Hand Tools: Their Ways and Workings by Aldren A. Watson

Living Mind
Home Improvement

Hand Tools Book

Hand Tools: Their Ways and Workings
by Aldren A. Watson

Paperback: 416 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.01 x 9.98 x 7.20
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company; (April 2002)
ISBN: 0393322769

Check price @ amazon.com , amazon.ca , amazon.co.uk

Book Description: A longtime woodworker's illustrated guide to the tools of the trade and how to use them. For those who would like to have the benefit of a woodworker's extensive experience with hand tools, this is the book to own. Crammed with practical information, it is the next best thing to looking over a craftsman's shoulder as he works with his tools, asking questions and getting straight answers in plain language, seeing how each tool is held and manipulated to get the best work out of it. From bit brace, chisel, and mallet to saws, specialized planes, drawknife, and spokeshave, Aldren Watson describes in detail the actions of the tools basic to good woodworking. All the procedures are explicitly illustrated with handsome line drawings, and an appendix gives plans and dimensions for making a workbench and other necessary pieces of shop equipment. With 450 b/w illustrations by the author.

About the Author: Aldren A. Watson is an illustrator and designer as well as woodworker and has written and illustrated many magazine articles and books, including The Blacksmith, published by Norton. He lives in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Customer Reviews
Hand Tools: Their Ways and Workings, August 13, 2001
Reviewer: Matthew P Boutte from Houston, Tx United States
This book is an excellent primer for anyone interested in woodworking with handtools. Clear illustrations identify tool particulars and correct usage and maintenance of each. All woodworking handtools from handplanes to screwdrivers are included. Also included is an appendix listing essential handtools for any woodshop. I have found this appendix, and the book itself, indispensable.

Superb, thorough guide to working with hand tools., July 7, 1999
Reviewer: A reader from Fremont, CA
Highly recommended. Studying and working from this book is the next best thing to taking lessons from a master craftsman in his shop. Clearly-presented instructions and handsome illustrations in pencil explain both the elementary use of hand tools and the techniques to obtain smooth, professional results. The author's style is clean and polished, like the operation of an efficient, well-tuned plane. After mastering the contents of this book, you'll be equipped to perform a wide range of woodworking tasks, and, even more, have the knowledge to find solutions to any greater technical challenges that come your way.

A must have for new woodworkers .Good for seasoned vets too!, January 27, 1997
Reviewer: A reader
The author has a gift for explaining some complex techniques in simple English. The drawings add immeasurably to the effort. I borrowed this book from the library, and now will order my own copy. If you want to be a traditional woodworker, you will be thrilled how the author goes tool by tool through those things that you need to have in your shop and illustrates what they are for and how to make them do what they are supposed to do

The best book on using traditional woodworking hand tools., December 3, 1996
Reviewer: A reader
In this book you will learn the tricks that a master woodworker teaches his apprentice. It is the best book on using and caring for traditional woodworking hand tools I have found. It covers everything from hand planes to the lowly nail set using excellently clear illistrations. In the back of the book is an appendix with plans for a no- nonsense workbench and other handy shop items you can make yourself. It has the best advice on sharpening hand saws and other tools I have ever read. The author uses clear, concise language that even a hairy-knuckled woodworker can undersand.

Hand Tools Related Book:
Ancient Carpenter's Tools: Illustrated and Explained, Together With the Implements of the Lumberman, Joiner, and Cabinet-Maker in Use in the Eighteenth Century
by Henry Chapman Mercer
Paperback: 352 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.67 x 9.27 x 6.10
Publisher: Dover Pubns; (May 2000)
ISBN: 0486409589

Choosing & Using Hand Tools
by Andy Rae
Paperback: 208 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.68 x 10.02 x 8.36
Publisher: Lark Books; 1st edition (May 2002)
ISBN: 1579902944

Classic Hand Tools
by Garrett Hack, John S. Sheldon (Photographer)
Hardcover: 224 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.77 x 11.20 x 9.31
Publisher: Taunton Pr; (October 1999)
ISBN: 1561582735

Encyclopedia of Antique Tools & Machinery
by C. H. Wendel
Paperback: 416 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.55 x 11.00 x 8.56
Publisher: Krause Publications; (November 2001)
ISBN: 0873416074

Essential Hand Tools: 26 Tools to Renovate and Repair Your Home
by Norm Abram (Editor), The Editors of This Old House Magazine
Paperback: 104 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.50 x 9.75 x 8.75
Publisher: This Old House Books; (January 15, 2000)
ISBN: 0966675304

Hand Tools: Their Ways and Workings
by Aldren A. Watson
Paperback: 416 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.01 x 9.98 x 7.20
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company; (April 2002)
ISBN: 0393322769

Keeping the Cutting Edge: Setting and Sharpening Hand and Power Saws
by Harold H. Payson
Paperback: ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.18 x 10.90 x 8.24
Publisher: WoodenBoat Publications; (February 1988)
ISBN: 0937822027

The Art of Fine Tools
by Sandor Nagyszalanczy
Hardcover: 240 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.79 x 10.33 x 10.29
Publisher: Taunton Pr; (October 1998)
ISBN: 1561582638

The Complete Guide to Sharpening
by Leonard Lee
Paperback: ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.60 x 10.99 x 8.53
Publisher: Taunton Pr; (December 1996)
ISBN: 1561581259

The Handplane Book
by Garrett Hack, John S. Sheldon (Photographer)
Paperback: 272 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.64 x 10.99 x 9.23
Publisher: Taunton Pr; (October 1999)
ISBN: 1561583170

The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening
by John Juranitch
Paperback: 143 pages
Publisher: Razor Edge Systems, Inc.; (July 5, 2000)
ISBN: 096660590X

The Woodworker's Guide to Hand Tools
by Peter Korn
Paperback: 201 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.53 x 10.00 x 8.02
Publisher: Taunton Pr; (May 1998)
ISBN: 1561582166

Woodworker's Hand Tools: An Essential Guide
by Rick Peters
Paperback: 192 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.66 x 10.08 x 8.67
Publisher: Sterling Publications; (October 2001)
ISBN: 0806966610