Woodworking

Everything you could ever want to know about woodworking is here on the Web, if you know where to look! To that end, I've hand-compiled a list of over 200 of the best woodworking pages I've found. I've included numerous different guides to most topics, so you can compare the advice and choose the approach you like best.

If you're looking for more general DIY advice (things like plumbing, electrical work, building, home decorating, and plastering), check out our home page.

Introduction: the wonderful world of wood

How good is wood? Is there a more amazing material? It's relatively inexpensive, it's tough and durable, it's environmentally friendly, it comes in all different kinds and finishes, it's easy to shape and work, and you can turn it into anything from an ocean-going yacht to a cruet set! When it's finished, you can bury it in the ground and, sooner or later, it'll help more trees to grow and produce even more wood. How good is that?

People have been making things out of wood since the beginning of time. Even in the Stone Age, wood was still fighting its corner—and it's still hanging in there today. In modern times, in our age of disposable plastic and hi-tech composites, wood has arguably fallen out of favor, but there's no real reason for this other than simple convenience. Who wants plastic furniture in their home? Who, indeed, would want to live in a home made entirely out of plastic? Wood may take a little working, but it's there for the long haul. Design wooden things properly and they'll last you a lifetime. How many plastic things can you say that about? Bury them in the ground and they're still there, screaming at you in their psychedelic colours, 500 years later.

Wooden things have a beauty that plastic and metal objects often lack. Have you even wondered why that's so? My theory is that everyone loves trees and admires their stature. When you see something wonderful that's been handmade out of wood, I think you implicitly recognize the tree's contribution. You can still see some of the tree's enduring beauty and, if the object's well made, you get the real sense the tree might have approved of how its life turned out. If you're not sure what I mean, look at wonderful antique furniture by Chippendale!

This page is here to remind you how wonderful wood can be, and how easy it can be to make wooden things for yourself. It's true, you need tools—but not all that many, unless you want to be really serious about things. The few tools you need you probably have already. If not, you can probably pick them for for less money than you'll save building your own bookcase or coffee table. (Have you had a good look on eBay recently?) I hope this page encourages you to take up a wonderful hobby and rediscover the wonderful world of wood!

I hope you find the information here helpful!

Please be sure to read the site disclaimer and privacy policy.

Update status

Last updated: 18 May 2011. Links completely checked, revised and updated.

Add us to your favorites!

Now you've found this page, don't lose it! With most web browsers, you can press CTRL and D to add us to your favorites/bookmarks for future reference!

Share this page

You can help other people find this page by bookmarking it with:

Delicious  Digg  reddit   Facebook   StumbleUpon   Google   Email it to a friend

Link to this page

If you'd like to link to this page, thank you! Here's some code you can cut and paste:

<a href="http://www.completediyguide.com/plumbing.html">Complete Plumbing Guide</a>

Sponsored links

Contents: what's on this page

• Safety advice:before you start
• All about wood
• General introductions to woodworking
• Woodworking for young people
• Woodworking tools
• Woodworking tips and tricks
• DIY woodworking projects
• Woodturning
• Painting wood
• Using varnish and stains
• Marquetry
• Woodworking magazines
• Woodworking history

Safety advice: before you start

General DIY safety

• BBC: DIY safety: A basic run-through of simple DIY precautions.
• Fine Woodworking: Safety: Excellent safety introductions to the most familiar woodworking tools and machines.
• DIY Network: Workshop safety and first aid: A short video introduction.
• Woodworking: General Safety Tips: A quick checklist from the Canadian Government's Centre for Occupational Health & Safety.
• DIY Network: The Ultimate workhop safety and first aid: A good introduction to the basic safety equipment you need in your shop.
• Products for safer sawing: A few good suggestions from Woodworker's Journal.
• Using your woodworking tools safely: Advice from About.com's woodworking guide.

All about wood

Introductions to wood and trees

• Wood: Our own basic introduction to wood, what it is, where it comes from, and what you can do with it.
• Tree and Wood: A couple of basic Wikipedia articles.
• Learn more about trees: Some interesting facts and factoids from Friends of Trees.
• Dmoz: Home: Gardening: Plants: Trees: A collection of hand-picked, hand-reviewed sites (currently 70) on tree-related topics from the ODP.
• List of trees: A fairly comprehensive list of trees from Ohio State University, with data sheets about some (but not all).

