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Skyhorse

Everyday Woodworking: A Beginner's Guide to Woodcraft With 12 Hand Tools

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Format: Paperback


Description

Get started with simple, useful, handcrafted woodworking projects for everyday people—with only 12 basic tools! Lots of people want to try woodwork, but they get intimidated by dangerous power tools and difficult techniques. Good news: there are lots of ways to work with wood and anyone can get a few tools and start making projects. Everyday Woodworking starts at the very beginning—with wood. How can this common material make everything from furniture to houses? What makes it so strong? Why does it break? More importantly, what can you do to a piece of wood? Sometimes we cut it with a saw. Other times, we split it with an ax or shave it with a knife. This book explains why we choose each tool and how to pick the right cut for any project. As Rex likes to say: "Trust me, it’s not hard." Once you get a few tools and learn some simple techniques, you’ll start making things right away. You’ll begin with a simple mallet and some wooden wedges and then advance to splitting green logs into usable lumber. Next you’ll pick up a knife and a drill and after just a little practice, you’ll be making things you can give to your friends; things they’ll actually use: A wooden butter knifeA desk organizerA few pieces of sturdy furnitureSawhorsesA small workbench Each project is shown step-by-step with the beginner in mind. The projects are simple but not primitive. Everyday Woodworking will give you skills that you can build on as you grow as a craftsperson. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Skyhorse


Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 15, 2021


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Print length ‏ : ‎ 240 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1510760164


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 65


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.6 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.8 x 9 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #485,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #47 in Hand Tools (Books) #175 in Carpentry #327 in Woodworking Projects (Books)


