If you want to take part in woodworking projects then you will have to learn the skills required for this sort of thing. If you are an absolute beginner, a step-by-step guide might be your best bet. However, if you would like to become a skilled woodworker then you might want to try reading some of the best woodworking books that are out there.
The benefit of woodworking books is that they don’t just teach you the steps to complete basic items. Rather, they build your skills as a woodworker from the ground up. This can help you acquire the professionalism necessary to undertake big projects and potentially turn this hobby of yours into an actual career.
Those that are new to woodworking projects might not know where to turn if they want woodworking books. A good place to start would be a woodworking magazine, one that would help you familiarize yourself with the various technicalities that you would need to understand. That said, we have a list of some of the best woodworking books money can buy as well so that you can move forward confidently.
#1 Wood Profits
While it isn’t exactly a book, Wood Profits by Jim Morgan can really help get you going. This is a step-by-step guide that is perfect for beginners, as well as for more experienced woodworkers who might want to polish their skills. The best part about this book is that it has a lot of information that is explained in fairly simple language. This means that you don’t have to be an expert in order to understand what is being said in it.
What’s more is that the guide contains a lot of practical information, and by that we mean information that you can use to actually earn money and start a proper business. Only the best woodworking books can help you out with this sort of thing, and the fact that this guide can help you actually earn money is a testament to its quality as a learning tome for those that enjoy woodworking and would like to turn it into a career. This right here is a quality text, one that won’t take a chunk out of your pocket either.
#2 Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop
Pretty much everyone has heard of Nick Offerman. He is a famous actor after all. However, the highly masculine character he portrays on the TV show Parks and Rec is actually reflective of his true personality, although in real life he is a lot nicer and not nearly as gruff as the character he plays.
Not a lot of people know this but Nick Offerman is actually a very skilled woodworker, one that can maximize your potential. His is one of the best books out there when it comes to woodworking for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most pertinent reason why we are so strongly recommending that you read his books is because they are entertaining.
A common complaint that people have concerning woodworking books is that they can be quite dry. This is in no way a complaint that you could have with this book. The fact that it is entertaining means that you might just retain a lot more information from it. The information itself is quite effective as well.
Don’t just think that this is an entertainment book that has been written by some actor trying to branch out into writing. This book is a great compendium of woodworking knowledge, one that would allow you to take your skills to a whole new level and take part in a wide range of projects. What’s more is that this book makes woodworking seem like a fun and enjoyable activity, something that would raise your confidence and give you the boost required to actually take the plunge and start woodworking on a regular basis.
#3 Woodworking Basics – Mastering The Essentials of Craftsmanship By Peter Korn
For people that are new to the world of woodworking, you can’t go wrong with a classic. This is without a doubt one of the best woodworking books ever written, and a big part of that is associated with the basic information that you would obtain from it. This book strips woodworking down to its core components and relates them to you in a simple manner. While the information presented within this book can often be quite technical, it is written with such simple brilliance that you can even pick this up as a light read to thumb through while you are enjoying a cup of coffee.
As for practical information, this book can really help you get acquainted with power tools. These power tools are an important aspect of woodworking, and all the best woodworking projects are going to require them. This is one of those woodworking books that don’t pull any punches. Rather, it walks you through how each power tool works as well as how you can ensure that each project you embark on would be completed without any major problems occurring along the way. Just make sure you have this book handy whenever you embark on a woodworking project!
#4 How to Build Bookcases & Bookshelves: 15 Projects For Book Lovers By Scott Francis
This book is useful because it gets into specifics regarding a set of 15 projects. This is one of the best woodworking books for people who have acquired some of the best woodworking skills that allow them to complete basic projects and are now looking for projects that can be a bit more challenging for them. While these projects are slightly more advanced, they are by no means the works of an expert and anyone who has progressed passed basic woodworking skills would be able to tackle them.
