A History of the Amateur Woodworking Movement A Decade-by-Decade Narrative of Amateur Woodworking in America From 1900 to 2000 Woodworker's Manuals: 1971 - 1980 An Online Book -- Raymond McInnis -- Amateur Woodworker

 

Home Contents Appendices Authors Documents

Glossary Intro and Glossary Annexes A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Narrative Chapters Chap 1 Chap 2 Chap 3 Chap 4 Chap 5 Chap 6 Chap 7 Chap 8 Chap 9 Chap 10 Chap 11 Chap 12 Headnote for Manuals    Manuals by Decade 1900-before 1901-1910 1911-1920 1921-1930 1931-1940 1941-1950 1951-1960 1961-1970 1971-1980 1981-1990 1991-2000 2001-later

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Woodworker's Manuals 1971 to 1980

Below are highlights that I have discovered in a survey of woodworker's manuals published over a period of several centuries.

Why survey three centuries of woodworking manuals? The main focus of my study is the 20th century, but since woodworking manuals published in the 18th century remain popular among certain amateur woodworkers today, I believe that I need to explore approaches that allows you to visualize the context in which these "original" woodworking manuals were published, and thus may be able to sense their significance as timeless artifacts. My first convictions about woodworking manuals is that the intent of their authors in assembling these manuals is to instruct and to inspire. The "to instruct" -- the "how-to-do-it" function -- is obvious. Potential woodworkers need guidance, and guidance comes best from other woodworkers' experience. The "to inspire" part may not be obvious to beginners, of course, but finding any evidence of attempts toward inspiration is usually not difficult, especially if you read the introduction to a woodworking manual. For example, read the introduction to the 1946 woodworker's manual, How to Get the Most Out of Your Home Workshop Hand and Power Tools, published by Popular Science. This manual's Introduction revives the term, "Skill Hunger", coined and popularized in the Depression by promoters such as Lawrence Pearsall Jack, for promoting use of "leisure time" wisely. What is "skill hunger?" For the editors of the woodworker's manual, How to get the most out of your home workshop hand and power tools, skill hunger concerns "How the Hammer, Saw and Try-Square Can Satisfy the Urge to Make Things". Read more on this term by clicking on this hyperlink. In comparison, how does this 1946, How to Get the Most Out of Your Home Workshop Hand and Power Tools, manual stand up in promoting use of power tools over competitive manuals? I checked this matter by doing a survey of woodworking manuals published between 1941 and 1950 in the Worldcat bibliographic database.  (Worldcat, the world's largest bibliographic database of books, periodicals, publications of governments, etc, etc., currently contains records for over 50 million items.) How to Get the Most Out of Your Home Workshop Hand and Power Tools, Worldcat registers only 17 copies in libraries worldwide -- telling us that libraries did not perceive this title as a "keeper", meaning that we can't use library holdings as an indicator of the impact of this manual on the amateur woodworking movement in the '40s. (Since How to Get the Most Out of Your Home Workshop Hand and Power Tools is over 50 years old, and has been "replaced" by numerous other more up-to-date manuals, most public libraries could have "discarded" their copies for more recently published books. By discard, do not think the trash can; instead, it is more likely that the book was offered for sale at one of the book sales public libraries conduct annually. As a rule, public libraries -- unlike college libraries -- do not consider themselves "last copy" repositories. However, while this assumption may be soundly based, it is still only speculation.) Worldcat registers that in 1946, 35 volumes were published, and for the decade, i.e., from 1941-1950, 206 volumes were published that libraries classified as woodworking manuals. So, with these figures, we can conclude that the How to get the most out of your home workshop hand and power tools volume had much competition, especially in a nation occupied by a war. How to Get the Most Out of Your Home Workshop Hand and Power Tools was, however, indexed in the Index to Handicrafts,  Modelmaking  and Workshop Projects, 2d supplement, 1950. This is one volume in a series of five volumes, published between 1943 and 1975. These volumes were purchased widely by public libraries, because their contents are indexes the internal contents of manuals. Pages of The Index to Handicrafts where certain "how-to" plans are accessible: for example, the following entry shows that you can find: "Mortising and shaping on the drill press". In How to Get the Most Out of Your Home Workshop Hand and Power Tools, pp. 91-95. The Index to Handicrafts began as an in-house file of hand-written 3 x5 inch library cards in the Pittsburgh Public Library. Click on this link for an online example of how a public library lists these volumes. How to get the most out of your home workshop hand and power tools is still in the Index to Handicrafts,  Modelmaking  and Workshop Projects volume, but the manual itself -- probably because in public libraries it is considered outdated -- has been removed from the shelves of many public libraries.

