Book of the Week: The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking

17 Mar 2016

This week, I read The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking by James Krenov. Why did I read it? It was on a list. The book has 3 parts. It starts with a section on wood, then it talks about the workshop and tools (how to make hand planes). Finally it covers the details of cabinetmaking. You would think the majority of the book would be about the details of cabinetmaking from title, but the details are only a small part. I don’t like the 3 column format of the book, but the content is good. The book talks about the philosophy and spirituality of working with wood.

Without a certain attitude to our craft, information itself is of little value. It is what we do with what we know that matters, finally: not only the results but also the doing itself. After all, that is what we are left with after the piece is done and found its owner and we are back working again.

You can read all you want, but woodworking is about actually interacting and working with wood. Wood There’s wood you buy from Home Depot (HD) and there’s wood. Wood comes from once living trees. But even after you cut the tree down, the wood isn’t static. It takes years for the moisture to dry out. Some people let wood acclimate for more than a year in their workshop before they are ready to work with it. This is why you see woodshops with collections of wood waiting for when the time is right. The wood expands and contracts with the season and the grain. Each piece of wood is visually distinct. You want to take advantage of the grain and figuring of the wood to bring out the beauty of the wood for your piece of furniture. Everything starts with choosing the wood. Purchase The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking on Amazon.com or check it out from your local library.