Jim Tolpin's Woodworking Wit & Wisdom: Thirty Years of Lessons from the Trade

by Jim Tolpin and Tolpin

Book Overview

Did you know? The three most fundamental and essential tools can't be bought. Sanding is the slowest, most tedious, and most counterproductive way to prepare a surface for the clearest, richest... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558707190
• ISBN13: 9781558707191
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Popular Woodworking Books
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.5" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

This Should Be Your First Book

This Should Be Your First Book. So many straight forward tips to count. Just exceptional information presented in an entertaining and down to earth manner.

Fun book

It is wit and wisdom, just like it says. Funny anecdotes and a few ideas I didn't think of that worked out well, nice light read. The other reviewers are spot on.

quick bits for quick reads

Each topic is one, or at most two pages. Nearly all have entertaining and even helpful sketches with them. The candor and insights into woodworking technique, tools, and wisdom are entertaining as well as educational. What's more, in addition to the editoral content - Tolpin's book is worth the price for any of the following: 1) the list of 20 favorite tools, 2) the list of 20 favorite books, 3) knowing how horses rear ends determined the width of the space shuttle booster rockets (REAL horses), or 4) how to use a story stick instead of a tape measure - and WHY. If you enjoy woodworking, odds are good you will enjoy this book. The only thing more enjoyable would be the chance to do a weekend project with this down-to-earth guy!

pearls of wisdom

i bought this book mainly because i was so impressed with the author's original on building traditional kitchen cabinets. this book is great entertainment and wisdom as master cabinetmaker jim tolpin recalls numerous lessons from his formative years as an apprentice in woodworking. some of the best pieces of advice that he gives include: do not forsake hand tools! i've just recently started the so-called downward descent down the slippery slope and have found that hand joinery is much SAFER and sometimes FASTER than power tools such as cutting dovetails. put away that ruler! jim outlines various methods including story sticks, joe frogger and jigger sticks as numerically-FREE methods of measurements.

Wonderful!

After you've read some of the many books detailing aspects of woodworking technique, and have spent a little time in the shop, read this for pure enjoyment. The crisp prose and amusing hand drawings are like having a great conversation with the author. This is "A Cabinetmakers Notebook" for the rest of us!