Guides to different types of wood

• Materials sourcebook: Wood: Photos and data for common hardwoods and softwoods from Channel4.
• Good wood guide for DIYers: How to make sure your wood is environmentally friendly. A guide from Friends of the Earth.
• Wood For Good: A guide to using wood.
• Wood types and wood quality grades: Advice from About.com.
• Wood grain descriptions: Photos of grains for all kinds of woods.
• Wood types and techniques: Another set of descriptions of woods.
• Understanding wood grain: A closer look from Wood magazine

Environmental issues

• Woodland Trust UK: Woodland conservation group.
• Forest Stewardship Council: Supporting ethical wood by labelling ethical wood products.
• Good wood guide for DIYers: How to make sure your wood is environmentally friendly. A guide from Friends of the Earth.
• Greenpeace US Forests Campaign: Try to see the bigger picture. Where does your wood come from—and what effect does it have?
• WWF: Forest Conservation: Campaigning for an end to destructive deforestation around the world.

Woodland management

• Woodlands: The BTCV guide to practical woodland conservation by Elizabeth Agate.
• The Ancient Art of Coppicing: An introduction to coppicing.
• An introduction to British woodlands and their management: A general description of British woodlands, including their structure, types and biodiversity, together with an introduction to management techniques for small native woodlands..
• Community Woodland Network: A Woodland Trust project that helps UK communities to manage their woodlands.

General introductions to woodworking

• Woodworking tips for beginners: Kevin Brady offers a simple, knowledgeable introduction to woodworking newcomers. This is a great place to start your reading.
• Sawdust on the Floor: A very enthusiastic and knowledgeable woodworking blog from Dave the Jersey Woodworker, offering: "Woodworking tools and product reviews, tips, techniques and projects".
• Woodworking: A very basic introduction from Wikipedia, currently just includes a short outline of the history of woodworking crafts.
• Woodworking Machine: Another basic Wikipedia article, with links to articles about different tools and machines..
• Woodworking Beginner's Guide: A simple book you can buy online.
• Rough lumber and Trim lumber are good ways into the many woodworking tips on Tim Carter's Ask the Builder site.
• DIY Woodworking: Offers instructions and videos on basic wood working techniques, child wood working projects, tutorials, and more.
• WoodNet.net: The woodworker's online resource: Woodworking Tips, Techniques, Tool Reviews, Plans and Supplies for Woodworkers..
• Newwoodworker.com: Articles, tips, plans, tool reviews, and more.
• About.com Woodworking: Lots of woodworking projects and links.
• Open Directory Project: Woodworking: Human-compiled catalog of links.
• DIY Fixit: Wood: Advice on buying and selecting timber, different types of wood etc. Also guidance of shelving, laying hardboard, and other common home projects.

Woodworking for young people

Kids: remember that woodworking tools are dangerous. Read the safety pages listed up above and get good advice from a sensible adult before you start!

• Woodworking for kids: An email discussion about how to get children involved in woodworking.
• Woodworking with children: With proper tuition and supervision, woodworking can be educational and fun.
• Woodworking for kids: Lots of helpful resources from Big Learning.com.
• Free DIY woodworking plans for children: Now there's an idea: get your children to make their own toys and games!

Woodworking tools

Buying tools

• Woodworking tips for beginners: Kevin Brady offers a simple, knowledgeable introduction to woodworking newcomers. This is a great place to start your reading.
• About.com: Woodworking tools and equipment: A series of helpful guides to choosing drills, saws, routers, sanders, etc.
• OnlineToolReviews.com: Useful, independent reviews of woodworking and DIY tools for the amateur DIY enthusiast and woodworker.
• Ultimate Handyman: Power tool buying guide: Includes guides to drills, cordless drills, power saws, grinders, sanders, rotozips, routers.
• DIYnot.com: Buying and hiring: The good and bad points of buying versus hiring, including basic safety points.
• Power and hand tools: An intro from DIY expert Ron Hazelton.
• Woodworking Beginners: This introductory article by Ferhat Gul includes a discusssion of woodworking tools.
• Tool buying guides from Homebase UK
• Power drills
• Circular saws
• Heat guns
• Electric screwdrivers
• Power jigsaws
• Sanders

Buying a lathe

• Some Helpful Tips on Evaluating a Lathe: buying advice from David Ficken
• Lathes buying advice: A look at the things you need to consider before you buy.
• Advice for buying a lathe: A short guide for watchmakers. Some of the advice may apply to woodworkers too.
• Peter Child's advice for buying a lathe: Includes a short list of desirable features to look for in your first lathe.

