Woodwork Step by Step

226 Pages·2014·38.548 MB·English

by  DK Publishing

WOODWORK
ST E P B Y ST E P

WOODWORK
S T E P B Y S T E P
Content previously published in
Woodwork: A Step-by-Step Photographic Guide to Successful Woodworking
LONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH, MELBOURNE, DELHI
Consultant Julian Cassell
Writers Alan Bridgewater, Gill Bridgewater,
Glyn Bridgewater, Colin Eden-Eadon, Sally Francis,
John Lloyd, Jonathan Tibbs, J.M. Wilkie
DK INDIA
Senior Editor Nidhilekha Mathur
Editor Arani Sinha
Senior Art Editor Ira Sharma
Art Editors Aparajita Barai, Vikas Sachdeva
Assistant Art Editor Sourabh Challariya
Managing Editor Alicia Ingty
Managing Art Editor Navidita Thapa
Pre-production Manager Sunil Sharma
Senior DTP Designer Tarun Sharma
DTP Designer Mohammad Usman
DK UK
Senior Designers Joanne Doran, Clare Marshall
Project Editor Shashwati Tia Sarkar
Managing Editor Penny Warren
Jacket Designer Rosie Levine
Pre-production Producer Andy Hilliard
Senior Producer Alex Bell
Art Director Jane Bull
Publisher Mary Ling
DK US
Consultant Marc Schmidt
Senior Editor Shannon Beatty
Editor Jill Hamilton
Content previously published in the United States in Woodwork:
A Step-by-Step Photographic Guide to Successful Woodworking, 2010.
This edition first published in 2014 by DK Publishing,
345 Hudson Street, 4th Floor, New York, New York 10014
14 15 16 17 18 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
001—255750—May/2014
Copyright © 2014 Dorling Kindersley Limited
All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission
of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited.
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-4654-1951-4
DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for
sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details,
contact: DK Publishing Special Markets, 345 Hudson Street, New York,
New York 10014 or [email protected].
Printed and bound in China by South China Printing Co. Ltd.
Discover more at
www.dk.com
CONTENTS
Introduction 6 Gluing and clamping 131
Jigs and templates 132
Tools 8 Veneering 134
Techniques 54 Finishing techniques 139
Introduction 56 Restoring furniture 142
Preparing wood 57
Choosing a joint 66 Woods 144
Butt joint 68
Loose tongue-and-groove joint 70
Projects 166
Fixed tongue-and-groove joint 72
Chopping board 168
Cross-halving joint 74
Coat rack 170
Corner-halving joint 76
Mirror frame 174
Dovetail half-lap joint 77
Laundry hamper 178
Dado joint 80
Wine rack 185
Dovetail housing joint 82
Jewelry box 191
Butt-miter joint 85
Wall cabinet 197
Mitered half-lap joint 86
Bookcase 205
Keyed miter joint 88
Loose-tongue miter joint 90
Glossary 216
Basic mortise-and-tenon joint 91
Haunched-tenon joint 96 Index 220
Secret haunched-tenon joint 98
Wedged through mortise- Acknowledgments 223
and-tenon joint 100
Knock-down tenon joint 104 About the contributors 224
Drawbore tenon joint 106
T-bridle joint 108
Neither the authors nor the publisher take any responsibility
Corner-bridle joint 112 for any injury or damage resulting from the use of techniques
Comb joint 113 shown or described in this book. The reader is advised to follow
all safety instructions carefully, wear the correct protective clothing,
Through-dovetail joint 116
and, where appropriate, follow all manufacturers’ instructions.
Joints using commercial For more detailed information on Health and Safety, please see
connectors 122 pages 11 and 52–53.

Introduction
Wood has been fundamental to the development and survival of mankind
throughout history. Trees have provided us with the essentials for living—
oxygen, food, warmth, medicine, and shelter—as well as offering the raw
ingredients for key markers of cultural progress, such as paper, furniture,
musical instruments, and works of art. Even today, in a world of sophisticated
technology and materials, we use wood for much of our work on buildings and
furniture, because of its versatility, beauty, and availability.
Because of this long tradition, wooden furniture has a rich and diverse heritage
of styles, while examples that are centuries old can be found all around us—in
museums, antiques shops, or galleries. This range of styles and sense of tradition
and craftsmanship offers the modern woodworker an inspirational archive to
draw upon, whether designing or constructing their own pieces.
Creating furniture by hand is a skill that has to an extent been supplanted
by the development of power tools and machinery, yet the importance of
using hand tools cannot be underestimated. Tools may have advanced in
sophistication throughout history, but the fundamentals of woodworking have
not changed significantly over the centuries, and this age-old craft is still the
cornerstone of all furniture-making. Of course, it is possible to make furniture
entirely by machine, but this requires a large workshop and a very large
wallet. By contrast, hand skills allow you to create furniture within a limited
space and with a limited budget, while experiencing the pleasure of working
closely with wood to craft an object of your choice.
Woodwork Step by Step celebrates the joys of creating furniture. It provides
a core grounding in the fundamental woodworking skills and techniques, and
the use of both hand and power tools; it showcases a catalog of the various
types of timber available, and their individual working properties; and sets
you with achievable, yet challenging, projects. Whether you are a novice or
more experienced in the art of carpentry, Woodwork Step by Step is an
essential addition to your bookshelf.