Category: The Woodworker’s Pocket Book

The following is excerpted from our reprint of “Woodworker’s Pocket Book,” edited by Charles H. Hayward. I have screwing on the brain (so to speak) because I’ve been teaching Kale about pilot holes and clearance holes. I could have just handed this book to Kale, and it likely would have provided more clarity than did I. And it is certainly more succinct!

– Fitz

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Screws can be obtained in many metals and finishes, sizes and types.

METALS. The chief kinds are mild steel (iron) and brass, but in addition screws are made in copper, gunmetal, aluminium, and in a variety of finishes, such as Berlin blacked, galvanised, tinned, nickel-plated, electro-brassed, antique brassed, antique copper, electro-coppered, copper-oxydised, electro-silvered, and blued. The range of sizes is not so great in these fancy finishes.

TYPES. Countersunk head, raised head, and round head are the types mostly used. Size is taken from the position shown by arrows. Raised heads are frequently used with screw cups, which increase gripping area and give a neater appearance.

SIZES. Screws are classified by length and gauge. Illustration above shows from where length is taken. Gauge is the diameter of the shank and is the same in all lengths of screw. For instance, a 1-in. 9-gauge screw would have the same diameter and size of head as a 2-in. 9-gauge screw. Gauges range from 0000 to 50, but those from 4 up to 12 are most commonly used. Diagram shows five common gauges in actual size. [Ed note: The images here will resize to your device; they are not actual size] Order screws this way: ” 1 gross 1½-in. 9s, countersunk, iron.” It is always cheaper to buy by the gross than dozen.

SCREW HOLE SIZES. Two sizes of holes are needed when screwing – a thread hole and a shank hole. The former is the hole into which the screw bites its way, and should be smaller than the over-all diameter of the shank. The clearance hole should be a trifle fuller than the shank diameter. The table on the following page gives the various gauges of screws and the sizes required for the clearance and thread holes. A certain amount of latitude is possible. Softwoods will take smaller size of thread hole than hardwoods.

LUBRICATION. Lubricate screws before driving them in. It eases the work and prevents rusting. Vaseline is excellent. Be careful of mutton fat and Russian tallow, as the salt in them may cause corrosion.

FINDING THE GAUGE OF A SCREW. If you are uncertain of the gauge of a screw this simple method will give the exact answer in a few moments. Measure across the head of the screw, counting the measurement in sixteenths of an inch; double this number and subtract two. This is the gauge.

For example: a No. 10 screw (independent of length) will measure 3/8 in. or 6/16 in. This multiplied by two is 12/16 in.; less two is 10/16 in., or No. 10.

Take another case: the screw head measures 4-1/2 sixteenths; multiply by two=9; less two is 7, which is the screw gauge.

The table below gives the various gauges of screws and the sizes of the clearance and thread holes. It has been compiled from infor­mation supplied by Messrs. Nettlefold & Sons, Ltd.

When a long brass screw has to be driven into a hard wood it is advisable to drive in an iron screw of the same size first, as otherwise the resistance may cause the brass screw to snap off. Once the iron screw has been inserted it can be withdrawn and replaced by the brass screw.

We now have a dedicated page at our store for our popular pocket book series. You can reach it anytime under the Books menu in the store. You’ll also find other helpful collections of books there. Want to know what are our best selling books? It’s there. (We don’t control what is there – it is determined by sales numbers.) 

Also helpful: A page on the books we recommend for people getting started. Green woodworking. Chairmaking. Plus others.

Megan and I are planning out our next pocket books for the series. Here is a short list of ideas we have. If there are any that you really like (or hate) please let us know in the comments. Or if you have an idea for a topic, please share it. (Keep in mind these books have to be pretty narrow in scope. The pocket book of Universal Furniture Design would be impossible. Or horribly inadequate.)

Thanks for your help! We do appreciate it!

Dovetails: Through, Half-blind, Blind & Secret Miter

Mortise-and-Tenon: The Foundation of Civilization

Saw Sharpening: Backsaws & Handsaws

Finishes that Won’t Kill You: Oil, Shellac, Paint & Soap

Mitered Picture Frames

Hardware: Placement & installation

Treen: Turn plates, cups & bowls for eating

Steambending

Green wood: Felling, splitting & drying lumber

Bench Planes: Setup & Use

Joinery Planes: Setup & Use

Ever since I encountered an original copy of “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker,” I have been a little obsessed with little books.

These small folios – roughly 4” x 6-1/2” – can fit into your pocket. And when properly written, they are filled with ideas that can change your life. In 2020, we reissued “The Woodworker’s Pocket Book,” which is a gold mine of information on the craft, from finishing recipes to nails to identifying hardware and understanding furniture styles. 

