Best Woodworking Projects
One Man's Wilderness, written by Sam Keith from the journals of Proenneke, is a re-released classic that first captivated readers twenty-six years ago. Though few will follow Proenneke's lead, his story can be quite inspiring.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Read how Richard Proenneke built his cabin by hand and thrived (mostly alone) in the bush. What This Book Is: - An important introduction to Richard Proenneke's story. - Heavily edited (I would even say rewritten). - A pleasant, easy read (goes great with the 2-part documentary that airs on PBS). - Easy to get your hands on very quickly. What This Book Is Not: - Richard Proenneke's authentic journals, in his OWN words. - Proenneke's story told in his own voice. I was captivated after watching the 2-part PBS documentary, "Alone in the Wilderness". Bottom Line: - I would rate this book ("One Man's Wilderness") 3.5 stars if I could. - I would rate "The Early Years" 5 stars, hands down. - I recommend this book as an easier, quicker read."
"I have been to Alaska and my family made memories we will tell for the rest of our lives, the desire to go back and explore more is a fire that's been fully ignited."
"I was telling my husband about this book as I started reading it. There is nothing dull about this book and I suspect the people who find it dull haven't any interest in living in the wilderness without Blackberries, i-pods, automobiles and restaurants."
"I've read it a couple of times."
"Not because it has a sad ending, I was just sad to no longer share in the adventure."
"What a fun read."
"Dick could fabricate or make virtually everything he needed...pots and pans out of gas can tins, forks and spoons out of stump wood, tables, chairs, bunk beds, even wooden hinges!"
"If you have never traveled to remote Alaska, you will want to after reading his book."
After two New York Times bestsellers, Nick Offerman returns with the subject for which he's known best—his incredible real-life woodshop. Praise for Good Clean Fun “ Good Clean Fun has helped me discover new ways to have fun in the shop… If Offerman’s goal is to expose a wider audience to the world of woodworking, he’s hit the nail on the head. Good Clean Fun may be the first woodworking book that’s actually fun to read.” —Woodcraft Magazine.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Most of these articles you skim, get inspired with techniques and design elements, and apply those to your own projects. You should be warned however that some of the projects here are going to come off as a bit precious for an older experienced woodworker, but then, many of the projects are going to be approachable and exciting to younger and inexperienced woodworkers."
"A book I did enjoy that has now a number of youtube posts is done by Paul Sellers (woodworking 1 and 2) and provided me what I needed for a introduction to woodworking, good skills to learn and the bare bones for some other stuff."
"Inspirational book -- Even if you don't build any of the beautiful projects."
"This book is great so far."
"This is a great read regardless of if you are into woodworking as a hobbies, maker, professional or consumer."
"I like the writing and the stories very much...The book if very well written...but I was looking for more actual woodworking projects and the ones in the book just weren't that interesting to me."
"his philosophy is great and its a funny read."
"Christmas gift for my father in law who enjoys wood working."
Complete with stunning photographs and plenty of inspiration, each of the designs in DIY Wood Pallet Projects will be the perfect addition to your home. Karah is a regular contributor to Remodelaholic.com and has been featured on The Home Depot's blog, The Huffington Post , BuzzFeed, iVillage, and Tip Junkie, among others.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I'm extremely happy with the book."
"This book has lots of good projects but haven't had the opportunity to make any yet!"
"For once, a DIY book where every tutorial is is actually useful and a good one!"
"Great rainy day projects and if you do the county or local farmers markets, a potential project list that could generate some additional income without high costs of materials."
"....there is not much contained in this book that I didn't already know, was hoping for more new ideas and intricate plans."
"I'm a beginner and I feel building with pallets is a good start."
"Easy to follow plans and great ideas."
"This is a group of projects for kids."
