Tools of the Trade: The Art and Craft of Carpentry

Hand tools. They are and always will be art unto themselves.Like your grandfather used to build and repair the house he built for your grandmother.Those tools.The basic tool kit you listed for as a kid.They are the simplest of hand tools but when he used them bookshelves rose up from the lumber pile like a magic trick.A hammer. Saw. Trisqure. The mechanical double helix of a Yankee screwdriver.A book about these things could be a dry as a saltine.The only thing dry about the writing in this book is the humor that weaves in and out of the stories.Stories? Yup. That’s what we have here.Vignettes painted in words on paper.About the tools throughout this book.All the most important tools we have.The photographs are pretty damn nice too.Simple and complex and right to the point.The kind of book that should smell like planer shavings and sawdust.You’ll want to peruse through it on a chilly Saturday afternoon just to remind yourself of how much you love woodworking with hand tools.Feet up, fire crackling in the wood stove and the memory of your father showing you the proper way to push and pull his father’s 26” Disston rip saw with the maple handle and brass medallion screws and nuts.If you’ve gotten this down in my review, I already know that you want a copy for your library.

This book is a gentle trip back in time. It leads your along the path of the authors own love of great tools. You can smell the fresh curls of wood rolling off the planes--you will be lost in the photographs of hand tools you remember your father using. If you are a wood worker you will wish you were--if you only use power tools now you will relish the peek into the peaceful world of working wood with hand tools.

Well researched and illustrated.

I met Jeff Taylor in a lumber yard and we started a casual conversation about old woodworking tools. A friend of his mentioned to me that he had been published on the subject. So I ordered this book. Peeking into the pages I am excited to read it. This is a Christmas gift for a friend so I could only scan the chapters and read a little. I did not want to give my friend a"used" book. But it looks well written and I look forward to borrowing it back. Will let you know if it's NOT like I expect.

This was a wonderful read, I was both cringing and laughing through all the stories. Brings back memories. Thank you

His writing style is just so interesting; he effortlessly weaves together humor, amazing depth, and histories and details of every tool you have (or haven't) put your hands on. This book is like a favorite album that I didn't know I was waiting to hear until I heard it. I have one copy that I am keeping and bought this one for a friend.

when this book came out it was a sensation, especially after Christopher Lehman Haupt, NY Times Book Reviewer, gave it rave reviews. Can't imagine a better gift for anyone who works with wood and/or loves antique tools.

Jeff Taylor’s Tools of the Trade is a fascinating blend of the history of carpentry tools with a picture of life and maturing.The history of carpentry tools is surprisingly rich. Something as simple as a hammer is given a new life when written from Jeff Taylor’s perspective. A carpenter has many tools; they all have a story just as they have a purpose. At the very least, every home probably has a hammer and a screwdriver, purchased with cost being the only thought. This book speaks to each tool’s specialized use, the history of the tool, and the juxtaposition of antique and modern tools.The author approaches this topic with witty banter and dark humor. The information is presented succinctly and in a very readable manner. As someone with no carpentry experience (although I am the daughter of a mechanic), I still enjoyed reading this book. It did get very technical in some areas, which made certain aspects a little hard to understand for those unfamiliar with tools or carpentry.One very appealing aspect was how the author related each tool to the journey of his life. Each tool had a history behind it. Sometimes, that history was how a certain tool was acquired. Other times, it was a memorable moment when the tool was used. Throughout the book, we see a man learning a trade, maturing into an adult, and starting his own family. The tools make the journey with him. Some of them change, as all things do, but some of them will be around for generations to come.I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the author’s real-life application and stories involving the tools that were acquired along his journey to becoming a carpenter. Some of the more technical explanations made specific areas difficult to understand for people outside of the carpentry trade. The book is exceptionally edited, with very few errors.