Chronological List of Woodworking Manuals, Periodicals,  1971-1980:

1971: Sunset (magazine) Furniture You Can Make.    Lane Books, 1971.

The distribution of this bookstore/newsstand paperback was probably limited to the West, since Sunset is oriented strictly to topics of Western America.

1971: Daniel W. Irwin. Power Tool Maintenance. McGraw-Hill, 1971.

The most sought after manual for the maintenance of major stationary woodworking tools. Twenty-two chapters cover belts, pulleys, bearings, lubrication, motors (wiring and controls), parts and service info, for stationary woodworking tools and portable electric tools.

1971: Franklin H. Gottshall. Making Antique Furniture Reproductions: Instructions and Measured Drawings for 40 Classic Projects. Dover, 1971. (reprinted in 1994?)

1972: G. W.Endacott, Woodworking and furniture making for the home. New York, Drake Publishers, 1972. Libraries Worldwide: 162  

1972: William E. Schremp. Designer Furniture Anyone Can Make.  Simon and Schuster, 1972. 127 pages.

Continues the tradition of Mario Dal Fabbro, modern furniture, 1949.

1972: R J. DeCristoforo, DeCristoforo's Book of Power Tools, Both Stationary and Portable,  434 pages, Times Mirror Magazines, New York, 1972,

Said to be adapted from Decristoforo's manuals dedicated to the Shopsmith -- starting in 1953 -- this is an extensively illustrated guide to the use of power woodworking tools, both stationary and hand-held:  table saws, drill presses, lathes, band saws, belt sanders. Chapter describe the safe operation of a tool, and standard techniques, applications of that particular machine. Includes photos and plans for simple jigs and accessories, e.g., an adjustable wooden frame for cutting large panels easily with a power hand saw.

1972: F. E. Hoard and Andrew W. Marlow. Good furniture you can make yourself. New York, Collier Books 1972.

1973:  John Gerald Shea. Anatomy of Contemporary Furniture. Van Nostrand Reinhold,  1973. 191 pages

First published in 1965 under the title Contemporary Furniture Making for Everybody Revised edition published in 1973 by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. Copyright © 1965, 1973 by Litton Educational Publishing, Inc.

1973:  Jay W. Hedden and Monte Burch Making Mediterranean Furniture.  Arco, 1973.

1973: James Hennessey and Victor J. Papanek. Nomadic Furniture 1: How to Build and Where to Buy Lightweight Furniture That Folds, Collapses, Stacks, Knocks Down, Inflates or Can Be Thrown Away and Re-Cycled: Being Both a Book of Instruction and a Catalog of Access for Easy Moving. Random House, 1973.

1973: Andrew W. Marlow.  The early American furniture-maker's manual.New York, Macmillan 1973. [In your library Western Washington University]

1973:  Rolf Schutze. Making Modern Danish Furniture.  Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1973.

1973: Alexander Weygers, The Making of Tools, 93 pages, 1973, Van Nostrand,

[needs editing] "This book teaches the artist and craftsman how to make his own handtools: how to design, sharpen, and temper them, using only basic shop equipment and scrap steel." There are many illustrative drawings on each page that show the "step-by- step progression from the raw material to the finished product the handmade tool."

