Hand Tool Essentials: Refine Your Power Tool Projects with Hand Tool Techniques (Popular Woodworking)

Review by Philip C. Jones for Hand Tool Essentials: Refine Your Power Tool Projects with Hand Tool Techniques (Popular Woodworking)
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In summary, this is just a terrific book. Unlike the other reviewer, I did NOT contribute any articles to it, and hence can be considered unbiased.

The book is actually a collection of articles, the primary emphasis of which is on the basics of tool preparation, and in particular on edge tools. I think this is appropriate since poorly set up and mis-sharpened tools are virtually impossible to work with. Thus, mastering the basics of tool preparation is a pre-requisite to successful and enjoyable woodworking just as mastering the basics of “blocking and tackling” is necessary for a successful football team.

The book typically offers different viewpoints by different authors — numerous approaches to sharpening edge tools are covered, for example. Again, this seems appropriate since it gives the newcomer to the hobby a variety of different approaches with different entry-dollar requirements to choose from.

I particularly liked the detailed instructions on how to make and use certain fairly basic tools—the article on drawboring, for example, was just superb. On top of all this, the book concludes with several really first-rate projects: an arts and crafts tool cabinet, a workbench, and a sawbench that I really like. I’m actually planning on building all three projects, and I can’t remember when I last saw even a single published project that I wished to build.

This is probably the best single book on hand tools you can buy. If you’re just starting out, get this first—it’ll save you lots of time and trouble. The more experienced woodworker will also find some very useful stuff in here.

My only complaint is that I wish the book had had more material on saws and more material on tool making. But then it would be a different book, wouldn’t it?

Review by M. Cherubini for Hand Tool Essentials: Refine Your Power Tool Projects with Hand Tool Techniques (Popular Woodworking)
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I contributed 4 articles to this book. When I signed the form, I wasn’t sure which 4 or what sort of book would result! I just got my copy and I’m thrilled with it.

The editor, David Thiel, is an expert woodworker and author. My articles aside, he didn’t choose esoteric stuff that you’ll never do. There are many articles on sharpening, articles on chisels, saws, and planes (the big three!). There’s an article on outfitting your shop on a budget, and plans for Chris Schwarz’ “French” workbench.

There are no “filler” articles or driftwood Santa carving articles. Thiel chose articles that will bring the reader up to speed on the latest hand tools and techniques. If you want to learn how to get the most from your chisels or learn what Master David Charlesworth’s “Ruler Trick” is all about, you’ll find it here.

What you won’t find is concensus view. And you may even find some contradictory or controversial views. But that’s where we are with hand tools. You get to sort it out.

Woodworkers are always asking me for good introductory books on working wood by hand. Now I have an answer for them. I think this is a must read.

Adam Cherubini

Review by Tom Knighton for Hand Tool Essentials: Refine Your Power Tool Projects with Hand Tool Techniques (Popular Woodworking)
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Knowing that this was basically just a collection of Popular Woodworking articles, I was prepared to be underwelmed. Talk about disappointment! I HATE being wrong like this! In short, this is a truly impressive collection of information that looks more like a group of knowledgable hand tool experts put together, rather than just articles grabbed and put together in a book form.

The book is laid out in a logical way, starting with a “Why Handtools” section, going into sharpening (a must for any hand tool user), then saws, chisels, and the like. The last section are a couple of projects that blend hand tools and power tools well, and that will serve any workshop well for years to come. Honestly, the beautiful tool cabinet of Christopher Schwarz’s is worth the cost of the book by itself!

This is a must have for, I believe, any woodworker. There’s no preaching about hand tool supremacy, nor any reference to “quaint” ideas of woodworking. Instead, this book offers the modern woodwork a glimpse of the realms where hand tools still excel, and how they can be incorporated into the modern workshop. At the same time, it shows how a hand tool only shop can still produce quality work equal to that of the powered shop.

Review by D. J. for Hand Tool Essentials: Refine Your Power Tool Projects with Hand Tool Techniques (Popular Woodworking)
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This is a great reference book. While I learned allot just browsing, it was most valuable when I wanted to reference a couple things and found that they were there and in sufficient detail to answer my questions. For me, there is possibly a little much on various forms of sharpening, but then that is s topic that seems to have as many ways as there are people to talk about it.

