Best Woodworking Books

New to woodworking? Or are you a veteran woodworker obsessed with learning new skills? You’ll find all the tools you need to hone your skills and achieve mastery in woodworking. In this article, we’ll dissect the best woodworking books for all levels of expertise.

Working Wood 1 & 2

With 40 years of experience as a woodworking expert, Paul Sellers provides an essential program for beginners who wish to learn the skills of woodworking; intermediate craftsmen who wish to refine their skills; and experts who simply enjoy using the book as a resourceful reference. If becoming an expert woodworking craftsman is your goal, get this book, study it contents and have it handy for each and every applicable project.

In Working Wood 1 & 2 one will find the tools necessary (pun intended) to shape and sharpen wood; learn to restore and preserve hand-held tools; joint making and guided instructions of complex layouts. The beauty of Mr. Seller’s program is that not only does each lesson provide the knowledge required to create masterful art with the essential tools—but each project in the program results in woodwork truly worth bragging about.

Along with teaching the skills necessary and vital to woodworking craftsmanship, putting an emphasis on the sharpness of tools is without lacking in this book. Paul Sellers truly sells the importance of having sharp tools and tactfully proves how necessary precision is for accurate results. Provided in this guide are detailed instructions on how to restore the tools for years of reuse.

The New Bandsaw Box Book: Techniques and Patterns For The Modern Woodworker

Creating boxes is the bees-knees in the woodworking industry. With both beginners and seasoned woodworking experts alike agreeing that box making is an essential tool for basic woodwork skills. In this book: The New Bandsaw Box Book, by David Picciuto (aka “the drunken woodworker”,) Mr. Picciuto provides a fun and easy guide on how to create masterful wooden boxes.

According to plenty of woodworking craftsmen, making a wooden box is loads of fun, requires little material and is packed full of worthwhile challenges—as we all know, accomplishing challenging work makes finished projects that much more meaningful! Imagine creating a masterful piece of wooden work than presenting your masterpiece to a friend, or family member, as a gift and watching them ooo and ahh in pure delight.

By leaving out mundane and boring old instructions—keeping up with the woodworking times is a key attribute in The New Bandsaw Box Book. With little material required, easy step-by-step instructions and Mr. Picciuto’s fun, beer-loving charm, anyone can create these beautiful boxes with a bandsaw machine. The bandsaw is considered a vital asset in the woodworking industry and in this book, you will find out why this stationary tool is crucial to box-making success.

Understanding Wood: A Craftsman’s Guide To Wood Technology

The book: Understanding Wood: A Craftsman’s Guide To Wood Technology is a staple in the woodworking industry. Considered the Godfather book of all things wood, this read is, rightfully so, referenced as a necessity for every—both aspiring and seasoned—woodworking craftsman to possess. The original Understanding Wood edition, written almost 40 years ago, has sold over 130,000 copies. With such a perfect platform for new and updated information, this new edition deserves its spot as a top contender on best woodworking books today.

Why is this comprehensive guide considered such a gem in the woodworking community? The author, Bruce Hoadley, is not only an expert on all things wood—he is a professor of wood science at UMASS and has studied the properties of wood for decades. Called upon by police, prosecutors and defense attorneys for his forensic expertise in wood, Hoadley has assisted in murder cases, arson and has also aided an investigation with the reconstruction of an accident scene.

With more than 300 pictures to illustrate topics, Understanding Wood: A Craftsman’s Guide To Wood Technology will draw in even the most, seemingly, uninterested reader. This book will provide assistance to anyone who aspires to learn about the core values of wood—and will be the ultimate go-to for every woodworking craftsman for years to come.

For the Love of Woodworking

When it comes to woodworking, who should you listen to? These authors have years (sometimes decades) of experience in woodworking or teaching woodworking. You might not be able to have them mentor you one-on-one, but what’s the next best thing? Books! For the love of woodoworking, it’s time to get learning.