Raw material is usually high-carbon steel from steel scrapyards and auto junkyards (U.S.). Hardwood is used for the handles.

Contents include: tempering steel, sharpening tools; making a screwdriver,.cold chisel and other simple tools; stonecarving tools; cutting tools; eyebolts and hooks, tool handles, hammers, gouges, seating cutter and hinge joints, tinsnips, wire and nail cutters, large shears, and pliers; applying color patina to steel surfaces. There is also a glossary of tool-making terms (useful to non-native English speakers).

The author was born in Java, educated in Holland as an engineer, and has worked in Java and the U.S. before concentrating on art. This book, based on his teaching experiences is designed for the artist and craftsperson who is interested in making (or forced to make) his or her own tools.

1974:  James Hennessey and Victor J. Papanek. Nomadic Furniture 2.  Pantheon Books, 1974.

1974: Diane Cleaver.   The Box Book: The World's Cheapest Way to Build Furniture.   McKay, 1974.

1974:  Joseph William Daniele. Building Early American Furniture.  Stackpole Books, 1974. [copy in wwu library]

1974:  Charles Hayward, Woodwork Joints 176 pages,

The craft of woodwork consists largely of joining pieces of wood together. In this book we have taken the basic joints, given their chief variations, and shown how to cut them. It is not suggested that the methods of cutting described are the only ones possible ... but it can be taken that the way described is useful and has been proven by experience to be reliable.

1974: Aldren A Watson. Country Furniture, New York: Thomas Y Crowell, 1974. 274 pages.

For an extended discussion of Watson's manuals, click here.

1975: R J. DeCristoforo. The practical handbook of power tools New York : Fawcett Publications, 128 p..

1975: Lester Margon.   Construction of American Furniture Treasures: Measured Drawings of Selected Museum Pieces With Complete Information on Their Construction and Reproduction. Dover, 1975.

1975:  Paul Howard. Make Your Own Furniture: How to Do It the Fun and Easy Way with Canadian Materials. McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1975.

1975: John Gerald Shea. Antique Country Furniture of North America. New York: Van Nostrand, 1975. 228 pages.

1975:  Dona Z. Meilach. Creating Modern Furniture: Trends, Techniques, Appreciation. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc.,  1975. 310 p.

From the Chapter 1:

The character of furniture reflects the personality and taste of the people who live with it; it depends upon their life-styles and the nature of their houses. Throughout the ages, as painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and dance have represented the thinking of the times, so has the furniture. For example, the severity of line in the art of the Renaissance also appeared in the furniture. The baroque is represented in heavy, ornately carved furniture designed to fit the decor of the rooms. With contem­porary life-styles and art movements so varied, it is not surprising that many new ideas are evolving about the furniture we live with and use.  The scope of this book is to present the current activity of designers who create furniture as an artistic endeavor rather than for mass production. and the marketplace. The majority of pieces were created by the artist for himself or for a specific client rather than with an eye to production. Because of the handmade sculptural basis of the items, industry is not able to reproduce them economically….

1976:  Franklynn Peterson. The Build-It-Yourself Furniture Catalog.  Prentice-Hall, 1976. 
 

1976: R J. DeCristoforo. Wood projects for the garden [S.l.] : Grolier's H.O.M.E., 1976

1976: R J. DeCristoforo. How to build your own furniture.  New York :  Popular Science, 1976

1976: Mario Dal Fabbro. How to Build Modern Furniture.    McGraw-Hill, 1976.

First published in 1957.

1976: Lura, LaBarge. Crate craft: Easy-to-make furniture and accessories you can build quickly and inexpensively. New York: Butterick Pub., 1976. [Is this directed at the amateur woodworker, or the newly-married couple? Will the experience become something that will engender a follow-up pursuit of amteur woodworking? It’s happened before. This book is in bpl.]

