Are just considering getting into woodworking as a hobby or have you been honing your skills for some time? The best way to improve your knowledge and ability is to through continued learning.
Are you short on ideas for woodworking projects? Do you feel like your productivity has hit a snag? The best woodworking books could be the answer.
The following list of the best woodworking books includes strategies and techniques that are well suited both to beginners and seasoned pros. Many of the authors are expert woodworkers themselves. This makes them duly qualified to offer advice and information on the subject.
If you’re ready to ramp up your woodworking skills and learn new techniques that you can start implementing right away, keep reading!
Table of contents
- The Top 5 Best Woodworking Books for the Aspiring Artisan
- 1. The Complete Manual of Woodworking: A Detailed Guide to Design, Techniques, and Tools for the Beginner and Expert
- 2. The Complete Book of Woodworking: Step-by-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Skills, Techniques, and Tips
- 3. I Can Do That! Woodworking Projects: 48 Quality Furniture Projects that Require Minimal Experience and Tools
- 4. Woodworking Basics – Mastering the Essentials of Craftsmanship – An Integrated Approach With Hand and Power Tools
- 5. The Big Book of Weekend Woodworking: 150 Easy Projects
- Final Thoughts
The Top 5 Best Woodworking Books for the Aspiring Artisan
Here are the top 5 best wood woodworking books that could serve as invaluable references and educational tools for your woodworking endeavors.
1. The Complete Manual of Woodworking: A Detailed Guide to Design, Techniques, and Tools for the Beginner and Expert
The Complete Manual of Woodworking by Albert Jackson and David Day is a comprehensive educational tool. It is comprised of over 1,800 drawings, diagrams, pictures, and is a guide to both the basics and the intricacies of woodworking.
From the essentials that all beginners need to know to more sophisticated strategies and techniques, this choice from the best woodworking books is a wealth of information for newbies and pros alike. It includes a detailed guide to the critical principles of soft and hardwoods while including a helpful guide to picking the correct hand tools for the type of project you want to do.
The book also includes a comprehensive discussion of some of the top techniques in the industry, including:
- Jointing
- Laminating
- Fastening
- Bonding
If you are brand new to woodworking and aren’t quite sure where to start, this book will be your go-to reference manual for how to leverage your hand tools correctly and productively.
2. The Complete Book of Woodworking: Step-by-Step Guide to Essential Woodworking Skills, Techniques, and Tips
If you learn best by reading in a step-by-step format, this book could be an excellent choice to suit your needs. It includes detailed guides to everything from tools of the trade, to tried-and-true techniques, to essential skills and strategies.
The book is a wealth of helpful tips that are super user-friendly to help beginner woodworkers complete projects efficiently. If you start at the beginning of the book and work through to the end, you could be amazed at how much your skills develop during that period.
The Complete Book of Woodworking: Step-by-Step Guide also features comprehensive guidelines for 40 woodworking projects you can do at home, along with more than 1,200 visual aids to help you through each stage of the process.
If you are already a seasoned pro in woodworking, you could find this book a valuable resource to sharpen your skills and take them to the next level.
3. I Can Do That! Woodworking Projects: 48 Quality Furniture Projects that Require Minimal Experience and Tools
If you’re enthusiastic about completing some cool projects around your house, our next pick from the best woodworking books might be for you. The book provides detailed guides to 48 different furniture projects. You can complete these at home quickly and effortlessly.
With a step-by-step guide to each woodworking task, you’ll also learn how to make classic wood carving cuts like stabbing, sliding, sweeping, and beyond.
The book is really well suited to beginners. If you have an idea of the type of projects you’d like to work on but aren’t sure where to get started, I Can Do That! Woodworking Projects is an excellent starting point.
4. Woodworking Basics – Mastering the Essentials of Craftsmanship – An Integrated Approach With Hand and Power Tools
If you’ve never picked up woodworking books before and have no idea where to begin, our next pick from the best woodworking books is an easy win. It includes all the fundamental essentials to the basics of woodworking, including proven tactics, helpful techniques, and how to use different kinds of power tools.
The book features informative guides for how to complete two different basic woodworking projects, including a cabinet and a bench.
5. The Big Book of Weekend Woodworking: 150 Easy Projects
Our final selection from the best woodworking books is a mammoth resource for anyone who enjoys woodworking as a weekend or holiday hobby. It features 150 projects with plenty of ideas and tips to make the designs your own. You can fill every weekend with another fun task to work on!
The book even includes helpful techniques for planning and organizing your projects. You will find a cariety of things, from picking the correct type of wood to following patterns to glue and beyond. Once you finish the book, you’ll be able to build:
- Puzzles
- Clocks
- Jewelry boxes
- Mirrors
- Basic shelves—and more!
For the more advanced woodworkers, you’ll easily be able to complete larger projects like cabinets and cupboards by the end.
If you’re already a seasoned pro, you might want to skip ahead to some of the more advanced projects. Or, you can always brush up on old techniques you may have forgotten and work your way through the book sequentially.
Either way, the book is a fantastic pick for a wide range of skill levels. This is because you can begin with more manageable projects and advance as you feel comfortable to more complex ones.
Final Thoughts
Woodworking books are an essential tool that every aspiring artisan should have. These will sharpen and develop their skill set. Whether you are a complete novice or are already experience in this craft, the best woodworking books on our list have something to offer to everyone.
Whether you learn visually or through sequential guides, these books offer many proven methods for creating everything from basic projects. The projets include things like small tables to more complex projects like cabinet sets. With the right resources, there’s no limit on what you can learn and achieve on your woodworking journey! Check out our other woodoworking guides, Woodworking Without Power Tools – Going Old School in Your Wood Shop, The Best Woodworking Glue For Your Next DIY Project, Best Woodworking Tools: What you Need for your DIY Woodworking Shop, and The Best Woodworking Planer For The Money – Comparisons & Reviews.
