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The Why & How of Woodworking: A Simple Approach to Making Meaningful Work
The Why and How of Woodworking reflects the growing appreciation for the handmade, a movement toward simplifying and uncluttering. There is a growing understanding of the need to fill our lives with meaningful and useful objects. How can woodworkers answer that call? Instagram sensation Mike Pekovich explains how to make work that is worth the time and effort it takes to make it, work that makes a difference, and work that will add to the quality of our lives.
Explains the basics of woodworking, from choosing lumber with care, cutting joinery accurately, and preparing and finishing the surfaces. A simple approach to building boxes and furniture that are built to last. Includes information on designing and building cabinets, boxes, chests, casework, and tables.
Explains the basics of woodworking, from choosing lumber with care, cutting joinery accurately, and preparing and finishing the surfaces. A simple approach to building boxes and furniture that are built to last. Includes information on designing and building cabinets, boxes, chests, casework, and tables.
- GenresWoodworkNonfictionCrafts
217 pages, Hardcover
Published September 18, 2018
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393 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
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December 29, 2024quite useful and lovely. a very silly book to read on kindle, but made do w/ what i have while on vacation.
by the end i was sort of painfully frothing at the mouth to get back into the shop, a lot of inspiration here.
i found the section on design the most useful, particularly the idea of making a bunch of very small 2d sketches that are variations on a particular form to capture a spark of interest / information in terms of proportion and shape etc — product quantity and then let your eye guide you to quality. not so different from software design (or indeed any kind of design), in that way.
my only criticisms is that he put the same japanese teapot on top of literally every single piece. it DOES add something and i appreciate the appeal but by the ninth appearance i was like, let’s find a new staging/photography trick.
by the end i was sort of painfully frothing at the mouth to get back into the shop, a lot of inspiration here.
i found the section on design the most useful, particularly the idea of making a bunch of very small 2d sketches that are variations on a particular form to capture a spark of interest / information in terms of proportion and shape etc — product quantity and then let your eye guide you to quality. not so different from software design (or indeed any kind of design), in that way.
my only criticisms is that he put the same japanese teapot on top of literally every single piece. it DOES add something and i appreciate the appeal but by the ninth appearance i was like, let’s find a new staging/photography trick.
September 6, 2021
While the projects in this book are way above my current skill level, they are presented in a way that is aspirational. The first half of the book - which is much more about the "why" - was full of helpful ways to approach woodworking. Pekovich's love of his craft is contagious.
October 19, 2018
I'd been looking forward to this book for a long time—Pekovich has been on my radar since I copied one of his wall cabinets (which is also featured in this book) from an article in Fine Woodworking for class a few years ago—so it was probably inevitable that it ended up disappointing somewhat.
Most of the text—all of the shallow philosophising about purpose and design—just didn't need to be there. The scattershot information on techniques varies from fair enough (the bits about kumiko) to actively bad—if you follow his advice on sharpening you'll at the very least be doing too much work, and you'll also end up rendering your chisels much less useful very quickly (leave the back alone!). In keeping with tradition, the chapter on finishing is by far the worst, and should just be skipped entirely.
Lest you think it would have been better as just a picture book, though,† even Pekovich's famous sense of aesthetic doesn't hold up when you see so many of his projects packed together, especially when it comes to larger furniture—he usually just scales his proportions up, which doesn't often work. The problem is accentuated when he puts one of his delicate tea chests on top of a dresser or full-sized cabinet, but it exists even when there are just multiple objects of almost-the-same scale in a picture—they just have too great a variety of part thicknesses not to offend.‡
Still, in isolation—or when explicitly designed to go together—much of his work still works, and I can't imagine anyone could read this book without coming away with at least some new inspiration. I know I did.
(If you're hoping for straight project plans, you should be aware that while there are a bunch, Pekovich's infatuation with his own voice sometimes leads him to omit vital information. For the dresser, for example, he goes on about wood choices—the weight, mass, and permanence of oak, the glow and iridescent sheen of butternut—but completely neglects to tell us how the top is attached.)
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† Leaving aside the fact that some of the pictures seem to go out of their way to highlight flaws in Pekovich's execution, showing gaps around tenons, botched drawbore pegs, or even tear-out in finished pieces.
‡ I've also gone off his wall cabinet I copied. It's in this book in the chapter titled ``A Study in 1/16s'', because all of its parts are slightly offset relative to its neighbours (the proud joinery on the case, the sides of the case to its top and bottom, the central divider to the sides, the door and drawer to the rest of the case, the rails of the door to the stiles, &c.); when I made it, I did away with most of that so I could focus on the dovetails instead, because those were new to me. I regretted that decision mostly out of principle, but the more I look at it now, the more I feel like the whole concept gives Pekovich's cabinet(s) a crushed-in look.
Most of the text—all of the shallow philosophising about purpose and design—just didn't need to be there. The scattershot information on techniques varies from fair enough (the bits about kumiko) to actively bad—if you follow his advice on sharpening you'll at the very least be doing too much work, and you'll also end up rendering your chisels much less useful very quickly (leave the back alone!). In keeping with tradition, the chapter on finishing is by far the worst, and should just be skipped entirely.
Lest you think it would have been better as just a picture book, though,† even Pekovich's famous sense of aesthetic doesn't hold up when you see so many of his projects packed together, especially when it comes to larger furniture—he usually just scales his proportions up, which doesn't often work. The problem is accentuated when he puts one of his delicate tea chests on top of a dresser or full-sized cabinet, but it exists even when there are just multiple objects of almost-the-same scale in a picture—they just have too great a variety of part thicknesses not to offend.‡
Still, in isolation—or when explicitly designed to go together—much of his work still works, and I can't imagine anyone could read this book without coming away with at least some new inspiration. I know I did.