Not only at the 15 projects contained within this book a good way to practice, they have practical applications as well. The best woodworking bookshelves can be quite useful and anyone would want to buy them. Even if you don’t want to sell them you could just make a couple of bookshelves or bookcases for your own home. That said we do highly recommend that you try to monetize your creations since they are quite valuable and can help you earn a fairly large quantity of money if you market them correctly. It’s all about finding the right customers after all.
#5 Woodworking With The Router: Professional Router Techniques & Jigs Any Woodworker Can Use By Bill Hylton
When it comes to power tools there are few that would be more useful than your trusty router. It is a slightly more advanced tool so you should get this book once you have familiarized yourself with some of the more basic hand tools that are out there. Once you have mastered the basic hand tools you can start reading this book to get an idea of how you can go about using what is undoubtedly one of the best woodworking tools that you would ever work with. Suffice it to say that this tool will change your whole approach in terms of woodworking and the like.
A lot of woodworking books don’t focus enough on specifics so this book is definitely a good one to add to your collection. This is one of the best books for experts who have yet to fully utilize a router too. Routers are essential for any woodshop. So learning how to use it at one point or another would definitely be a good idea for you. Especially if you are thinking of turning woodworking into a career opportunity for yourself.
#6 Tree Craft By Chris Lubkemann
Woodworking isn’t always about getting wood and turning it into a table of some sort. Sometimes using found wood can also be a great idea. This can also help you make unique items that are quite different from the standard fare the market usually has to offer. This is one of the few woodworking books that can show you how to utilize found pieces of wood and turn them into collectible items that anyone would want to buy, especially considering the stylishly raw and rough aesthetic that the items you would create would have.
This is one of the aspects of this text that makes it one of the best books about woodworking in our humble opinion. It can help you monetize something that most people would just throw away. Not only is this a very financially viable way to go about running your business, it also has the potential to be quite environmentally conscious. After all, you are using pieces of wood that most people would find useless instead of cutting down a tree and using its wood. This is a very sustainable way to run your woodworking operation.
#7 The Handbuilt Home: 34 Simple Stylish & Budget-Friendly Woodworking Projects For Every Room By Ana White
If you have gone through all of the previous books then you are probably itching for a new project to work on. This book gives you no less than 34 of the best woodworking projects that you can take part in. From your initial carve all the way to utilizing wood finishing, this is one of those woodworking books that provides you with an excellent step-by-step guide to finishing a number of projects all of which would be great practice for you.
The projects contained herein are quite diverse. You have some items that would prove to be excellent practice for beginners. Furthermore they are quite cheap to make which make them quite financially viable. When the cost of the item is low you can charge a premium for your labor, thereby making the creation of these projects a very profitable enterprise if you find the right buyers for them. For those that are just trying to take up woodworking as a hobby, this book can give you lots of different options that you can use to really spruce up your home.
#8 Hammer Head: The Making of a Carpenter By Nina MacLaughlin
This book is a bit different from some of the others that we have discussed in this list. It contains a lot of practical information but it is also an autobiography that describes how the author went from being a journalist to a full time woodworker. We have included this book in this list because we feel like it would provide a lot of people with the inspiration they need to let go of their day jobs and start woodworking full time, and it also provides an instruction manual that shows how you can go about doing so without suffering any major financial losses.
The great part about this book is that it discusses the pitfalls of starting your own woodworking business as well. It also has a number of relatable anecdotes that are sure to make you laugh as you trial and error your way into becoming the best woodworker that you could possibly be. Reading it can help you see how fun woodworking can be, as well as how grueling the initial process of acquiring this skill can sometimes be.
Conclusion
These woodworking books are no substitute for actual practice, but they can definitely help you make sure that your practice is effective and smart. Once you have read these books, paying particular attention to what Nick Offerman has to say, you would notice that you have a better idea of how you should be proceeding in any particular project. Just remember to take notes while you are reading. This would help you to retain more information, and it might also help you figure out how to best utilize this information in a practical manner.