We’ve sold more than 20,000 copies of this book in the last two years. And in the spirit of this small but mighty book, we are working on two more pocket books that we hope will blow your mind (but not your wallet).

The first is a book called “Sharpen This.” It’s a book that woodworker Tim Henriksen told me 10 years ago that I should write. It’s a no-nonsense 120-page treatise on grinding, honing and polishing edges. It is what woodworkers need to know to get great edges regardless of the sharpening system they use. It’s the kind of instruction I got in 1993 when I learned to sharpen. Before the internet. 

If you are a great sharpener, you probably don’t need this book. But your daughter or nephew might. In any case, it was huge fun to boil down everything I know about sharpening into 120 compact pages, plus 50 photos and hand-drawn illustrations. Every word in this book counts.

The third title in this series is a book that I cannot believe has never been written: “Workshop Wound Care” by Dr. Jeffrey Hill. If you think there is a lot of disinformation out there about sharpening and finishing, then wait until you cut yourself.

The first aid industry has filled our minds and shelves with products that we don’t really need. Including some that are less than helpful. Dr. Hill is an emergency room physician and a woodworker who cuts through the misinformation with a scalpel.

As Megan and I read his text we were shocked by all the things we were doing to treat wounds that were unnecessary or (worse) counter-productive. This is a book that I have personally longed for in our craft. You might think “Meh, I don’t need this. I can take care of my scratches.” 

But if you take an afternoon to read it, you will most certainly become better at treating your scrapes, contusions and what-nots. And you will likely have a better outcome, which is where you are back to woodworking much faster.

These two new books will both be the same size and have the same high-quality manufacturing as “The Woodworker’s Pocket Book.” And they will be reasonably priced – about $16-$18. Look for “Sharpen This” in the fall and “Workshop Wound Care” soon after that.

And we have a couple more pocket books in the works for 2023.

— Christopher Schwarz

The following is excerpted from “Woodworker’s Pocket Book,” edited by Charles Hayward.

PLYWOOD consists of three or more layers of veneer glued or cemented together with the grain of each piece laid at right angles to those adjoining. As this reduces (in the stouter thicknesses practically eliminates) any risk of splitting or of shrinkage, the strength of the board is greatly increased.

Three-ply is available in thicknesses from 1/64-1/4 in., multi-ply from 5/16-1 in. In the case of three-ply the centre core is usually thicker than the two outer veneers, when it is known as “stout-heart” as distinct from “equal-layer” (Fig. 1). When five, seven, or more veneers are used for multi-ply the same thick­ness of layer is used throughout. Boards are manufactured in standard-sized panels from 12 in. square up to several feet, and the range varies widely in different countries of origin.

As the metric measure applies to plywood thicknesses, it will be of service to give the approximate equivalents in inches.

A metre measures about 39-1/2 in. As there are a thousand milli­metres in a metre, a simple calculation shows that about 25 mm. go to the inch. If this figure is remembered we have a quick guide to the approximate thicknesses.

In manufacture birch is more frequently used, but alder, ash, and gaboon are also in demand. Pine is largely employed in the Scandinavian countries, whilst Douglas fir is widely used in America.

Faced plywood means that one surface is veneered with a fur­niture hardwood such as figured oak. Edges should be lipped when to be exposed.

LAMINATED BOARD, now largely used for veneered fur­niture, is built up with the inner core made up of numerous narrow strips glued to each other, both surfaces being faced with a board, the grain of which lies at right angles to the core. Gaboon is a favourite wood and the thicknesses range from 1/2-2 in. Out­side sizes vary considerably, but dimensions listed have reached as much as 16 ft. by 6 ft. 6 in. A normal size is about 8 ft. by 4 ft. When used for doors, sideboard, and table tops, etc., the edges are lipped and the surfaces veneered. The strips forming the core should not be wider than 7 mm. in laminated board.

BLOCK BOARD. In this case the strips forming the core are wider, 3/4 in. being an average. It is made in the same thicknesses as laminated board, but is less favoured for high-class furniture. From the illustration it will be seen that, both in the case of laminated board and block board, the grain of the core strips is reversed in the gluing. The core strips should not be more than 1 in. wide in block board.

BATTEN BOARD. This is a lower grade of built-up board in which the core strips are still wider. It is not so reliable for veneer­ing. The core strips should not be wider than 3 in.

TABLE OF APPROXIMATE EQUIVALENTS, MILLIMETRES AND INCHES
Useful for finding thickness of plywood, etc., in inches.