Check Out The Woodworker’s Book Club

Recently, Owen Madden started a book club, and he wants you to join.

A professional cabinetmaker from upstate New York, Madden works as shop foreman at Rowan Woodwork.

“At our shop, we have a monthly meetup, and I get to meet some of the most talented woodworkers and artists,” Madden says. “Most of the conversations anchor around something learned from a book, at which point I write down that book and add it to the endless queue. I found that the best nuggets of information come from the discussion and innovation around the text. Naturally, I wanted to create a more organized space for these conversations so I could garner as much as possible.”

Madden, whose past work ranges from historical preservation and replication to modern architectural millwork, says he enjoys the community aspect of woodworking, trading stories and techniques about the craft.

We at Lost Art Press love Madden’s idea and hope to support the club in the future with virtual visits from some of our authors during meetings.

January’s book is “Making Things Work,” by Nancy Hiller.

“The first book was selfish,” Madden says. “Nancy is a hero of mine, and I find that book relates to anyone who wants to make great, lasting things that connect to the people we make them for.”

Here’s how the club works:

Madden will set up monthly meetings to discuss each book. Longer books may require a couple of meetings.

“I would love to have everyone involved in some sort of conversation, be it on Zoom, Discord or even in-person splinter groups in their own community,” Madden says. “It’s still so new the structure will probably build as we have some meetings.”

You can learn more about The Woodworker’s Book Club here. You can follow the club on Instagram here. And you can join the club’s Discord change here.

As for the next book?

“After this one, I’m going to do a poll and see,” Madden says. “I also think it would be cool if the guest moderator picked the next month’s book. It’s all fluid and new still, so we will just see what works and what doesn’t.”

— Kara Gebhart Uhl