Best Woodworking
One Man's Wilderness, written by Sam Keith from the journals of Proenneke, is a re-released classic that first captivated readers twenty-six years ago. Though few will follow Proenneke's lead, his story can be quite inspiring.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Read how Richard Proenneke built his cabin by hand and thrived (mostly alone) in the bush. What This Book Is: - An important introduction to Richard Proenneke's story. - Heavily edited (I would even say rewritten). - A pleasant, easy read (goes great with the 2-part documentary that airs on PBS). - Easy to get your hands on very quickly. What This Book Is Not: - Richard Proenneke's authentic journals, in his OWN words. - Proenneke's story told in his own voice. I was captivated after watching the 2-part PBS documentary, "Alone in the Wilderness". Bottom Line: - I would rate this book ("One Man's Wilderness") 3.5 stars if I could. - I would rate "The Early Years" 5 stars, hands down. - I recommend this book as an easier, quicker read."
"I have been to Alaska and my family made memories we will tell for the rest of our lives, the desire to go back and explore more is a fire that's been fully ignited."
"I was telling my husband about this book as I started reading it. There is nothing dull about this book and I suspect the people who find it dull haven't any interest in living in the wilderness without Blackberries, i-pods, automobiles and restaurants."
"I've read it a couple of times."
"Not because it has a sad ending, I was just sad to no longer share in the adventure."
"Dick could fabricate or make virtually everything he needed...pots and pans out of gas can tins, forks and spoons out of stump wood, tables, chairs, bunk beds, even wooden hinges!"
"If you have never traveled to remote Alaska, you will want to after reading his book."
"A very special book by a very special author."
Best Woodworking Furniture & Carpentry
Superbly detailed, this step-by-step guide walks readers through the stages of planning, design, construction and installation. Danny Proulx opened his own custom kitchen-remodeling shop, Rideau Cabinets, in 1989.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I've been buying books on kitchen cabinet construction in anticipation of building some cabinets for my house. Looking past the style and materials, there are nice pictures of the construction process he uses, dimensions and decent information to build this style of cabinet. I think a good book on kitchen cabinet construction should cover different materials and construction techniques for building the cases, the pros/cons of each and the tools required for different approaches."
"which is the basic material for European style cabinets and this method also saves you a good deal of money over laminated hardwood faced plywood cabinets The melamine coating is also easy to clean and very strong, and the use of hidden hinges and adjustable legs make for easy installation, a time saving feature."
"This book is ok, but it's mostly aimed at someone wanting to build cabinet carcasses from melamine covered particle board and screwed corner joints."
"Cabinetmakers thinking of using this info commercially would benefit more from avoiding that race to the bottom with poor materials and cheap construction."
"There is some good information in the book but it was not worth the price for me."
"Basically, this book presents anatomy of standard, out of mill, unimaginative kitchen cabinets."
"If you really want to read something written by a pro, and with much better techniques (and results) I'd suggest you buy Building Kitchen Cabinets by Udo Schmidt."
Best Hand Tools
The book takes beginners through all of the basic techniques needed to tackle a wide range of machining operations. The wide range of projects provides items that are both interesting to make and useful in the workshop, including a cylindrical square, a between-centers test bar, hole and distance gauges, tailstock die holders, precision tapers, screw jack, two wheel knurling tool, mill drill spindle and more. Buyers of this book not only get a training manual on using the lathe, but also receive practical instruction on how to apply the knowledge that it presents. Harold Hall is the author of several of Special Interest Model Books Workshop Practice Series titles.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very good explaination based around useful project which real completed my knowledge."
"Another good book for reference."
"Excellent well written clear instructions."
"Great learning and reference book."
"I really enjoy his writing style and he fully explains eah concept so there is no guessing or incomplete info."
"Even though I also ordered the above book from Amazon, they didn't know or bother to warn me that this IS THE SAME BOOK with a different title!"
Best Kitchen Remodeling & Renovation
Superbly detailed, this step-by-step guide walks readers through the stages of planning, design, construction and installation. Danny Proulx opened his own custom kitchen-remodeling shop, Rideau Cabinets, in 1989.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I've been buying books on kitchen cabinet construction in anticipation of building some cabinets for my house. Looking past the style and materials, there are nice pictures of the construction process he uses, dimensions and decent information to build this style of cabinet. I think a good book on kitchen cabinet construction should cover different materials and construction techniques for building the cases, the pros/cons of each and the tools required for different approaches."
