The Nature of Woodworking: The Quiet Pleasures of Crafting by Hand

Experience the quiet, pure pleasure of wood shavings piling up around your feet as you learn to build almost anything you can imagine, even if you can't use the tools in your own toolbox. This charming, homespun book by a master of hand tools sets you on the road to working with saws, chisels, and augers--even spokeshaves and drawknives will become second nature--and encourages you to stop along the way to savor the feel, the touch, of handworking wood. Sharing the distilled wisdom of a lifetime in a workshop, the author starts with the basics: how to saw a little better than you can now, how to read wood and take advantage of what it tells you. Next, tackle some easy projects--a nail tray, a sawhorse, a simple clacker. Then, when you're ready, move on to a weathervane or a child's sleigh. Whatever you choose, you're sure to enjoy the satisfactions of both a book on the delights of hand tools and a job well done.