Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking (Joinery / Shaping, Veneering, Finishing)

As an amature wood worker, much of my enjoyment comes from learning the trade. I have several books on the subject and numerous hours of online research. This is by far the best resource I've found. His techniques are timeless, no frills, no bells and whistles - he gives it to you straight. After reading the sections on dove tails (in which the author goes through many techniques for making a dovetail using a variety of tools) I dreamed (no joke) of a different style joint and am going to experiment with it later. Will it work? Who cares. The point is Frid gives you the foundation, so you understand the joint. If you like glossy pictures, this book probably isn't for you. The quality of each picture is acceptable. Modern books give you a few really good, glossy, color pictures. This book gives you numerous acceptable-quality black and white pictures. Which is more important to you?Frid is a master craftsman and an experienced teacher. He took his time with this book and it's obvious. He conveys his love for the craft and a willingness to pass on his knowledge. This book is a must-have. Quite the bargain, if you ask me.Negatives? Some of the pictures could be a bit better. Occasionally, there is one or two illustrations the intent of which are lost due to the quality. This is fairly rare, however.

I think it is a very good introduction to woodworking. The textbooks that I used in shop classes a long time ago dealt with hand tools and what can be done with them. The difference for me is the stress on handmaking. With five generations of woodworking behind me, my first shop teacher moved me quickly through the hand tools and on to power tools. In the shop, I have to balance time spent versus costs. Sure, handmade dovetails are nice for the purist, and probably there are people around who have the money to pay for those. The people I meet generally look at the cost and decline to pay. So, I look at what real woodworkers are doing and then figure out how I can use machinery to do the work faster so that I can sell at a price that people are willing to pay.

A great book for any woodworker. There is a lifetime of experience in one great reference volume. I want to get Book 3 on furniture making in the near future. While you can find lots of information on the internet or youtube, it is nice to have a dedicated book that you can reference quickly. Tage Frid and his works are highly recommended for a reason. If you are a beginner I would get this as Tage explains a whole lot about the materials, tools and techniques you will use in a lifetime of woodworking. The condition of the book was marked Very Good and came as was described.

Excellent first book for new woodworkers!

I recently found myself getting interested in woodworking with the purchase of a new table saw and bought a couple of books, including this title. It's impressive and an extremely good book for a beginner to purchase.The first section (3/4 of the book) shows you not only every way to join two pieces of wood, but shows you how to do each joint with different tools. So if you have a table saw but not a router, you can still make each of the joints. This book also has some great (and very simple) jigs to help get started. The second part is a combination of information about bending wood, finishing, etc. Although not as comprehensive as the first section, it still has some valuable information.Highly recommended to anyone.

I was disappointed with this book after reading the glowing reviews.As another reviewer mentioned, part 1 (of 2) is about 3/4 ofthe book, and what it covers is the construction of every imaginablekind of joint, usually with a table saw. I see this materialas being of most interest to furniture builders with reasonably-largeshops. (Indeed, the author is a furniture maker.) Being a guitarbuilder with a small shop the material of this section was mostly irrelevant.Part 2 was more relevant to me, but the material is somewhat dated.For example, I think veneer hammering is now considered a somewhatquaint method for applying veneer, with the vacuum press beingthe most common method. The material on finishing was more relevantto me, but it was quite basic.

I bought this book after hearing that Tage Frid was the "dean of American woodworking teachers." I use hand tools primarily, and Mr. Frid's techniques not only teach you how to make beautiful and strong hand tool joinery, but he explains why joints are constructed in a certain way. He also covers the same joinery techniques using a table saw and router.The photos are not all that good, but the accompanying drawings are fantastic. At the end of each section covering a particular type of joinery, there are detailed drawings which show you how to construct the joint in the correct order. I love this part.I recommend this training course for both novice and professional furniture woodworkers.

Must-have book for all newbie (myself) woodworkers. The amount of knowledge and experience Tage Frid pours into this book is incredible.

iF YOU ASPIRE TO TAKE UP WOODWORK AS A HOBBY OR EVEN FURTHER THIS IS A GOOD BOOK TO START WITH. THE AUTHOR IS A WELL RESPECTED SOURCE IN AMERICA.

well written and illustrated, suitable for all levels, eminently understandable, superb in every way!I would recommend this for anyone.

Cane as expected and in plastic folio.

It is a good book with a very practical approach although not all the explanations are very clear. It is a pity that is all the photos are black and white. Some of the electric tools are a little old so the explanations are not so useful. But anyway the book is useful and there is not another one so complete.