Many woodworking how-to books have a distinctly clinical feel to them, taking a formulaic approach (complete with exploded computer-drafted imagery) to describe a woodworking process from start to finish. This method works well for conveying precise measurements and details for replicating a specific piece of furniture, but falls short when it comes to capturing the whole point of working wood with hand tools in the first place – that is, enjoying the beauty of the process.
In Joined: A Bench Guide to Furniture Joinery, author Joshua A. Klein thoughtfully guides the reader through the most commonly used joinery found in furniture: dovetails, dadoes, mortise and tenons, and rabbets. But instead of employing precise dimensions, angles, and diagrams, Klein focuses on the skills and techniques that enable an artisan to adapt and cut joinery for almost any project. This is not a book of “DIY tricks” for making dovetails in half the time. Rather, it is a step-by-step guide to understanding, laying out, and efficiently executing joinery, based on the methods of period craftsmen as shown in the furniture they made. Klein shows where precision is important (“sacred” show surfaces, visible tenon shoulders) and where it doesn’t matter in the least (the inside of rails). More importantly, he helps the reader understand each step of the process, explaining why as well as how to use the tools in a specific manner.
This is an immensely practical book. Featuring durable sewn binding that will lay flat on the bench and plenty of room in the margins for notes, Joined is designed to find a home in your workshop. Filled with hundreds of beautifully clear photographs and detailed commentary, this book will be a valuable companion for any furniture-making project – whether you are building a bookshelf, a dovetailed box, or a ladderback rocker, the fundamentals of the joinery needed can be found in these pages.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Square Mortise and Tenon
The Round Mortise and Tenon
The Through Dovetail
The Half-blind Dovetail
The Nailed Rabbet
The Dado
- 176 pages
- 7” x 9.5”
- Softcover
- Smythe-sewn binding and matte-coated paper
- Printed in the United States
