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Notice:
I am still in the process of re-building this website after moving from a different server (three's the charm - I hope?).  I am updating and revising all of the old material as well as adding a great deal of new content, mostly focusing on hand tools, woodturning, and small projects such as boxes.  Please bear with me as I work to (re)build a more useful and up-to-date website.
Thank You for your patience!

Welcome to the Woodworking Reference Library! This is a free resource which I provide in order to aid fellow woodworkers by providing a one-stop place to find all sorts of woodworking-related information, some easily found in any introductory woodworking text, and some not so easily found.  The information on this site has been researched and compiled from many different sources; and in the process of writing these pages, I discovered many facts which I had missed in my avid reading and self education over the past twenty or so years of woodworking.  I include mostly reference materials (thus the name) to educate craftspeople about the materials, skills, and process of woodworking.  I've learned that following a "how-to" guide only gets you so far, but learning why-to is the key to mastering the craft.  Thus, I have focused primarily on providing references and information for developing decision-making skills as a woodworker.  The Library is divided into several departments, each labeled according to the subject of reference material kept there. Each department page contains links, by topic, that lead to individual reference pages.

D E P A R T M E N T S

Materials

References

Hardware

Reference

Hand Tools

Reference

How-To

Techniques

Skill-Building

Projects

Woodworking

Literature

To find the information you need faster, try Showing the Navigation Sidebar.
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 L I B R A R Y   N E W S  

WHAT'S  NEW

  • Materials: A Woodworker's Guide to Abrasives - A guide to woodworking abrasives and how they are used, including types of sanders, sandpaper, steel wool, and nonwoven abrasive pads. Includes a hyperlinked glossary of abrasive and sanding terminology. (7/12)

  • Techniques: Pictures Are the Ultimate Wood Filler - Tips and techniques to get better photos of your work, without needing to have a big, fancy camera and studio! (5/12)

  • Techniques: General Shop Safety - Read The Zen of Safety and pick up some concepts that you can use to make everything you do in the woodshop safer! (6/11)

  • Materials: The Big Wood Directory - I've been researching and compiling this one for nearly twenty years.  It's BIG.  If you can't find a wood through one of these links, maybe it doesn't exist! (5/11)

WHAT'S  BEEN  UPDATED

  • Hand Tools: Hand Sharpening Tools - Added a lot more on honing guides, stones, stropping compounds and other topics, but it's still a continuing process. (8/12)

  • Materials: A Few of the Most Popular Woodworking Woods - A brief introduction to a few of the most popular wood species that are commonly available. (5/11)

  • Materials: Toxic Woods - A listing of trees and woods that may cause toxic or allergic reactions in some individuals. (4/11)

  • Materials: General Finishing Procedure - An outline of the finishing process, and the order in which everything is done, with terms linked to their definitions in the Dictionary of Finishing Terms. (5/11)

COMING SOON EVENTUALLY!

LOTS more pages of information and how-to seminars!

  • Lumber grading systems, and how to spot the "good stuff" at the lumberyard.
  • A beginner's guide to plywood and other sheet goods, and when and how to use them.
  • A woodworker's guide to metals, plastics, and other materials.
  • Guides to hardware for cabinets, entertainment centers, computer desks, and traditional furniture and accessories.
  • How-to: make some tools of your own!
  • Have fun while building woodturning skills with projects & challenges.
  • The essential tools every woodworker should have in their tool kit. (woodworkers toolkit.doc)
  • Power tool tuneups (stationary power tool tuneup.doc)

This site last updated: September 2012.

Serving the Online Woodworking Community Since 1-21-99.

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