Seeking books and advice for getting started

So you post seems to me to be way too general in nature and I think you will get better responses and advice when you focus on a particular project and ask for specific help on it.

For example on the bunk bed illustration you might want to know what material would be the best and what type and how to make the joinery.

There is a vast library of subjects on his web site so you may find is helpful to do a search on you questions before asking anew. That way you will pick up on some of the techniques and nomenclature used.

-- Les B, Oregon

I appreciate your response.

I asked for recommended books and resources to get started on a path of knowledge and skill building as a whole. So I guess that’s the main focus on my post. I figure there is far more experience on the forum’s than I would have, so perhaps I just needed to word it differently? What’s recommendations one who has been through the trials and tribulations of getting started would say they wish they knew when they started? What tools and techniques would have greatly helped if they knew them earlier.

The posted images were not about questions, though more of an introduction to myself and some of the things I am planning to do. Your advice on things to ask for the bunk bed do help with a direction for that project and I appreciate it.

I will certainly look for the aspects of the bunk bed you recommended throughout the forum’s

Thank you

So you post seems to me to be way too general in nature and I think you will get better responses and advice when you focus on a particular project and ask for specific help on it.

For example on the bunk bed illustration you might want to know what material would be the best and what type and how to make the joinery.

There is a vast library of subjects on his web site so you may find is helpful to do a search on you questions before asking anew. That way you will pick up on some of the techniques and nomenclature used.

- LesB

PS. I just checked your projects. You have some good work!
I like the turned bowl/dish. I want to get a lathe and learn wood turning for sure.

So you post seems to me to be way too general in nature and I think you will get better responses and advice when you focus on a particular project and ask for specific help on it.

For example on the bunk bed illustration you might want to know what material would be the best and what type a how to make the joinery.

There is a vast library of subjects on his web site so you may find is helpful to do a search on you questions before asking anew. That way you will pick up on some of the techniques and nomenclature used.

- LesB

I m looking for some books or resources to learn different skills/techniques for designing/building wood and or other projects. Though I ve watched many shows and youtube channels to have some basic knowledge, I want to grow that with some more technical information.
- Sketchman1981

Recommended reading to all apprentices that come into my shop.
'Understanding Wood' by Bruce Hoadley

Understand the material you want to work with before you start to design.
Construction and longevity is far easier and longlasting if the base material agrees with your design.
Wood doesn’t care what you think…

Anna White should be beaten with this book.

-- “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.” – Plato

As LesB said, you have this site. thousand of forums and blogs to contemplate.

Doing something with your hands will make the reading that much more meaningful. Don’t start with cabinets, start with a dovetailed box. Sounds simple, but it’s not. You will find what is important (and what’s not), make valuable mistakes like cutting on the wrong side of a line, and see if your tools are useful for what you are doing.

Workbench: google Moravian and Roubo and Joiners Bench
Paul Sellers is referred to here often.
I’m a hand tool user, so learn how to sharpen. It is more important than having an expensive tool.

-- Mike (near Boston) ... Laziness is the mother of invention, necessity is the mother of exhaustion - me

You’ll learn a lot more once you actually start on a project and begin to encounter issues. It is hard to assimilate everything just by theory.

It looks like you have a nice selection of tools to get started with. These should serve you well for a lot of projects. The potential gap I saw is on tools for milling wood. You’ll probably find that most of the lumber you buy isn’t perfectly square or flat, which will make certain projects much more challenging. Jon Peters (youtube) has some projects that might show techniques applicable to your project wishlist.

New Yankee Workshop was inspiration for many woodworkers over the years. I really enjoyed The Wood Whisperer podcasts (I believe all are on youtube now). I don’t think I built any single project, but it had a useful level of detail on the projects that was transferable to my projects and his inclusion of some safety and other techniques was helpful given my limited background. Tom McLaughlin’s Epic Woodworking channel has some nice projects in a pretty extended format. You’ll need to find a presenter that resonates with you.

If you watch any learning source and spend time on forums, you’ll realize that there are many ways of getting things done. And each usually has some tradeoffs or challenges. It is a bit disruptive to hop between techniques continuously as you won’t learn any one of them very well. Sharpening and finishing come to mind here.