Setting up your own workshop

• Build a 10' x 12' workshop: It took 10 weekends to do it, but they did it! A photo-illustrated guide you can follow.
• The Ultimate Woodshop: How to plan, equip, and organize the perfect woodworking shop in your home.
• Workshops you can build: Details of a how-to-build-a-workshop book from Stiles Designs.
• Small woodworking shops: A more general (less practical) discussion from Architecture Week considers the history and purpose of small shops.
• Setting up shop by Sandor Nagyszalanczy, Taunton Press, 2006. A good simple introduction to making your own shop. You can read a short extract and taster on the Taunton website here.
• The Small Wood Shop by Fine Woodworking, Taunton Press, 1993. Another short good to starting your shop.

Woodworking tips and tricks

General tips

• Woodsmith Tips: There are 200 great tips on this page.
• Tips and tricks: Lots more tips from New Woodworker, including shop tips and advice on using bandsaws, routers, jointers, saws, and lathes.
• Bink's Tips for Easier Woodworking: A great amateur photo guide. Very clear and simple advice.
• Wood Net tips: A short list of tool tips

Tips on using woodworking tools from diyfixit.co.uk

• How to use a chisel
• How to use a power drill
• How to use a hand saw

Miscellaneous tasks and tips

• Measuring and marking wood for projects
• Drilling accurate holes: Guidance from Steven D Russell at WoodturningVideosPlus.com
• How to plane wood: Advice from DIY Fixit.
• How to cut an arc with a jigsaw: a handy video clip from someone called John at Expert Village.

DIY woodworking projects

General project sites

• Lee's Wood Projects: Free how-to guides and plans for all sorts of woodworking projects for your home. Quite detailed information and parts lists included.

Putting up shelves and shelving

• Building shelves: tips from Homebase UK
• DIY shelving projects: About.com has links to a variety of shelving how-tos. Also some sources on the net for readymade bookshelf units.
• Making and Mounting Shelves: An easy-to-follow project guide from Sawdust Making 101.
• Putting up shelves: Some advice from Google answers.
• Shelf project: Step-by-step guide from DIY guide Ron Hazleton.
• Freestanding shelves: Askthebuilder's Tim Carter explains why shelves don't necessarily need to be flush against a wall.

Bookcases and cabinets

• Bookcases from poplar: Another step-by-step guide from Askthebuilder's Tim Carter.
• Build a basic bookcase: Step-by-step from Digs magazine.
• How to build a small bookcase: This Old House has a simple-to-follow guide to making a half-height bookcase unit.
• Free bookcase plans: A long list of plans from other websites.
• Full-size bookcase that's easy to build: A basic description of a tall bookcase.
• How to build a bookcase: An illustrated guide from Popular Mechanics.
• Book eating bookshelves: "Nobody builds bookshelves for book people. Commercial shelves are always too deep and high, which wastes a great deal of space. Below is the solution I came up with for shelving way too many books in way too little space".
• EASY Kitchen Cabinet Revival Course: A step-by-step guide to reviving your tired old kitchen cabinets.

Making stands for loudspeakers

• The TNT Stubby: A DIY Speaker Stand Project on TNT
• Custom DIY Speaker Stands For Less: Dan Marx explains how to make inexpensive stands from scrap wood.
• How to build your own home theatre: A three-part guide from Brett D. McLaughlin (author of Home Theater Hacks). Includes how to backlight your TV, build speaker stands, and make a projection screen.

Miscellaneous project guides

• Do It Yourself Woodworking Projects: Loads more projects from doityourself.com.
• Free woodworking plans and furniture plans: Links to a variety of project websites on the Web.
• Making Built-in Wardrobes/closet: A guide from Hometips and Don Vandervort.
• Build wooden garden decking: A guide from Garden Advice.
• Build your own Wine Rack: An illustrated guide from Ron Hazelton's excellent site.
• Buying guide for kitchen cabinets and cabinet hardware: a quick survey of options from Don Vandervort.
• Jeff Greef woodworking: 40 free project plans.
• Jim Barry's Woodworkers' Workshop: Lots of free plans and many other great resources for woodworkers.

Woodturning

Introductions and overviews

• American Association of Woodturners: A great way to meet and share ideas with other woodturners.
• The Woodturner's Workshop: A really comprehensive online book about woodturning by Brian Clifford.
• Welcome to the world of Woodturning: A comprehensive introduction from Peter Hemsley.
• Turned Treasures: Larry Hancock's personal woodturning site includes lots of tips and techniques.
• Woodturning Online: A good collection of articles and other resources.
• Introduction to green wood turning: Looks at the problems of using fresh (green) wood in wood turning projects and how to overcome them.
• Ornamental turning: Revival of a craft from the past. A photo gallery of woodturning projects, some history, and a lot of other useful information.