1976: John R. Trussell and G. W.Endacott, The Complete library of woodworking & furniture making.  New York : Drake Publishers, 1976. Libraries Worldwide: 14  

1976: Spiros Zakas ( Parsons School of Design). Furniture in 24 Hours. Collier Books, 1976.

1976: Ralph Treves. Early American Furniture You Can Build. Arco, 1976.

1976:  Donald R. Brann. How to Build Colonial Furniture.  Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. : Directions Simplified, inc., 1976. Libraries Worldwide: 281

 

1976:"Tubal Cain" [pseudonym for T D Walshaw] Drills, Taps and Dies. Birmingham, England: Argus Books, 1976. 109 pages.

 

 

 Definitely  outside the scope of the majority of woodworker's manuals on this website, nonetheless, it is very useful for woodworkers who make stands for their tools out of metal. (I have done this -- a metal stand for a vintage shaper table converted into a shaper/router table; rather than a router, though, it has a 2 hp reversible Baldor motor -- and found out that the more you know about drilling in metal, the better off you are.)

 

 

 

1977: Andrew W. Marlow. Classic furniture projects. New York : Stein and Day, 1977. [In your library Western Washington University]

 

1977: Better Homes and Gardens (magazine). Better Homes and Gardens Furniture Projects You Can Build. Meredith Books, 1977. 
 

1977:  Joseph Provey. Systems of Living Space.    H. Regnery, 1977. [why? a book on furniture making – in wwu library – by rightwing publisher]

1977: R J. DeCristoforo, Handtool Handbook for Woodworking 184 pages, by R.J. DeCristoforo, 1977,

How to use woodworking tools, including  measuring devices, saws, hammers, drills, screwdrivers, chisels and planes. This book is full of tricks and tips for woodworkers, and the 400 illustrations make it easy to understand. The author also discusses safety, sharpening, shop math and how to choose good tools.

You won't find this (a crown) on all saws, but many experts look for it as an indication of careful designing and superior quality. A crowned saw is one where the silhouette of the toothed edge shows a gentle arc rather than a straight line from the heel to the toe. The reason for the shape is to obtain maximum cutting effect with minimum drag. The arc brings fewer teeth into contact with the wood fibers. While you don't have as many teeth in full contact, those that are cut deeper, faster, and easier.

1977: R. J DeCristoforo How to Build Your Own Furniture New York: HarperCollins, 1977

1977: Michael Dunbar. Windsor Chairmaking. Stobart, 1977.

1977:  A. W. Marlow. Fine Furniture for the Amateur Cabinetmaker. Natl Book Network, 1977.

1977: Sunset (magazine). Easy to Make Furniture.  Lane, January 1977.

1977: Donald R. Brann. How to Build Outdoor Furniture. Easi-Bild Dir Simplified, 1977.

1977: Graham Blackburn. Illustrated Furniture Making.  Simon and Schuster, 1977.

1977:  Ron W. Maguire   Simple Furniture Making and Refinishing. Reston, 1977.

1977:  Family handyman magazine. The Furniture Maker's Handbook. Scribner, 1977. 281 p. : ill. ; 28 cm. Libraries worldwide that own item: 392

1977: Brian Brooks. Furniture for Children.   Evans, 1977.

1977: Thomas Moser and Christian Becksvoort. How to Build Shaker Furniture.  Drake, 1977.

1977:  V. J. Taylor. Modern Furniture Construction. Evans Bros, 1977.

1977: Andrew W. Marlow. Classic Furniture Projects. New York : Stein and Day,  1977. 210 pages.      Libraries worldwide that own item: 245 

1978: Spiros Zakas,  More furniture in 24 hours.
New York : St. Martin's Press, 1978. Libraries Worldwide: 353  

1978: G. W.Endacott, Furniture making made easy.  Toronto : Coles, 1978. Libraries Worldwide: 1

1978:  Jack Kramer and Adrian Martinez. Fold-Away Furniture.  Cornerstore Library, 1978.

