The Woodwright's Eclectic Workshop

Book excerpt: For more than ten years, Roy Underhill has taught the techniques of traditional woodcraft, or 'how to start with a tree and an axe and make one thing after another until you have a house and everything in it.' Through his popular PBS series, The Woodwright's Shop,' and his previous books, Roy has inspired millions--from professional craftspeople to armchair woodworkers--with his talent, knowledge, and enthusiasm. Roy returns now with his fourth book, The Woodwright's Eclectic Workshop. It features step-by-step instructions for many projects featured on the television series in recent years, including such popular projects as the Adirondack chair, tavern table, folding ladder, rocking horse, lathe, and kayak. All projects are illustrated with photographs and measured drawings. The book also includes colorful descriptions of what it was like to be a tradesperson who made a living by hand, working with the tools and methods Roy describes on television and in his books: carpenters, joiners, wheelwright, millwrights, chairmakers, and blacksmiths. As Roy puts it, he wants to examine 'the old paths in the way that they were originally taken: not as adventuresome recreations but a profession that put food on the table and clothes on the kids.'