The Best Woodwork Crafts & Hobbies Books 2025

1. Dover Crafts: Woodworking: Making Animated Whirligigs (Paperback)

More than two dozen traditional and original models of the wind-powered toys known as whirligigs appear in this how-to manual. Easy-to-follow instructions, detailed illustrations.

The handcrafted, wind-powered toys known as whirligigs have enchanted observers for centuries with their whimsical images: birds with spinning wings, people waving their arms, and countless other fanciful figures. In this volume, an expert at designing and making whirligigs shows both novices and experienced woodcrafters how to create more than two dozen large-scale animated models. The author's easy-to-follow discussions of design and construction covers key elements such as the propeller and driving mechanism and features step-by-step instructions and detailed illustrations. Best of all, these projects require no elaborate tools and only the most inexpensive materials. Choose from both traditional and original models, including the functional variety (weather-vane whirligigs, a mole chaser, a bird scarer, and more) as well as purely decorative types: the Gooney Bird, Tony and His Wheelbarrow, Eleanor at the Tub, Pete Sawing Wood, the Moon Ship, and others. Assembling these imaginative creations will provide you with hours of satisfaction and will delight viewers.

2. Woodcraft Project Paper Plan to Build Mission Double Dresser - Material Not Included

Build your own mission double dresser with this paper plan! The seven drawer chest is a basic piece in any authentic Mission-style bedroom group, and with this plan you can make one of your very own. Through-tenon construction and long brackets at the corners are hallmark features of the Stickley tradition. The drawer slide designs are all wood, so there is no need for store-bought slide hardware. Build this super furniture that is sure to please and stand the test of time. Overall size (after built): 63 inches wide, 21 inches deep, and 32 inches high.

MATERIALS NOT INCLUDED; PAPER PLAN ONLY Blueprint style plan, all parts are printed in full size Joinery and all curved workpieces are all shown in full size Detailed exploded diagram

3. Woodcraft Project Paper Plan to Build Mission Nightstand - Material Not Included

Create, Build, Assemble, etc. yourself with the help of this paper plan. Designed to go with the Mission style bedroom furniture, the nightstand has three graduated drawers and uses through-tenon construction. We recommend using Stickley type drawer pulls and natural wood drawer slides, not hardware. Overall size: 24 inches wide, 17 inches deep, 25 inches tall.

MATERIALS NOT INCLUDED, PAPER PLAN ONLY Build it yourself! All joinery is shown in actual size All curved workpieces are all shown in full size Detailed exploded diagram

4. Dover Woodworking: Chip Carving Patterns and Designs (Paperback)

126 patterns and designs — rosettes, borders, radials, etc. — from European and Polynesian sources.

If you are into chip carving, then you know about the need for new patterns and designs. This outstanding collection of 126 chip carving patterns will give you plenty of new and useful source material. Reproduced from authentic artifacts from traditional European and Polynesian sources, these designs are suitable for innumerable projects — from small boxes and chests, wooden knives, and bowls, to chairs, tables, large chests, wooden paneling, and many others. A great variety of shapes and sizes is offered including rosettes, borders, squares, triangles, rectangles, and circles. The European designs show great regularity and reveal a sound working knowledge of basic geometry: angles are uniform and all the divisions within a motif are carefully balanced. The Polynesian patterns consist of very tiny elements: simple triangles, alone and in combination; small circles, often in concentric patterns; and crescents. The oldest European design is from a chest made in Switzerland and carved in 1449. Other designs come from Holland, Spain, North Africa, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Scandinavia, and Austria. The Polynesian patterns are of relatively recent origin, though the art of chip carving is an ancient one in that culture as well. They were taken from ceremonial paddles, coconut bowls, ceremonial adzes, and one from a water jug. The designs may be used directly on the wood, or tracings can be made, preserving the pattern for repeated use. They also can be used in combination or as a source to develop your own unique ideas. Experienced carvers will find this book immensely useful and practical.

5. Woodcraft Project Paper Plan to Build Captain's Bed - Material Not Included

Create, Build, Assemble, etc. yourself with the help of this paper plan. Also called a storage bed, this traditional style Captain's Bed converts unused space into a convenient system of drawers. The headboard and footboard are built separately for ease in moving, plus they can be bolted to either end of the rail/drawer assembly so that drawers can be on either side depending on your desired room arrangement. Builds a twin size bed. Includes full-size blueprint style plan with all joinery shown in actual size, bill of materials/cutting list, detailed exploded diagram, and hardware requirements list. Measure and trace straight from the drawing if necessary.

MATERIALS NOT INCLUDED, PAPER PLAN ONLY Build it yourself! Measure and trace straight from the drawing if necessary Finished bed is 40-3/8" x 79-1/8" long Headboard: 36-7/8" high and Footboard: 23" high

6. Woodcraft Project Paper Plan to Build French American Sleigh Bed - Material Not Included

Create, Build, Assemble, etc. yourself with the help of this paper plan. Here's an Americanized version of the French empire style. The name "sleigh bed" is derived from the scrolled, sleigh-like head and footboard. This project has the builder use modern power tools to create the curvature of the legs, so there is no steaming required. Both headboard and footboard are designed with large raised panels for an elegant appearance. Build either a full size, or queen size bed. Queen, 63-1/8" wide, 87" long Full, 57-1/8" wide, 82" long.

