Woodworking Basics presents an approach to learning
woodworking that has proven successful for hundreds of people who
have taken the author's introductory course over the past 20 years.
Peter Korn's method helps new woodworkers learn the right techniques
from the beginning. More experienced woodworkers can use it to
master the classic furniture-making skills key to fine
craftsmanship. Korn includes two attractive and useful projects -- a
small bench and a side table with a door and drawer -- providing you
the opportunity to practice skills and develop confidence with
tools.
This book provides a step-by-step introduction to all aspects of
woodworking, including:
- Safe use of woodworking machinery
- Correct use of hand tools
- Milling a board four-square
- Cutting a mortise-and-tenon joint
- Cutting dovetails
About the Author:
Peter Korn is the Executive Director of the Center for Furniture
Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine, which offers hands-on courses for
novice, intermediate, and advanced woodworkers. He is also the
author of Working With Wood (The Taunton Press, 1993), on
which this revised edition is based, and The Woodworker's Guide
to Hand Tools (The Taunton Press, 1998). He has more than 30
years of experience as a professional woodworker, and his
award-winning furniture has been exhibited nationally in galleries
and museums.
Introduction:
This book evolved from the Basic Woodworking workshop that I began
teaching in 1981 and still teach to this day. Class participants
range from absolute beginners to experienced woodworkers who are
competent with machinery but still need to master the hand skills so
essential to fine craftsmanship. Like the course, this book presents
indispensable information on wood characteristics, joinery, and
tools, and then leads you through a series of projects that build
upon one another sequentially. We begin by milling a piece of wood
four-square and end with construction of a handsome side table that
incorporates a drawer and a frame-and-panel door. These exercises
have worked well for my students over the years. If you read this
book and carefully work through the projects, you will establish a
solid foundation in woodworking craftsmanship that will enable you
to build beautiful furniture with confidence.
Although I have taught graduate and undergraduate furniture
design at a university and still give courses for intermediate and
advanced furniture makers, Basic Woodworking continues to be my
favorite teaching experience. The excitement with which beginners
approach the most mundane skills revitalizes my own sense of wonder.
We begin with nothing more tangible than intent and end with a
sensitive, sometimes beautiful object that will be an intimate part
of daily life. What comes in between is craftsmanship.
To understand craftsmanship, we must ask not only "What has been
made?" and "How has this been made?" but also "Who made this and
why?" Craftsmanship is a relationship between the maker and the
process of creation. It is not simply a set of skills one acquires,
like the ability to read or drive a car. More than anything,
craftsmanship is a matter of attitude: why we choose to devote time
to such a demanding endeavor, why we choose to make a certain object
of a certain appearance, and how we go about it.
In this context, craftsmanship is first and foremost an
expression of the human spirit. I choose to work as a craftsman
because the process answers a need of my spirit; the object I make
is the physical expression of the interaction between spirit and
matter. How is this different than the work of the artist?
The artist is not concerned with the utility of the created
object; the craftsman is. I care that a chair be comfortable,
sturdy, and durable, that it look inviting to sit in, that its
presence in a room be neither overbearing nor withdrawn. This care
is implicit in every step of making the chairin drawing up the
plans, choosing the wood, maintaining my tools, milling the rough
lumber to size, cutting the joinery, planing, scraping, sanding, and
applying the finish.
Craftsmanship is both attitude and skills. This book offers a
foundation in both. Individual character will determine the pace of
your growth as a craftsman and the nature of your work. In return,
the practice of craftsmanship will affect your character.
There is no one right way to do anything in woodworking. The
right way is the way that works best for you, and what works best is
a balance between the time something takes, the tools available, the
pleasure you seek in the process, and the quality of result you are
looking for. In my shop I prefer hand tools over machinery for
joining and smoothing surfaces; I like the quiet, the control, and
the communication between my hand and the work. Time is not as
important to me as it is in a commercial shop. My personal concerns
are quality and joy.
The methods and explanations offered in this book are
understandings I have arrived at through 30 years of practice. I
offer them not as the truth, but as one truth, as a starting point
for your own journey into craftsmanship. As you continue learning,
you may seek out teachers who will provide deeper insight into many
areas of expertise, but always remember that the most valuable
teacher you will encounter is yourself. Practice is the most
essential component to mastering craftsmanship. Learn from your
mistakes and successes, and, above all, learn from your hands.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
1. Wood
Physical Properties
Types of Wood
Buying Wood
2. Joinery
Coping with Wood Movement
Types of Joints
3. Introduction to Woodworking Machines
The Essential Tools
Shop Safety
The Table Saw
The Bandsaw
The Jointer
The Thickness Planer
The Drill Press
The Radial-Arm Saw
The Lathe
The Chopsaw
The Router
The Shaper
The Grinder
Sanders
4. Introduction to Hand Tools
The Workbench
Measuring Tools
Squares, Straightedges, and T-bevels
Marking Tools
Saws
Drills
Chisels
Mallets
Planes
Spokeshaves
Scrapers and Burnishers
Files and Rasps
Clamps
The Working Environment
Grinding and Sharpening
5. PROJECT 1: Milling a Board Four-Square
How to Mill Four-Square Stock
6. PROJECT 2: Cutting a Mortise and Tenon
Cutting a Mortise
Cutting a Tenon
7. PROJECT 3: Cutting Dovetails
Cutting Through Dovetails
8. PROJECT 4: Building a Small Bench
The Design Process
Making a Cutting List
Selecting the Lumber
Milling the Lumber
Cutting Half-Blind Dovetails
Cutting the Through-Wedged Mortise and Tenons
Edge Treatment
Gluing and Assembly
Applying the Finish
9. PROJECT 5: Building a Side Table
Building the Carcase
Building the Drawer
Building the Door
Completing the Table
Afterword
Index
Soft-cover, 8-1/2 x 10-7/8 in., 208 pages,
with color photos and drawings
Published 2003
ISBN: 978-1-56158-620-2
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