-follow guide, the late Horwood (Step-by-Step Wooden Toys), who was a long-time woodworker, offers projects for readers both expert and novice. After a full-color guide to woods, from Oregon pine to Vietnamese rosewood, focused on the types of projects for which each wood is suited, Horwood undertakes an equally comprehensive guide to any conceivable tool a woodworker might choose, including bench vises, mortise gauges, dovetail saws, and spokeshaves. Not sure of the best way to saw? The author has it covered. Want to fix a wobbly joint? Horwood is on it. More advanced woodworkers will delight in the projects he outlines, which include a turned tripod table, a dining table, a bedside cabinet, and a dining chair. When it comes to finishing the wood, Horwood is a purist—“in the writer’s opinion, the application of paint to wood should be discouraged as this totally conceals the natural beauty of the timber”—but nevertheless gamely explains how to paint one’s masterpiece, as well as apply wood stains, polyurethane, and surface sealers. This slim yet comprehensive guide is a must-have for any woodworker, regardless of skill level. (Nov.)