Know-How

Every craft has at its heart a collection of essential information about design, tools, techniques, and materials. This is the core knowledge for that craft, that fundamental know-how you need to be a competent and successful craftsman.

This web site provides the core knowledge for the woodworking craft. During the thirty years I have spent writing about and teaching woodworking, I found myself explaining certain key concepts over and over again. These, I came to realize, were the foundation of woodworking. No matter what you set out to build from wood, you need to understand this essential information to make intelligent decisions and anticipate problems as your project progresses. Without it your craftsmanship diminishes, and with it your hope of building something of lasting beauty and utility. This indispensable woodworking wisdom falls into four categories. And for those who want to go beyond the core, there is a fifth:

Design

Before you cut your first board, you must have a design to achieve the results you're after. To create a workable design, you must understand important properties of the wood you will be using, methods for joining that wood, typical construction techniques that are appropriate for the type of project you are building, styles of craftsmanship that will enhance and compliment the environment where this project will be used, and finally how to think through and plan a project.

The Nature of Wood
Joining Wood
Furniture Construction
Built-In Construction
Architectural Trim & Finish Work
Special Constructions
Styles of Craftsmanship
Planning a Project

Tools

More so than many other crafts, woodworking gives you an amazing variety of tools you can use to build a project -- hand tools, portable power tools, and stationary power tools. Oftentimes, there are a dozen or more different tools that will accomplish the same task. To achieve the best results, you must understand the available choices, organize them in an environment where you can use them safely and effectively, and maintain them so they will produce satisfactory results.

The Workshop Environment
Workbenches & Shop Furniture
Hand Tools
Stationary Power Tools
Portable Power Tools
Jigs and Fixtures
Tool Maintenance
Sharpening

"Old Disston hand saw"

Techniques

Almost every woodworking project evolves though the same steps -- cutting lumber to size, creating the joinery and decor, assembly, surface preparation, and finishing. Within these steps, there are hundreds of different ways to use a tool or combination of tools to help accomplish each step. These woodworking techniques fall into two categories -- methods that produce decorative results and those in which the results are more utilitarian and general.

General Methods:

Jointing & Planing
Sawing
Drilling & Boring
Routing
Making Wood Joints
Gluing and Clamping
Sanding, Scraping, and Filing
Finishing

Decorative Methods:

Shaping & Molding
Scrollwork
Lathe Turning
Bending Wood
Veneering & Laminating

Materials

There are thousands of wood species in the world, and hundreds of them are commonly used for woodworking. Additionally, there are dozens of "wood products" that are made from wood for construction and metal hardware designed specifically for woodworking projects. To make the wisest possible choices, you should know not only what is available to you, but how it is prepared.

Sawing & Preparing Lumber
Hardwoods & Softwoods
Plywood & Sheet Materials
Veneers & Laminates
Finishes
Woodworking Hardware
The Wood Handbook

Woodworking Resources

When core knowledge isn't enough -- and it soon won't be if your craftsmanship grows -- there are many places where you can find additional information. At the ends of each section, we've included books, web sites, and other sources for more information on topics relevant that specific section. We've also put together a list of more general resources:

Online Woodworking Resources
Woodworking Publications
Woodworking Organizations
Woodworking Schools
Woodworking Tools and Supplies