The Wood Working Handbook

The Woodworking Handbook, by woodshop master Tom Begnal, is a comprehensive, illustrated reference - a single, logically organized resource jam-packed with all the common formulas, tables, sizes and specifications you need to design, join and finish any project. Inside, you get easy-to-understand conversion chartsfractions to decimals, English to metric and more. You also get tips for understanding shop drawings - including common woodworking abbreviations and symbols - which means you'll know how to envision your projects, start them and finish them. Details on the working qualities of domestic and exotic hardwoods are expertly covered, including the nuances of planning, shaping, turning, boring and sanding different woods. Also covered: the inside scoop on adhesives and finishes - which kinds work where, and why. And when it comes to selection and maintaining your tools, the essentials are all here in complete and practical form - from blade choices for specific jobs to sharpening angles to a gallery of router bit profiles. With The Woodworking Handbook you get immediate answers to the questions that can otherwise stop a project cold. For example: What size bit should I use to predrill for wood or lag screws? How much should I enlarge gridded magazine drawings on a photocopier to make them full size? How many degrees should I tilt a radial arm saw blade to cut compound angles? What do the grade stamps on lumber mean? Which wood is best for my project? What are the standard, accepted dimensions for a king-size bed, a computer desk, a workbench? What common household items can double as circle templates for my wood-working projects?