Table Of ContentWHY HOW
&
THE OF
WOODWORKING
A Simple Approach to Making Meaningful Work
MICHAEL PEKOVICH
WHY & HOW
THE OF
WOO D W O R KING
THE WHY AND HOW OF WOODWORKING
WHY HOW
&
THE OF
WOODWORKING
MICHAEL PEKOVICH
C
Text © 2018 by Michael Pekovich DEDICATION
Photographs © 2018 by The Taunton Press, Inc. (except where noted)
To my mother and father. I love you Mom,
Illustrations © 2018 by The Taunton Press, Inc.
and I wish Dad would have had a chance
All rights reserved.
to thumb through these pages.
Pp
63 South Main Street
PO Box 5506
Newtown, CT 06470-5506
Email: [email protected]
Editor: Peter Chapman
Copy Editor: Seth Reichgott
Art Director: Rosalind Loeb
Jacket/Cover Design: Rita Sowins
Interior Design: Michael Pekovich
Design Template: Rita Sowins
Layout: Michael Pekovich
Illustrator: John Hartman
Indexer: Cathy Goddard
Photographers: Michael Pekovich and Rachel Barclay except as follows:
p. 34 (bottom left) courtesy of Seth Janofsky; pp. 66 (except top left), 67, 69 (bottom left, bottom right)
Andy Engel, courtesy of Fine Woodworking; pp. 91-95, 205, 208, 209 Dillon Ryan, courtesy of Fine
Woodworking; p. 197 Mark Schofield, courtesy of Fine Woodworking; pp. 210, 211 Steve Scott, courtesy
of Fine Woodworking
The following names/manufacturers appearing in The Why & How of Woodworking are trademarks:
Bluetooth®, DMT®, iPhoneSM, Lie-Nielsen®, Minwax®, Pigma Micron®, Pottery Barn®, SealCoat®,
Starrett®, Veritas®, Waterlox®, Zenith®, Zinsser®
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Pekovich, Michael, author.
Title: The why and how of woodworking : a simple approach to making
meaningful work / Michael Pekovich.
Description: Newtown, CT : The Taunton Press, Inc., [2018] | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018015441 | ISBN 9781631869273 (print format) | ISBN 9781641550512 (pdf format) |
ISBN 9781641550536 (mobi formatt)
Subjects: LCSH: Woodwork.
Classification: LCC TT180 .P39 2018 | DDC 684/.08--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018015441
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About Your Safety: Working wood is inherently dangerous. Using hand or power tools improperly or
ignoring safety practices can lead to permanent injury or even death. Don’t try to perform operations
you learn about here (or elsewhere) unless you’re certain they are safe for you. If something about an
operation doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Look for another way. We want you to enjoy the craft, so please
keep safety foremost in your mind whenever you’re in the shop.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
T
here are too many people to thank for their support, not just in the last
two years of writing this book, but also along the 30-year journey that
led to it. To my wife Rachel, daughter Anna, and son Eli, thank you
for your patience and encouragement. You are my rock and I could not have
done this without you.
I have had so many mentors along the way, and it’s a shame that so few of
them know the impact they have had. I’ve learned from every one of the hun-
dreds of articles that I have had a hand in bringing to life at Fine Woodwork-
ing magazine, and the authors I’ve had the good fortune to work with. I am
grateful for the wit and wisdom of Gary Rogowski, the patient uncompromis-
ing drive of Christian Becksvoort, and the creative genius of Garrett Hack. The
great engineering minds of the craft, Steve Latta, Will Neptune, and Michael
Fortune, have shaped my approach to problem solving in too many ways
to count. Chuck Miller, a former editor of Fine Homebuilding magazine and
all-around creative genius, has forever been my role model in being positive,
creative, and open to the joys that life can bring, though I’m still working at it.
John Tetreault, you continue to inspire me to try and view the craft through
the creative lens with which you approach it. Jon Binzen, you possess the
greatest mind and pen to ever document the craft, and of all the voices I carry
with me in my head as I work, yours is the clearest and the one I’m most apt
to be listening to.
To every student I’ve had the good fortune to work with, I thank you for
your questions and trust and for your patience along the rather steep learning
curve I’m still climbing as a teacher. To Bob Van Dyke and Marc Adams, thank
you for taking a leap of faith and letting me loose in front of students at your
schools.
To Peter and Rosalind, thanks for your patience, trust, and flexibility in
allowing me to make a book in the only way I knew how to make it. To John
Hartman, a good friend and long-time collaborator at Fine Woodworking,
thank you for putting so much effort into the amazing illustrations that bring
this book to life. I confess that I enlisted you because I knew that you couldn’t
help investing far more than you reasonably should have into this project.
I also want to thank one of the true unsung heroes at The Taunton Press.
For 20 years, I have relied on the immense artistic and photo-editing talents
of Bill Godfrey to make so-so photos look good and good photos look bril-
liant. He is the reason why the photography in Fine Woodworking is head and
shoulders above any other magazine. Thank you, Bill, for making this book
more beautiful than it deserved to be.
CONTENTS
2 INTRODUCTION
ONE 4 MAKE SHOP TIME MATTER
TWO 22 DESIGN
THREE 42 HAND SKILLS
FOUR 82 CABINETS
FIVE 116 BOXES & CHESTS
SIX 146 CASEWORK
SEVEN 180 TABLES
EIGHT 202 FINISHING
215 METRIC EQUIVALENTS
216 INDEX
INTRODUCTION
T
his endeavor began with two questions: Does the world actually
need another woodworking book, and what exactly do I have to
contribute to the conversation? I decided that the answer to the first
question had a lot to do with my ability to answer the second question. I’ve
been going about this craft for 30 years or so, and I’m as passionate about
it now as I have ever been. More to the point, I’m having more fun and am
happier with the results of my efforts now than ever before. While it’s taken
me a while to get here, I don’t think it necessarily has to take that long for
you. And that’s why I’m here.
Working alone in my shop for that many years has instilled in me the
empathy and understanding of the everyday struggles that woodworkers
face. We are an intrepid lot. Years of crafting articles at Fine Woodworking
magazine have provided an unending Master’s education in designing and
building furniture. That experience has been informative and inspiring, but
humbling as well as I became aware of the many great woodworkers who
are carrying the craft forward. For a long time, I felt that I didn’t really have
anything to add, but as I struggled to find my way, I realized that all of us
have something we can share.
My efforts in teaching have prompted me to rethink how I go about
building in order to pass along the best methods and strategies that I can.
Not only does that make me a better teacher (I hope), but it also has shaped
the way I go about work in my shop. Any advice I offer, I do so because it
not only works for me but also for the students endeavoring to master the
craft as well.
Finally, taking the time to document my work on a daily basis for the
past few years has opened my eyes to the beauty and grace of the building
process that is so much a part of what we make but is most often hidden
from view. It has prompted a more personal approach to photography,
with the aim of communicating the passion that is inherent in the pursuit of
this craft.
All together, these experiences combine to make this book what it is, as
well as making me the woodworker I am today. They continue to drive my
joy in working with wood and in helping to blaze a path for others who are
making the journey as well.
Whenever I’m asked, “Oh, what kind of furniture do you make?” I’m
always at a loss for words. There is just too much wrapped up in the
experience to be able to distill it down to a single sentence at a typical
social function for the benefit of a half-interested audience. This book is my
answer to that question. It’s my hope, and my suspicion, that it just may be
the answer to that question for other woodworkers as well. This book is for
you, and whether you are standing at the trailhead or have already knocked
a few peaks off your list, we are all on the same path, and I welcome
your company.
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