Robert Wearing’s “The Essential Woodworker” is back in stock in the Lost Art Press online store. We went out of stock last year after a surprising rush of sales on the title.
“The Essential Woodworker” was the second book we published, and it is still one of the first books I recommend to people who want to learn to work with hand tools.
While there are lots of good books that show how to buy the tools and set them up, “The Essential Woodworker” is fantastic because it shows you how the whole system works. Using handsaws, planes and chisels in your work is not just swapping things out for your table saw and sander.
The processes and the order of operations are fundamentally different – especially layout. Once you know when to plane, when to cut joints and when to assemble, then handwork becomes much more efficient. The book is a quick read – mostly hand-drawn illustrations – but it will change the way you think about hand work.
If you haven’t checked out this book, it’s just $29 and available now in our store.
— Christopher Schwarz
P.S. Read this great profile of Robert Wearing by Kara Gebhart Uhl.
It’s hard to praise The Essential Woodworker enough. Rarely can so much important information have been crammed into so few pages. Rober Wearing is IMO a master of concise writing.
Not as concise as me missing the “t” of the end of his name though. Doh!
Funny…I just grabbed my copy off the shelf before I sat down to the computer and read this. Truly one of the 5 must have books on wood working.
Funny…I just pulled my copy of this book off the shelf before I sat down to check emails and found this email. Easily one of the top 5 books on woodworking and should be part of everyone’s library.
I can confirm that this book is awesome.
Hi – do you not ship to the UK? Or allow pdf downloads? Regards Jill Arrowsmith
Sent from my iPhone
>
We do not ship to the UK. You can get our full line of books from Classic Hand Tools in the UK.
https://www.classichandtools.com/acatalog/Lost-Art-Press.html
How is Wearing doing? It’s been a couple of years.
He’s still kicking. We’re working on a new book project with him and his son. We’ll have details soon!
Thanks. As a WWII vet, he must be getting up there. Glad to hear he’s still working.
You guys are “Wearing” me down with all the good titles you have and keep producing.
Hi Daniel,
We keep all of our titles in stock so you don’t have to worry about buying it before it goes out of print. So don’t sweat it…. we’ll be here for a long time.
Great news! Thanks! Y’all are awesome.
Great book…..
My book is signed by Chris in 2011. How time flies….
Thanks, Chris
Great to know. I put this title on the recommendation list for my upcoming class this summer (https://classes.folkschool.org/class_details.aspx?pk=21612). Would have been problematic if it were out-of-stock/print!