A cabinetmaker's notebook by James Krenov is a relatively famous book that I've been avoiding reviewing for a while now, join me on today's podcast as a I tell you why ..read more

Chinese classical furniture in the Ming style demonstrates some very interesting solutions to typical problems, some fascinating joinery and some timeless elegance in design. I found this book to be a great "read" - its got very little text but lots of inspiration. Upon reading it's easy to see why this is considered one of the seminal works in this style of furniture ..read more

A fun book that I enjoy is this book on kinetic toys by Bob Gilsdorf. It's one that I return to every so often to look for inspiration for a project with my boys. I hope that one day visitors to our house will be encouraged to join in and make a toy (rather than the current propensity for small scale weapons manufacture - that seems to be my son's primary rationale for visiting the woodworking room ..read more

A great book if you want a really in depth look at the core tools in your workshop. I enjoyed this book and could heartily recommend it to anyone who is interested in the distilled wisdom of a master craftsman ..read more

Another Work is Possible is a very different take on how the task of building a structure can be completed. With the help of Charpentiers Sans Frontieres (CSF) - the folk at Mortise and Tenon set about constructing a new Blacksmith shop. Part philosophy, part construction log, part beautiful coffee table book - this book documents both the steps and ethos behind this project ..read more

The Craftsman is a thoughtful and thought-provoking look at mankind's conflicted relationship with technology and craftsmanship. I learnt a lot from this book, but it is a bit of a tough read. You have to be paying attention. A book that I would suggest breaking up over a number of sessions. It's taken me a few months to re-read it, but I am glad I did ..read more

The Art of Saw-Filing by HW Holly is a fun little book that takes a quite complicated topic and breaks it down into a very easy to understand process - in a book which covers everything from the finest saw to a monster two-man saw to a circular saw and everything in between ..read more

A book made of solid gold? Certainly feels that way if you try and buy a copy these days. The companion to Handplane Essentials is one of the hardest books to come by at a reasonable price. Join me on today's show as I discuss whether you should seriously consider paying this price for it ..read more

PSA: Don't buy this book. Join me on the show to find out why, and to hear about my recent experience with hide glue ..read more

Peter Korn has written an excellent Philosophy-Autobiography. After all who doesn't like a book that tells a great woodworker's story and gives some deep insights into why this story matters ..read more