1978: R. J DeCristoforo Making it with wood  Toronto : Key Books, 1978

1978: Per Dalsgaard and  Elisabeth Erichsen. Bright Ideas for Your Home.  Harper & Row, 1978.

1978:  Maurice Cohen. Making Children's Furniture with Hand Tools.  Drake, 1978.

1978: Per Dalsgaard and Elisabeth Erichsen. Bright Ideas for the Home: A Do-It-Yourself Illustrated Guide to 27 Simple and Inexpensive Items from Armchairs, to Quilts and Lampshades. Macmillan London, 1978.

1978: Lewis H. Hodges. 66 Weekend Wood Furniture Projects. Tab Books, 1978.

1978: Consumer’s Guide.  The Tool Catalog: An Expert Selection of the World’s Finest Tools. Beekman, 1978.

 

1979: Franklin H. Gottshall. How to Make Colonial Furniture.  Macmillan, 1979.

 

1979: Franklin H. Gottshall. Making furniture masterpieces: 30 projects with measured drawings. Dover,  Publications, 1979, 1996. Libraries Worldwide: 47

 

1979: A.B. Emary. Woodworking 125 pages 8 1/2 x 5 1/2". Basic principles, timber, joints and tools as well as many different projects.   [40] p. not available ill

1979: R. J. DeCristoforo. Woodworking techniques :   joints and their applications. Reston, Va.: Reston Pub. Co., 1979

1979: R. J. DeCristoforo. Step-by-step guide to woodworking. Reston, Va.:  Reston Pub. Co., 1979.

1979:  Franklin H Gottshall. Masterpiece Furniture Making. Stackpole Books 1979.

This book – surprisingly – is not a reprint, like most of Gottshall other books. Gottshall’s first book is 1931, two years short of one half century earlier. One of the highlights is the shell-top corner cupboard, a piece that is Gottshall’s signature project.

1979: Percy W Blandford. How to Make Early American and Colonial Furniture. Tab Books, 1979.

1979:  F. Richard Boller. Wood Furniture Projects.  Bobbs-Merrill Educational, 1979.

 

1979: Scharff, Robert. The Complete Book Of Home Workshop Tools McGraw-Hill, 1979.

Dated but still useful, this book helps amateur woodworkers select and use hand and power tools in the home workshop. Describes the tools -- emphasizing major power tools -- explains how to use them correctly and safely and how to care for them. Useful along similar lines is the Holtrop/Hjorth textbook, Modern Machine Woodworking 1937 and 1960.

 

1980: John Gerald Shea. Contemporary Furniture. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.

1980: John Gerald Shea. The Pennsylvania Dutch and Their Furniture. New York: Van Nostrand, 1980. 226 pages.

1980: V. J. Taylor. Constructing Modern Furniture.   Sterling, 1980.

1980:  Raymond D. Brown. How to Design and Build Your Own Furniture. Tab Books (January 1980.

1980: V. Taylor. How to Build Period Country Furniture.  National Book Network, 1980, ©1978.

192 p. : ill. ; 29 cm. FirstSearch indicates your institution owns the item. Libraries worldwide that own item: 226 

1980: Larry Buckley. Easy-to-make slotted furniture:12 contemporary designs. 44 p., [1] leaf of plates : ill. New York : Dover Publications, ; ISBN: 0486239837 (pbk.) :

1980: Family Handyman (Editor). 77 Furniture Projects You Can Build. McGraw-Hill, 1980.

[indexed in Index To Handicrafts]

1980: Jerome Rubin and Cynthia Rubin. Mission furniture: making it decorating with it, its history and place in the antique market. San Francisco : Chronicle Books, ; ISBN: 0877011699. viii, 131 p. : ill. Libraries worldwide that own item: 245

1980: John Makepeace and Peirs Dudgeon. The Art of Making Furniture. London Pan books, 1980. 188 pages. An interesting book – made so by its appearance 4 years after the initiaton of FW 1976