The Joint Book: The Complete Guide to Wood Joinery

My father is a master carpenter. I largely grew up watching him work, so I probably am underestimating my own knowledge on the subject of woodworking. But, I would say I am probably a intermediate woodworker, as least as it pertains to furniture/fine woodworking skills. As such, I think this is one of the finest wood working reference guides I have personally run across.This is a smaller book, which is good for a reference. It is spiral bound, so it is especially useful to use while actually working in the shop, as you don't have to find a place on your work desk to prop up a huge book, as too many reference or DIY books tend to be. This book is extremely well indexed by type and sub-type of various joints.The topics covered range from very simple, mitered joints to joints that are fairly exotic to complex, a few of which I have never actually seen before. All of them usually have well drawn diagrams as well as full color pictures. This is also a rarity in woodworking manuals, as the pictures tend to be in black and white or grainy color and/or diagrams which are vague and unhelpful. These seem to be extremely clear and straightforward. I have not attempted all of the joints in the book yet, but of the ones I have tried, the manual's directions and pictures on how to build them have been superb.One feature of this book that I particularly liked was that most of the joints presented are discussed in two different how-to methods. By that I mean the author goes into great detail, step by step, on how to build the joint both via simple hand tool methods and also how to build them if you have more mechanized saws and tools. So, if you don't have a huge workshop with a lot of specialty saws, this is still a good reference, as a lot of the joints can still be made by hand with just a hand coping saw, a pencil, and a measuring device. Again, most woodworking books I've looked at tend to be either one or the other in explaining the how-to step-by-step process but seldom go to the lengths of explaining how to do one joint via two different methods.For the engineers and professional grade builders, this book might not be technical enough for you. But then most professional cabinet and furniture makers already know how to make most of the joints presented, so I do not know why they would be buying such a reference to begin with. This book is geared towards those who either do not know how to build joints or know some but are by no means experts. As such, I think the target audience is the novice to intermediate range, but I think it would still be valuable for the professional builder who does not make joints every day, so he needs to refresh his memory from time to time, particularly with fairly exotic types of joints.As such, I highly recommend this reference if you might ever need to know how to build a joint for any sort of project. I would guess the major uses for the joints made in this reference would be for tables and furniture as well as picture frames or shelving, as it covers both 3 dimensional joints and 2 dimensional joints.As such, I cannot image that there would be a better reference on this specific topic for the price.

You can judge this book by its cover. It is a systematic treatment of wood joinery, distilling the knowledge won by centuries of craftsmanship. All the ways two (or more) pieces of wood can intersect and be joined are described, and analysed as to strength and appearance. Also, dozens of variations are covered, where aesthetics, applied load, or available tools suggest a modification to a basic joint design. The illustrations are clear and informative, the layout makes it a very convenient item for the workshop, and the text is compact.Some points to know before you decide:1. This is about joinery - that is, the joints you make by forming your pieces so they fit together. Screws, nails, bolts, brackets, even glues get only brief mention as reinforcements for joints.2. This is almost completely independent of the tools you choose. Whether you cut a mortice with a chisel, a router or a dedicated machine-shop morticer, a mortice-and-tenon joint is still a mortice-and-tenon joint. The one partial exception is the finger joint, which is doable with hand tools but hardly worth the trouble, whereas it is quick and convenient with a table saw or router.3. Beginners may be challenged and even discouraged. I'm no master craftsman, just a weekend hacker, but still not a newbie. The text in places is so dense that I have had to pull it apart almost word by word to get my head around the technique being described. It's rewarding, but it's not always easy.If you are happy with those three points, this book is incredible value for money, distilling so much knowledge and skill into a compact and accessible format. It now lives on a shelf just by my bench.

I was a iron worker and steel fabricator for 25 years. I am quite adept a the forming and machining of steel and and built, either from scratch or ground up, cars, pickups, motorcycles, trailers, a 4,000 square foot house, several storage buildings, a wedding dress (not for me), redwood decks, a gazebo and various pieces of equipment. None of these required special joinery. Since I live in a house and not a metal shop, I have become a reluctant woodworker. This book is complete in detail of wood joinery and a must have reference for anyone, regardless of skill level. I have built a china hutch and three stile and rail doors from the information I learned in this book. Buy a copy whether you think you will build something or not.

This is not a "complete" guide. It isn't even a complete guide to European and American joints.What it is is a solid introduction for beginning to intermediate wood workers covering the most common joints and a few unusual ones. most of them have several variations. A large number have explicit instructions for construction with both hand and power tools. The drawings and explanations are clear and easy to follow.

I bought this without much research. It just looked interesting to me. It's not what I expected, but I absolutely LOVE this book! I love the small format and illustrations and fonts are just perfect.It's like a reference for every variation of western joinery. While I read through about half of it I eventually realized that this is best used as a reference. It's not only great for tips on how to form a given joint but also as inspiration. I enjoy looking through the illustrations for ideas to use on my projects. Ideas that I'd never have thought of. Not only does the book include a description of a given joint but it also gives tips on how to form it with various machinery.I liked the book so much I bought a second and had it shipped to a buddy.

Lots of useful info and drawings of the most common and not as common joints. As an amateur woodworker (I've built a lot of things but dont do it for a living yet) I found it very useful and would reccomend it to others. Its informative and easy to understand...I'm glad I got it.

Ótimo livro. Entrega muito mais que a maioria dos cursos que encontramos na internet, custando 10% do que custam os cursos. Recomendo a todos.

Książka będąca kompendium wiedzy w głównej mierze dla początkujących, chociaż również osoby doświadczone w stolarstwie mogą po nią sięgnąć. Bardzo wygodny format publikacji do korzystania w trakcie pracy. Autor nie uniknął kilku drobnych błędów merytorycznych.

... mit vielen Bilder und guten Tipps für Woodworkers. Würde ich wieder kaufen.

I'm fairly new to proper woodworking and this will ncredible book had made me want to try and make every kind of joint.The size is perfect for having on a bench while working, as are the spiral spine and hard cover.It's chock full of superb photos and illustrations with great copy and 'trade tips'.Fabulous.For the price? Astounding!Live it. Thank you.

I bought this book so as to better understand what different joints were available and when to use them. I was not disappointed . This is an amazing little book crammed with pictures and text alike.It covers all the different joints and has an extended section on dovetail joints. The contents pages at the front are well laid out and it is easy to find the joint you want. whilst at the back of the book there is a "Joint Selector" which guides you to the correct page for more detail on the joint. There is also a comprehensive glossary of terms and and indexThe book itself is in hardback A5 format with a spiral binding: excellent for sitting on the workbench whilst making the chosen joints.This is now my "Go To" book for all things joint-related. Every woodworker should have a copy of this book!