I have a Stanley cabinet scraper and I became convinced that they didn’t work worth a hoot. Then, reading that section, I learned I had prepared the blade wrong, changed it, and feel like I got a new tool out of the deal. Great value

Review by John J. Quinn for Hand Tool Essentials: Refine Your Power Tool Projects with Hand Tool Techniques (Popular Woodworking)
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As a neanderthal, non-electric woodworker, I found this book to be a boon of relavent information (not that there is anything ‘wrong’ with power woodworking). Lot’s of books I’ve seen are geared to collectors of hand tools, but this one is about using hand tools. It’s practical, accessible information for doing real work. Anyone wishing to get their arms around hand tools (sorry, bad metaphor) should own this work.

Review by GB Guitars for Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking: A Step-By-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Techniques (Bk. 1 & 2)
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I recently starte re-reading this book and I was surprised at how much I picked up from a 2nd reading. The book is full of practical advice on the use of both power tool and hand tools. There’s a lot of gems of information in there. And it’s a joy to find them.Of course, a book can only describe how to do something. You’ll need to put in the practice required to actually learn the technique. For example, this book has excellent descriptions of how to make full dovetails, half blind dovetails, and full blind dovetails all by hand. But you’ll need to put in quite a few hours of practice time before your dovetails look as good as his (I’m still working on mine). I once heard Frank Klaus lecture that we should all take 4 boards 4 feet long and dovetail them together. They’ll look terrible on our first try so saw off the ends and dovetail them again, and again, and again. By the time you really know how to make dovetails you’ll have a nice little box to hold your shoe polish.Overall this is an excellent overview of woodworking. My only warning would be to think twice about his power tool advice. There are several pictures which show him doing what I consider to be potentially dangerous things on his table saw. In the chapter about sharpening a hand saw he demonstrates how to build a jig for that purpose. This picture of him “squaring up a seam” on his table saw while holding the piece with his hand scares the hell out of me.But even with that caveat, I still think that every woodworker should own this book.

Review by Nuno Souto for Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking: A Step-By-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Techniques (Bk. 1 & 2)
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Master Tage Frid has put in these books all anyone would ever need to become a very competent woodworker. Although I had been doing a lot of work before, once I got his books my level of confidence went to the stratosphere. I now tackle very complex projects using mostly hand tools without the slightest problem. He not only provides excellent advice but also does so in a manner that is easy to understand and makes a lot of sense.
Best text on general woodworking I’ve ever seen. And I’ve read most of them, even the very old ones.

Review by magicker71 for Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking: A Step-By-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Techniques (Bk. 1 & 2)
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I recently found myself getting interested in woodworking with the purchase of a new table saw and bought a couple of books, including this title. It’s impressive and an extremely good book for a beginner to purchase. The first section (3/4 of the book) shows you not only every way to join two pieces of wood, but shows you how to do each joint with different tools. So if you have a table saw but not a router, you can still make each of the joints. This book also has some great (and very simple) jigs to help get started. The second part is a combination of information about bending wood, finishing, etc. Although not as comprehensive as the first section, it still has some valuable information.Highly recommended to anyone.

Review by for Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking: A Step-By-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Techniques (Bk. 1 & 2)
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I am a sort of begginner ive been in shop class, but i never really knew anything about real woodworking and fine joinery… this book taught me all that and more…. it is seriously the best … i have ever spent, the book might be aged, but it doesnt matter, everything is explained very clearly, the diagrams are real nice, and as for the pictures, even though they are in black and white, it really oesnt matter, there is not too many or too few of them and they serve their purpouse perfectly, i can not stress how much i recomend this book to any novice wood worker, its really a tool for learning, and is enjoyable to read through, although it can very easily be used as a reference manual. all the jigs he shows are easy to make and the directions for how to make them are really good, he really coveres everything you need to know, from choosing and preparing stock, to finishing it, it is all in there.

Review by for Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking: A Step-By-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Techniques (Bk. 1 & 2)
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This book was suggested to me with the words “Anyone who wants to be a woodworker instead of a hobbiest needs this book”. That’s a pretty strong recommendation, but the quality of this book can back it up. It’s a plain looking book, it’s full of useful information instead of pretty pictures, but Tage’s descriptions of woodworking task paint their own picture. For everything from “how to hand cut a full blind dovetail” to “how tosharpen your saw” you’ll come back to this book again and again.