Woodturning projects

• Teknatool woodturning projects: Free, downloadable projects including round bowls, three-legged bowls, pepperpots, .
• Woodturning projects and other articles: A selection of useful articles from Brian Clifford.
• Woodturns: Woodturning projects: Quite a large selection, including how to make bowls, vases, candlesticks, pens, and pepperpots.
• Woodturning online: Turning projects: Another big selection, including baby rattles, birdhouses, bracelets, brushes, and more.
• Marvin Landis' Woodturning Projects: A photo guide to the many projects Marvin has completed on his '57 Shopsmith lathe.
• Woodturning projects for all skill levels: One reader's personal collection of woodturning projects and sites.

Painting wood

• How to Prepare Wood Trim for a Smooth Paint Job: An excellent step-by-step guide from the Family Handyman.
• Preparing woodwork for painting: Tips from DIY Doctor.
• How to Paint woodwork using base coat and top coat: A basic illustrated guide from Reader's Digest.
• Preparing the Surface for Painting: A general guide to paint preparation, including a section about wood preparation.
• How to Strip Years of Paint Off a House: A detailed guide to removing old paint by Jefferson Kolle of This Old House magazine.

Using varnish and stains

• Finishing Wood Trim With Stain and Varnish: A four-step guide to finishing your woodwork from The Family Handyman.
• Transparent finishes for wood: DIYdata compares the pros and cons of different kinds of dyes, stains, varnishes, and polishes.
• Wood stain: A basic introduction from Wikipedia compares stain to paint and briefly explains how to use it.
• Tips for a perfect finish: Various guides to different kinds of wood finishing from About.com.
• Varnishing Wood: A beginner's guide from DIY Fixit.

Marquetry

National societies

• The Marquetry Society UK: Helpful information for people of all standards, plus galleries and links to local clubs and societies.
• The Marquetry Society of Canada: Lots of practical information for beginners, including details of marquetry tools and tips, courses, societies, and even marquetry humour.
• American Marquetry Society: Includes beginner's guide, contact details for local chapters, galleries, and more.

General sites

• The Redbridge Marquetry Group Tutorial pages: Lots of practical advice on everything from how to make a chess board to a description of veneers.
• Wood inlay: an illustrated step-by-step guide from the Chicago Park District.
• Marquetry: A basic introduction from Wikipedia.
• Open Directory Project: Marquetry sites: Some more sites to explore.

Woodworking magazines

These links cover websites for popular woodworking magazines and online magazines.

• About.com Woodworking: The woodworker's section of the popular About.com website, selected by guide Chris Baylor.
• Get Woodworking: The online version of The Woodworker and Practical Woodworking magazines.
• Grampa's Workshop: A more personal woodworking hobbyist's website run by Don "Grampa" Firth.
• Popular woodworking: Online version of the popular magazine includes free project plans, online reviews, and other features.
• Scrollsaw (Woodworking and Crafts): For beginners and experts alike.
• Woodcarving Illustrated: A how-to magazine for wood carvers. Lots of online content.
• WOOD magazine: Downloadable plans and projects and a selection of reader forums.
• Woodturning Design: Not a great deal of original online content, though there is an online forum for woodturners.
• Woodworking Magazine Index: A free index to articles in over 35 DIY and woodworking magazines.

Woodworking history

• Vintage Machinery: (Formerly Old Woodworking Machines). A site dedicated to vintage workshop machines, including an index of manufacturers.
• Will's Medieval Woodworking: How did craftsmen work hundreds of years ago? A fascinating site from a dedicated enthusiast.
• Museum of Woodworking Tools: "A museum should not be a fossilized, nostalgic look back to the past, so we hope to show how older tools can help you to be a better woodworker."
• Woodworking: Includes a short outline of the history of woodworking crafts.
• Roman Woodworking: A very interesting book by Roger B. Ulrich. Limited online preview here on Google Books.
• Roman woodworking tools: A short illustrated guide, also from Roger B. Ulrich.
• Exploring the Richly Detailed History and Art of Woodworking: Looking at the development of woodworking through different ages and conditions.
• Wk Fine Tools.com: Lots of interesting historical articles in this online woodworking machines. Includes detailed sections on the History of Woodworking Tools in the US and the History of Woodworking Tools in the UK.