MATERIALS NOT INCLUDED, PAPER PLAN ONLY Build it yourself! All joinery is shown in actual size All curved workpieces are all shown in full size Recommended woods are cherry, maple or birch

7. Woodcraft Project Paper Plan to Build Trundle Bed - Material Not Included

The word "trundle" means small wheel and that is what the lower bed has -- small wheels for rolling under the bed frame. Project is ideal for use in any bedroom as a unique space saver. The joinery is accomplished with keyed / pegged tenons, as was used by early craftsmen. The plans detail twin size only, but the intermediate could easily expand the project. This is a blueprint style plan which is heralded by beginners and experts alike as being a pleasure to work from because all parts, joinery, curved workpieces are printed in actual size, therefore you can measure and trace straight from the drawing if necessary. A bill of materials doubles as an exact cutting list, there is a detailed exploded diagram, and all hardware requirements are provided. The exploded diagram so detailed that project specific assembly instructions are not provided.

MATERIALS NOT INCLUDED, PAPER PLAN ONLY Build it yourself! Dimension: 39 1/2"H X 42"W X 83 1/8"L Project is ideal for use in any bedroom as a unique space saver.

8. Woodcraft Project Paper Plan to Build Chest of Drawers 51" - Material Not Included

Create, Build, Assemble, etc. yourself with the help of this paper plan.This tall seven drawer chest of drawers is in the Spanish-Mediterranean grouping. Featuring molded drawer fronts combined with overlay panels give this dresser an interesting play of light and shadow. All joinery is shown in actual size while curved workpieces are all in full size. You can measure and trace straight from the drawing. Also includes bill of materials/cutting list, detailed exploded diagram, and hardware requirements list.

MATERIALS NOT INCLUDED; PLAN ONLY Full-size blueprint style plan with all joinery is shown in actual size Measure and trace straight from the drawing if necessary Overall size: 19" D x 38" W x 51" H

9. Woodcraft Project Paper Plan to Build Pencil Post Canopy Bed - Material Not Included

Create, Build, Assemble, etc. yourself with the help of this paper plan. Practical and graceful, the 80" high Pencil Post bed can be used with or without the canopy frame. The plan also includes a turned finial for use without the canopy (as chosen by the customer who sent us the finished photo). The bed can be completely disassembled for easy transporting and setup of the distinctive bed. Use of cherry, mahogany, walnut or maple is recommended. This is a blueprint style plan which is often heralded by beginners and experts alike as being a pleasure to work from because all parts, joinery and curved workpieces are printed in actual full size and therefore you can measure and trace straight from the drawing if necessary. A bill of materials doubles as an exact cutting list and there is a detailed exploded diagram. All hardware requirements are listed.

MATERIALS NOT INCLUDED, PAPER PLAN ONLY Build it yourself! Measure and trace straight from the drawing if necessary Full-size blueprint style plan with all joinery is shown in actual size Twin is 59" X 80 1/4" and Double is 64 3/4" X 85 1/4"

10. Woodworker's Guide to Dovetails: How to Make the Essential Joint by Hand or Machine (Paperback) by Ernie Conover

9781565233874. New condition. Trade paperback. Language: English. Pages: 165. Trade paperback (US). Sewn binding. 165 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white, Illustrations, color, Halftones, Tables, Line drawings, Frontispiece. Woodworker's Guide To.... "Dovetails-the hallmark of fine furniture-are finally demystified! Superb!" -Scott Phillips, host, The American Woodshop on PBS television The dovetail-the cabinetmaker's joint for making boxes, cabinets, chests, bureaus, and drawers-is the subject of this crafter's companion. A hallmark of fine furniture, this reference lays out, in a straightforward and accessible manner, the efficient and effective methods for cutting full, half-blind, and through dovetails by using hand tools. Upon mastering the basics and gaining an understanding of how this workhorse joint performs, this study introduces the many popular router-drive jigs available on the market today, including the Leigh, Keller, Omni, WoodRat, Incra, Akeda, Sears, and Powermatic jigs. With step-by-step photographs and clear instructions to master the secrets to making a dovetail, this manual is an ideal handbook for anyone wanting to master the secrets to making a dovetail. Ernie Conover is a professional woodworker and the author of The Lathe Book, The Router Table Book, Turn a Bowl, and Turning for Furniture. He teaches and provides academic oversight at Conover Workshops-a craft school founded by the Conover family. He lives in Parkman, Ohio.

ISBN: 9781565233874 Condition: New Trade paperback Language: English Pages: 165 Trade paperback (US). Sewn binding. 165 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white, Illustrations, color, Halftones, Tables, Line drawings, Frontispiece. Woodworker's Guide To.... "Dovetails-the hallmark of fine furniture-are finally demystified! Superb!" -Scott Phillips, host, The American Woodshop on PBS television The dovetail-the cabinetmaker's joint for making boxes, cabinets, chests, bureaus, and drawers-is the subject of this crafter's companion. A hallmark of fine furniture, this reference lays out, in a straightforward and accessible manner, the efficient and effective methods for cutting full, half-blind, and through dovetails by using hand tools. Upon mastering the basics and gaining an understanding of how this workhorse joint performs, this study introduces the many popular router-drive jigs available on the market today, including the Leigh, Keller, Omni, WoodRat, Incra, Akeda, Sears, and Powermatic jigs. With step-by-step photographs and clear instructions to master the secrets to making a dovetail, this manual is an ideal handbook for anyone wanting to master the secrets to making a dovetail. Ernie Conover is a professional woodworker and the author of The Lathe Book, The Router Table Book, Turn a Bowl, and Turning for Furniture. He teaches and provides academic oversight at Conover Workshops-a craft school founded by the Conover family. He lives in Parkman, Ohio.