woodworking projects and plans
Woodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood.
History
Along with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was certainly one of the first materials worked by primitive human beings. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood. The development of civilization was closely tied to the development of increasingly greater degrees of skill in working these materials.
Among early finds of wooden tools are the worked sticks from Kalambo Falls, Clacton-on-Sea and Lehringen. The spears from Schöningen (Germany) provide some of the first examples of wooden hunting gear. Flint tools were used for carving. Since Neolithic times, carved wooden vessels are known, for example, from the Linear Pottery culture wells at Kückhofen and Eythra. Examples of Bronze Age wood-carving include tree trunks worked into coffins from northern Germany and Denmark and wooden folding-chairs. The site of Fellbach-Schmieden in Germany has provided fine examples of wooden animal statues from the Iron Age. Wooden idols from the La Tène period are known from a sanctuary at the source of the Seine in France.
Two ancient civilizations that used woodworking were the Egyptians and the Chinese. Woodworking is depicted in many ancient Egyptian drawings, and a considerable amount of ancient Egyptian furniture (such as stools, chairs, tables, beds, chests) has been preserved in tombs. As well, the inner coffins found in the tombs were also made of wood. The metal used by the Egyptians for woodworking tools was originally copper and eventually, after 2000 BC bronze as ironworking was unknown until much later.[1] Commonly used woodworking tools included axes, adzes, chisels, pull saws, and bow drills. Mortise and tenon joints are attested from the earliest Predynastic period. These joints were strengthened using peg [disambiguation needed]s, dowels and leather or cord lashings. Animal glue came to be used only in the New Kingdom period.[2] Ancient Egyptians invented the art of veneering and used varnishes for finishing, though the composition of these varnishes is unknown. Although different native acacias were used, as was the wood from the local sycamore and tamarisk trees, deforestation in the Nile valley resulted in the need for the importation of wood, notably cedar, but also Aleppo pine, boxwood and oak, starting from the Second Dynasty.[3]
The progenitors of Chinese woodworking are considered to be Lu Ban (魯班) and his wife Lady Yun, from the Spring and Autumn Period. Lu Ban is said to have brought the plane, chalkline, and other tools to China. His teachings are supposedly left behind in the book Lu Ban Jing (魯班經, "Manuscript of Lu Ban"), although it was written some 1500 years after his death. This book is filled largely with descriptions of dimensions for use in building various items such as flower pots, tables, altars, etc., and also contains extensive instructions concerning Feng Shui. It mentions almost nothing of the intricate glueless and nailless joinery for which Chinese furniture was so famous.
Materials
Historically, woodworkers relied upon the woods native to their region, until transportation and trade innovations made more exotic woods available to the craftsman. Woods can be sorted into three basic types: hardwoods typified by tight grain and derived from broadleaf trees, softwoods from coniferous trees, and man-made materials such as plywood and MDF.
Typically furniture such as tables and chairs is made using solid stock, and cabinet/fixture makers employ the use of plywood and other man made panel products.
Notable woodworkers
- Alvar Aalto
- Norm Abram
- John Boson
- Henning Engelsen
- Wharton Esherick
- Tage Frid
- R. Bruce Hoadley
- James Krenov
- Mark Lindquist
- Sal Maccarone
- John Makepeace
- Sam Maloof
- David J. Marks
- George Nakashima
- Jere Osgood
- Alan Peters
- André Jacob Roubo
- Paul Sellers : Teacher and lecturer in the US and UK. Known for his preference for hand tools.
- Evert Sodergren
- Henry O. Studley
- Roy Underhill
See also
|
|
Created by Ted McGrath, Teds Woodworking is one of the most popular woodworking plans and projects packages online today. In this Teds Woodworking review we will take a look at this product and see what are the pros and cons of this package.
Teds Woodworking Review - What Exactly Is This Package?
Created by Ted McGrath, a professional woodworker, educator and AWI member, Teds Woodworking is a massive collection of more than 16,000 woodworking projects and blueprints which you can easily follow to build your own home furniture, garden chairs, dog houses, bird feeders, shed and many more.
Ted McGrath spent the last 2 years putting together his woodworking package and according to him this package is the most comprehensive online today.
However, with so many woodworking packages out on the market and on the internet today, Is Teds Woodworking really worth the money?
To answer this question and to find if this package is really for you lets talk about some of the pros and cons of Ted McGrath's woodworking package.
Teds Woodworking Review - The Pros And Cons
The Pros
Suitable For Different Levels
There is no doubt that many woodworkers can benefit from this package. Beginners will find these woodworking plans' clear and concise nature gives them a solid foundation to build their first projects as they build their confidence to move on to more complex carpentry projects and increase their skill level. Advanced and professional woodworkers will appreciate the huge variety of different projects and the time saving value of having a high quality set of plans waiting for virtually any challenge.
Very Useful Bonuses
When you order Teds woodworking package you will also receive these 3 bonuses:
1. Free drawing and CAD plan viewer
2. 150 premium woodworking videos
3. The Complete Woodworking Carpentry Guide
The complete woodworking carpentry guide (a 200 pages guide with carpentry tips and tricks) is very useful for beginners and the premium videos can help any woodworker to hone his carpentry skills.
Surprisingly Organized
With 16,000 plans, you'd expect Teds Woodworking to be pretty disorganized. However I found it pretty easy to find the exact project I wanted.
Money Back Guarantee
The product comes with 60 days money back guarantee and if you are not completely satisfied with what you get, you will receive your money back.
The Cons
It May Take Time To Download The Package
The size of this download package is not small and if you have slow internet connection it may take you a couple of hours to download all the blueprints.
In this case it may be a good idea to upgrade to the DVD edition (you can do it at the members' area).
May Be A Little Overwhelming At First
Just because there are so many different woodworking projects and plans, the members' area can be a little overwhelming at first. However the plans are organized by category and once you get started, you will find it is not difficult to find what you are looking for.
Teds Woodworking Review - The Bottom Line
Overall, there is no doubt that Teds Woodworking is a very comprehensive and detailed woodworking package that comes with a great amount of solutions for any kind of woodworking project you might think of.
There are other great woodworking packages online and some of them are cheaper than this one, but I seriously doubt that you will find any package that is so comprehensive as this one with its thousands of detailed instructions for all kinds of projects, great bonuses and very good customer support.
I Hope that you found this Teds Woodworking review to be helpful for you, all the best!
Get Instant Access To Over 16,000 Woodworking Projects and Plans!
If You Want To Build Woodworking Projects Quickly & Easily Then Please Pay Attention To What I Am About To Tell You... |