"which is the basic material for European style cabinets and this method also saves you a good deal of money over laminated hardwood faced plywood cabinets The melamine coating is also easy to clean and very strong, and the use of hidden hinges and adjustable legs make for easy installation, a time saving feature."
"This book is ok, but it's mostly aimed at someone wanting to build cabinet carcasses from melamine covered particle board and screwed corner joints."
"Cabinetmakers thinking of using this info commercially would benefit more from avoiding that race to the bottom with poor materials and cheap construction."
"There is some good information in the book but it was not worth the price for me."
"Basically, this book presents anatomy of standard, out of mill, unimaginative kitchen cabinets."
"If you really want to read something written by a pro, and with much better techniques (and results) I'd suggest you buy Building Kitchen Cabinets by Udo Schmidt."
Best Furniture Design
Discover the joys of upholstery and bring new life to your worn-out furniture. *Starred Review* It stands to reason that a big, heavily illustrated book of instructions on how to upholster furniture should be as attractive as the finished projects it presents. Amanda Brown from Spruce has been our resident upholstery expert for a while and we were thrilled when she told us she was working on a book. That gorgeous book, Spruce: A Step-by-Step Guide to Upholstery and Design , officially launched yesterday and is chock-full of beautiful (and helpful) upholstery instructions, illustrated by more than 900 step-by-step photographs. Upholstery has always been daunting to me, but Amanda is an excellent teacher and everything she’s shared in this book will help you master the techniques and skills you need to reupholster any piece of furniture to suit your own taste and style.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Reasons I prefer this book above the rest: The author covers enough different styles of furniture so that you can tackle anything - and shows you how to determine which instructions would be best in her book for different pieces of furniture. The author combines more modern techniques (using foam and pneumatic stapler) with techniques that will help your piece of furniture stand the test of time. The only reason you wouldn't need to buy this book is if you lived in Austin, TX and could take a class from her personally."
"Very handy and provides good information."
"I am a "do-it-yourself" person and really appreciate the different projects in your book."
"That said, I have perused the book (kindle version) and been very impressed with the whole format: instructions, photography, and projects are well presented and detailed."
"This book is excellent."
"Excellent instructions for any furniture project."
"I've been taking an upholstery class with a really great 'old school' instructor teaching exacting and thorough processes."
"LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!"
Best Woodworking Tools
The Complete Guide to Sharpening. Leonard Lee is a contributor for Taunton Press titles including The Complete Guide to Sharpening.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great book but only one somewhat brief section on sharpening knives."
"This book includes incredible detail to suit those who simply want to sharpen a knife, to the science and detail behind WHY it's sharpened the way it is."
"If you think you want to know something about sharpening, read this book."
"I was a little nervous to sharpen my woodworking tools before buying this book."
"The husband has assured me this is *the* book on sharpening."
"A very informative book on sharpening."
"Much of the content is timeless, but he does make specific recommendations for products that are either no longer available, or have been made obsolete by better technology."
Best Woodworking Decoys
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Everything was satisfactory."
"This is a very good reference book on how to carve eyes on duck carvings, the detail is fantastic, I will consider buying all in the series,"
"There are other books in the "Bird Carving Basics" series, including "Heads," "Feet," "Bills and Beaks," "Texturing," and "Painting," but there's a reason why "Eyes" is number one. The procedures for setting glass and plastic eyes are covered in detail, as are the techniques for carving or burning the eyes into the wood itself, including Pete Peterson's innovative method for making eyes in folk art fish and shorebirds by using a sharpened rifle cartridge mounted in a wooden rod. Peterson uses no filler, but prefers to friction-fit, setting the eyes into very snug, carefully drilled holes, the lack of filler ensuring a perfect finish when the carving is to be left natural or stained."
"Other books have the same information and a lot more would not waste to much on this it is repetative in copied from other J D Sprankle books."