#47 in Hand Tools (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • This should be listed as a classic intro
Format: Paperback
This book is really well done. Practical and causal with great diagrams. It really is made to build up from scratch, although I have hopped around the projects a bit. I'd recommend not doing that and following along. It's both reference quality and an easy read. That's a really rare quality. It's redundant, but I really do want to emphasize how practical Rex is. It's hard to find content that's not focused on recreating a 19th century approach to everything and assuming already owning a huge investment in tools and a fancy workbench. The puritanical world of hand tool woodworking can be exhausting. This is about making stuff as soon as possible and getting that rewarding feedback. This bootstraps you and lets you decide where you want to go with the hobby with minimal investment. When finished, you could immediately drop into creating Etsy-class projects or move yourself up into any more advanced direction. You could go into green woodworking, furniture making, cabinets, etc. from here just building up further as you go. My tools don't match his kit, but I cover all the use cases and it's simple to translate. So I wouldn't fret about having the exact saw, etc. he lists. Only buy what you can't cover. The biggest thing is that the way he builds reinforces developing "feel" as you go. You'll get better at reading wood and using your tools. By the time you get further, you can even go back and touch up your prior projects. It's really rewarding. It may assume knowing more about sharpening than is covered. That's a skill that takes time and practice like any other, and can really impact your experience. I'm not positive on that because I've worked with knives, hatchets, axes, etc. as long as I can remember. I have an assortment of stones, files, and strops I've collected over the years. Maybe the coverage here is good enough. I'm pretty sure he's also assuming a carving hatchet. You'd really need to put some work into a camping hatchet to re-bevel. I'd skip a file and go to a bench grinder to get there. I couldn't get the shaving behavior out of mine, because they are beveled to chop. it's still good for quick stock removal, though. There were places I used chisels instead because I didn't feel like taking the time to do that. It gave me chisel practice, so that was nice and super rewarding. The physical book itself is great to use in my garage "shop." I just leave it out there, wipe off the sawdust and wood chips and keep going. It's gone through that abuse, humidity, and even a bird poop accident that I was able to wipe off. My "complaints" aren't really complaints, though. Mostly just things to consider. I can't imagine a book like this being done any better. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2023 by Michael D. Messmore
    • Excellent Book. Seriously, nearly a PERFECT beginners guide.
Format: Paperback
I've been watching Rex's channel for a long while now, I think since before woodworking for humans began and it's always been fantastic. Well thought out, easy to follow, simple, but not like you're slow, more like you're a real person learning something new. The book does the same thing. It gives you what you need to know, a wonderful way to get started without breaking the bank, and plenty of real-world applications to try what you've learned and get an excellent feel for whether or not you want to go farther. I bought this book to work with my 7-year-old daughter who wants to "build stuff like dad" all the time. We put together an assortment of tools for her loosely based on the list contained in this book and now use the book along with the videos so she can see what's going on and follow in the book. Bringing it all together for her with a physical "something" to reference makes all the difference. She wants to go after the tool tote next, if lumber prices ever get back from the moon I think she and I will give it a go some afternoon. With this book, I have no doubt she and I will make short work of it. If someone close to you has been talking about getting into woodworking, this may be the best book currently out there for them. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2021 by Douglas Gilanyi
    • informative and helpful book for hand tool woodworking
Format: Kindle
As the author Rex Krueger stated, there is no unified wood working. hand tool wood working approach is very different from power tool woodworking. This book is specifically for hand tool lovers. I watched half of Rex YouTube channel video and decided to read this book. I enjoyed this book cover to back. Also found the relevant YouTube videos are super helpful if you want some additional demos. From my personal experience of woodworking, some details might be harder than it looked or described in the book. For me, measurements are somewhat frustrating possibly because the wood i procured is usually out of shape, bowed, or just not square. I felt grateful that Rex doesn't emphasize the precision in this book as usual in the YouTube channel hence I am able to enjoy some buildings without worrying too much over if the size really works. overall, this is a great book that inspired me to keep my path on woodworking - I hope Rex would have a second book like this introducing more sophisticated skills such as structure of design, joinery and, of course, workbenches. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2023 by Andy
    • Krueger is cool . . .
Format: Paperback
Krueger is cool, & he has a different viewpoint. He gives new meaning to "how-to". I've yet to build any of his projects but they are pretty simple which I really like. I think his book is good training for preppers & those looking to survive TEOTWAWKI. His tool recommendations are mostly pretty good. I recommend this book for a select group of 'woodworkers', including greenwood workers. Also there's a bonus chapter available online. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2022 by Jonathan Steedley
    • Rex Rocks!
Format: Paperback
This book is great for the absolute beginner, and also for the out of practice non-beginner like myself. There are some great ideas, and it is a great way to practice basic skills and end up with some useful projects.
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2025 by Matthew Hight
    • Pragmatic, affordable introduction to woodworking
Format: Paperback
Like LITERALLY EVERYONE this pandemic, I decided to get into woodworking with hand tools. And like everyone else I went straight to Youtube (also, PBS’s excellent “The Woodwright’s Shop). On Youtube, you quickly drown in options and opinions. The woodworkers with the best production values and most obsessively cut inlay dovetail joints are *necessarily* the best resources for the beginner. (“Should I buy every size of Lie-Nielsen hand plane to start, or just the cheapest #4 at Harbor Freight?” “Veritas or Grebstk chisels?”) Enter Rex. His Youtube channel was a welcome source of reasoned, well articulated, arguments for a simple, affordable path to getting started. So, when this book was announced I pounced. What you get with this book is a complete package of tool buying advice and some simple projects to whet your whistle for woodworking. Truthfully, the tools are probably not going to be your “forever” tools. After chalking up a few project wins (and losses) you’ll be in a much better place to assess whether you enjoy woodworking and where you’d like to spend more lavishly to augment your collection. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2021 by Peter
    • The perfect book for a woodworking beginner, or even a somewhat experienced one.
Format: Paperback
Review Image by Braden polley
Review Image by Braden polley
I’m using this book to help me introduce my younger brother to woodworking. While many of the principles and techniques are things I already understood, it makes as a great teaching tool and he can then read the chapters himself before we start on each project. The book came in great condition, freshly printed. The contents of the book truly walk you through the basics of woodworking. It explains how wood works, the direction of the grain and why it matters, and how it reacts to different environments. It has a chapter dedicated to teaching you how to use each tool before it introduces it in a project, so you won’t have to “wing it” with a tool you’ve never used. In addition, the earliest projects use fewer and simpler tools, while the later projects slowly incorporate more tools and in more detail. Also, every project is either useful for you, or a nice gift for somebody else. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2021 by Braden polley
    • Excellent
Format: Paperback
Mr. Kruger made an excellent book for those trying to learn woodworking. This book is an excellent companion to some other beginner woodworking books. If you're starting out in woodworking, definitely add this to your library!
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2025 by Pepsired

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