The Woodworker’s Bible: A Complete Guide to Woodworking (Popular Woodworking)

419 Pages·2007·18.73 MB·English

by  Percy Blandford

WOODWORKING
WOOD
• b oard foot (bf)=1"×1'×1' piece
of lumber
• 4 /4 rough lumber = 1"-thick THINGS CHANGE, to be sure, and woodworking is no exception.
lumber New tools come on the market, older tools are upgraded and a num-
• 5 /4 rough lumber = 11⁄4"-thick ber of new, finely made hand tools are now available. Regardless of
lumber the subtle changes, the basic principles used by woodworkers have
remained constant.
FASTENERS
The novice woodworker can produce satisfactory work following
• 2 d nail = 1"
these unchanging woodworking traditions and using just some basic
• 6 d nail = 2"
tools. Once these lessons are learned, all woodworking tasks are only
• 1 0d nail = 3"
a short step away. Power tools can take much of the drudgery out of
• 2 0d nail = 4"
woodworking, hand tools bring you closer to your work to teach you
• s tandard specification for a
the characteristics of wood and how to make the most of the material.
typical machine screw is:
This book offers all the knowledge needed to get started in wood-
1⁄
4-20 × 13⁄4" = 1⁄4"-diameter by
working. All of the joints, jigs, methods, techniques and processes that
13⁄4"-long machine bolt with 20
have stood the test of time are included (along with a number of basic
threads per inch
projects to practice the techniques). Woodworking offers enough vari-
ety to satisfy the widest range of tastes and inclinations. Let this book be
SANDPAPER
your guide for whatever direction you want your work to take.
Coarse-to-fine standard grits:
• 6 0 grit-good for rough shaping
• 8 0 grit-removes tooling marks
• 1 00 grit-removes 80-grit marks
• 1 20 grit-final grit before painting
• 1 50 grit-good prep for 180 grit
• 1 80 grit-prep for 220 grit
• 2 20 grit-final grit for staining and/
Z1553 US $19.99
or finishing wood
(CAN $24.99)
ISBN-13: 978-1-55870-826-6
ISSBBNN-1 09: 17-855-817-05-85286-7X0-826-6
9 0 0 0 0
9 781558 708266
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UPC
EAN
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POPULAR WOODWORKING BOOKS
CINCINNATI, OHIO
www.popularwoodworking.com
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Woodworker’s Bible. Copyright © 2007 by Percy Blandford. Printed and bound in the United States of
America. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic
or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing
from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Reprinted by Popu-
lar Woodworking Books, an imprint of F+W Publications, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati,
Ohio, 45236.
Distributed in Canada by Fraser Direct
100 Armstrong Avenue
Georgetown, Ontario L7G 5S4
Canada
Distributed in the U.K. and Europe by David & Charles
Brunel House
Newton Abbot
Devon TQ12 4PU
England
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail:
To prevent accidents, keep safety in mind while you work. Use the safety
guards installed on power equipment; they are for your protection. When
working on power equipment, keep fingers away from saw blades, wear
safety goggles to prevent injuries from flying wood chips and sawdust,
wear hearing protection and consider installing a dust vacuum to reduce
the amount of airborne sawdust in your woodshop. Don’t wear loose
clothing, such as neckties or shirts with loose sleeves, or jewelry, such
as rings, necklaces or bracelets, when working on power equipment. Tie
back long hair to prevent it from getting caught in your equipment. People
who are sensitive to certain chemicals should check the chemical content
of any product before using it. The authors and editors who compiled this
book have tried to make the contents as accurate and correct as possible.
Plans, illustrations, photographs and text have been carefully checked.
All instructions, plans and projects should be carefully read, studied and
understood before beginning construction. Due to the variability of local
conditions, construction materials, skill levels, etc., neither the author
nor Popular Woodworking Books assumes any responsibility for any
accidents, injuries, damages or other losses incurred resulting from the
material presented in this book. Prices listed for supplies and equipment
were current at the time of publication and are subject to change.
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The present-day woodworker is carrying on a noble tradition in a craft
that not only is important today but will always be needed, even if some of
its aspects change and new developments are contributed by other fields.
The novice woodworker, without skill and a minimum of tools, can pro-
duce simple yet satisfactory work in a very short time. From this he can
go on to greater things, for not only is woodworking an absorbing hobby,
it can become a part- or full-time profession.
Power tools have their place in taking some of the drudgery out
of woodworking, but anyone who wants to become skilled in the craft
should master hand methods before trying to use power tools extensively.
Only in this way can the worker appreciate the characteristics of wood
and learn to make the most of the material. An important part of wood-
working craftsmanship is a feel for wood, not as easily acquired when an
electric motor is substituted for muscle power.
Most woodworkers who start by doing a few simple things, like
making shelves or boxes, eventually want to move on to more ambitious
projects. Woodwork construction has evolved over centuries, producing
joints, methods, techniques and processes that have stood the test of time.
This book details all of these. Woodworking has in it enough variety to
satisfy the widest range of tastes and inclinations. I hope this book will be
your guide for whatever direction you want to take.
Percy W. Blandford
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Percy W. Blandford was born in 1912 in Bristol,
England. He is the author of 112 books and 4,000
articles on woodworking, metalworking and yacht-
ing. Trained as an engineer during the ’20s and ’30s
the depression forced Blandford into technical
teaching and writing. During WWII he served in
the Royal Air Force maintaining aircraft and writ-
ing maintenance manuals for British and American
aircraft. After the war he started writing for American yachting and wood-
working magazines. Percy still has a shop on his property outfitted with
woodworking tools and machinery, both modern and family heirlooms.
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Chapter One
WOOD…9
Chapter Two
HAND TOOLS…36
Chapter Three
POWER TOOLS…90
Chapter Four
TOOL MAINTENANCE…116
Chapter Five
USING TOOLS…141
Chapter Six
FASTENERS…172
Chapter Seven
WOODWORKING JOINTS…189
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Chapter Eight
TURNING WOOD…228
Chapter Nine
CARVING…275
Chapter Ten
VENEER AND INLAYING…332
Chapter Eleven
PICTURE FRAMING…345
Chapter Twelve
FINISHING WOOD…356
Chapter Thirteen
OUTDOOR WOODWORK…371
Chapter Fourteen
WOODWORK IN THE HOME…386
Index…410
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8 THE WO ODWORKER’S BIBLE
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