good books

dave · 01-09-2001, 08:15 PM

I'm new to this and want to keep all my fingers please point me in the direction of some good books so i can work safely and produce good quality

**matt** · 01-09-2001, 08:41 PM

As far as safety goes, just use common sense. always wear eye protection when cutting, and ear plugs are not a bad investment either. Make sure you have plenty of light and that your blades are sharp. Also, a lesson i learned the hard way, after you turn off your tablesaw, stand there and watch the blade. Do not turn around or walk away from it while the blade is still spinning, even if you have cut the power. I turned mine off about a year ago, turned to walk away, but when i turned, i swung my arm out, and sliced the hell out of two of my fingers. I was lucky, i got to keep them with no permanent damage. Just a couple of really ugly scars. Not a lesson i liked learning, but in retrospect, i couldn't have learned it a better way.

As far as producing quality, there are many books out there, but i think you can learn better by talking to other people, and by using good quality tools.

**Lou_williams** · 01-09-2001, 10:41 PM

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jan-09-01 AT 10:43PM (CDT)[/font][p]Today things are a lot different than they were when I started 30 years ago. There are lots of good books and some good mag's on woodworking. I would recommend anyone that wants to learn subscribe to Fine Woodworking. It is the best of the all the mag's. It is not one where you will find plans for bird houses but you will find ways to setup tools. Make and sharpen Planes. You will see great furniture and see how it is made.

As for books. My strongest recommendation is to read the books by James Krenov. He won't teach you how to cut a joint, but should inspire you to good work and understand the relationship between woodworker and the wood.

But, The very best thing you can do is find a place to get some hands on instruction. Look at local high schools and community Colleges. They have adult ed classes that might just give you the start you need.

http://www.taunton.com/fw/ is the link to Fine Woodworking.

Good luck

**Glen** · 01-12-2001, 12:57 PM

Don't overlook the operators manual. It has the crux of safety issues in it. And some know how. Visit your library. A basic woodworking course is also an excellent idea.