Are your tools in good working order? Are they aligned? do you know how to use them safely?
This is pretty important, as they have the potential to ruin your day pretty fast. On the table saw, it is important to confirm alignment between blade and fence and to understand how you’re going to avoid both putting your hand into the blade and getting kickback.

If you don’t have a crosscut sled for your table saw, that is a very useful project. Search for youtube video by William Ng on crosscut sled and five cut method. This will give you a very important and accurate jig.

If you have the space, an outfeed table for your table saw (wood whisperer has a video) would probably be a good project to start building something that will continue to be useful.

THIS IS GOOD BOOK FOR CABINETS :<))

-- Tony---- Reinholds,Pa.------ REMEMBER TO ALWAYS HAVE FUN :<))

Wood Handbook: Wood as Engineering Material from USDA Forest Products Laboratory.

-- If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all, - Albert King - Born Under a Bad Sign released 1967

So many books endlessly possibilities. But it sounds like you want to focus on machine woodworking. I have one book that is just on table saws. How to fully tune it up, how to make various cuts, etc.

Edit: found the book in my garage, its this one. As a machine woodworker your table saw will most likely be your main workhorse, so a good start:
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Table-Saw-Book/dp/1890621668

You should add to your list Flexner’s book “Understanding Wood Finishing”. There’s a new revision coming out (or is out), it’s the third one….so try to get it. There is a very large number of “how do I” questions on finishing, most of them dealing with fixing an “oops”. Start off with the basic knowledge with this book.

-- Our village hasn't lost it's idiot, he was elected to congress.

THIS IS GOOD BOOK FOR CABINETS :<))

- GR8HUNTER

I recommend this book too. I have it’s well worth having. Just keep in mind it more of a pictorial of how furniture goes together than written instructions.

-- Alaskan's for Global warming!

Looks like you want to do cabinet making or some furniture. For me, a used book store or Amazon ‘used’ was the cheapest way to go.

I did get a complete series of “The Workshop Companion” used hardcover for about $5 each from Amazon. They give a general knowledge to a newbie. Most of us probably gotten a good selection of books to reference off of. I have over forty books on woodworking. And I still don’t know what I’m doing. Most go over the same stuff, but some are better than others. So do be afraid of ordering a book with a copyright that’s 20 yrs old or older. When it comes to stains and finishes, you probably want a newer updated version, to help keep up with the current finishes or techniques.

I think a real good book on Shelves Cabinets & Book Cases is from Tauton Press, “Shelves Cabinets & Bookcases”. 8 1/2×10 3/4, Color pictures, 220 pages. Informative and how-to. https://www.amazon.com/Shelves-Cabinets-Bookcases-Editors-Woodworking/dp/1600850499/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1K5HZD3S342LS&dchild=1&keywords=shelves%2C+cabinets+%26+bookcases&qid=1607196069&s=books&sprefix=shelves%2Cstripbooks%2C200&sr=1-1

One of the best books I got was “Woodworking Wisdom & Know-How”, 10 1/2”x13 3/4”, 4891 pages. A big book with black & white pictures and small print. $15 https://www.amazon.com/Josh-Leventhal-Woodworking-Everything-Paperback/dp/B01FODB4XO/ref=sr_1_2?crid=J5G3L6SIKLL7&dchild=1&keywords=woodworking+wisdom+%26+know-how&qid=1607194104&sprefix=woodworking+wisdom%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-2

That Woodworking Wisdom and knowhow book is cool, but don’t get it if you have bad eyesight, kind of hard to read.

I recommend “ The complete manual of woodworking“ by Albert Jackson, David Day, Simon Jennings. I consider it an excellent all around book.

The chapters are:
1. Wood- the raw material

2. Designing In wood

3. Hand tools

4. Power tools

5. Machine tools

6. Homework workshops

7. Joinery

8. Bending wood

9. Veneering and Marquetry

10. Wood carving

11. Finishing Wood

12. Other materials

13. Supplies and fittings

My advice is to try not to be influenced too much by what others do including me. Look to the wood for guidance.
There’s still plenty of new and interesting work that hasn’t been discovered yet.
All you need is:
Curiosity
Good Energy
Open mindedness beware of the uncertainty that follows
But enjoy small surprises that feed your good energy.
Good Luck Always

-- Aj