(If you're hoping for straight project plans, you should be aware that while there are a bunch, Pekovich's infatuation with his own voice sometimes leads him to omit vital information. For the dresser, for example, he goes on about wood choices—the weight, mass, and permanence of oak, the glow and iridescent sheen of butternut—but completely neglects to tell us how the top is attached.)
--------
† Leaving aside the fact that some of the pictures seem to go out of their way to highlight flaws in Pekovich's execution, showing gaps around tenons, botched drawbore pegs, or even tear-out in finished pieces.
‡ I've also gone off his wall cabinet I copied. It's in this book in the chapter titled ``A Study in 1/16s'', because all of its parts are slightly offset relative to its neighbours (the proud joinery on the case, the sides of the case to its top and bottom, the central divider to the sides, the door and drawer to the rest of the case, the rails of the door to the stiles, &c.); when I made it, I did away with most of that so I could focus on the dovetails instead, because those were new to me. I regretted that decision mostly out of principle, but the more I look at it now, the more I feel like the whole concept gives Pekovich's cabinet(s) a crushed-in look.
February 18, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed Mike’s book. I would consider myself a beginner-to-intermediate woodworker and started this passion three years ago. I started learning from my dad (who lives in another state) and watching YouTube videos, mixed with a fair amount of self-teaching trial and error. I really wish I would have known about this book when I first started. It is not a straight ‘do things this way by completing steps X and Y,’ but neither is it a straight philosophy of woodworking book. Rather, it’s a great combination of the two. The book starts off with Mike’s ‘Rules of the Shop’ which helps to reorient your perspective on ‘shop time.’ The rules were so good that I’ve printed off each to put in my shop. From there he moves to discussing design, essential hand tools, and specific project types. His writing style is conversational, but thought-provoking. I originally bought it on Kindle, but after reading it partly through I also bought the hard copy so I can more easily see the wonderful pictures and flow of the book. I’d recommend the book to both beginners and more advanced woodworkers. I only wish Mike had more books!
October 6, 2021
I’m a total beginner to woodworking and received this book as a gift, so take my opinion well-salted. I was taken in by the author’s romanticism and what he had to say about the practice of woodworking. Some of his work is really beautiful, though I can’t fully recognize or appreciate his inventiveness yet. I would say this book is not beginner-friendly when it comes to terminology and technique, but occasionally offers up explanations that seem targeted toward beginners. It’s organized kind of strangely as well, being a lot about using your time in the shop wisely and productively up-front before getting into a project-by-project kind of, sort of autobiography / series of tutorials. Really, I just couldn’t figure out who exactly this book is for. However, the pictures are nice and there’s a beautiful long-haired cat on the bottom shelf of one of his cabinets… so I’m in for it.
I’ll probably give this a closer second read if I end up sinking my teeth deeper into the hobby.
I’ll probably give this a closer second read if I end up sinking my teeth deeper into the hobby.
December 18, 2024
Any rating under five stars probably means that either A) the reader is a wood working God or B) the reader has zero appreciation for fine woodworking. Pekovich is a master woodworker with a humble spirit that wants to share his knowledge with other like-minded people.
I aspire to gain the abilities to create even a 3rd grade reproduction of his work. That day may never come but simply reading this book allows me to appreciate the details and craftsmanship that goes into fine woodworking. It is well written, almost like having a personal conversation with Pekovich. The photos are highly educational and photogenic. It's not just a "book" about woodworking but a piece of art in itself. This is not a book that you read once and forget about. You'll find yourself picking it up again and again.
I aspire to gain the abilities to create even a 3rd grade reproduction of his work. That day may never come but simply reading this book allows me to appreciate the details and craftsmanship that goes into fine woodworking. It is well written, almost like having a personal conversation with Pekovich. The photos are highly educational and photogenic. It's not just a "book" about woodworking but a piece of art in itself. This is not a book that you read once and forget about. You'll find yourself picking it up again and again.
May 12, 2020
I really like Mike's work, and his Instagram feed. And so I really looked forward to this. I'm a little dissapointed, in the end - but partly that's because I'm already familiar with his work. So this was good, but not a relevation. I guess I had hoped for a lot of design and proportion related discussion, sketching approaches, etc. It definitely did open my eyes to a few aspects of Mike's design approach, and was full of interesting designs. He did present some not entirely successful ones, and why / how to fix them. All good stuff.
But not a relevation.
But not a relevation.
November 13, 2021
I just loved the humble way Michael Pekovich approaches woodworking. By taking you through the mental and workshop processes of some key pieces of his work he is able to teach a great lesson on why woodworkers love what they do and how they can improve son key skills.
Definitely worth reading slowly and enjoy every picture to its finest detail!
Definitely worth reading slowly and enjoy every picture to its finest detail!
April 7, 2021
Mike Pekovich is definitely one of my favorite woodworkers. There was a ton of great information and step by step instruction on how to do the techniques he uses in his work, way more than I’m able to absorb from just one reading. This is one that I will definitely have to read again.
January 4, 2024
Wonderful find!
I was looking for woodworking book that was more than just plans or techniques. The author provides those, but he also gives a great view into his design choices as well as his evolution as a craftsman and an artist.
I was looking for woodworking book that was more than just plans or techniques. The author provides those, but he also gives a great view into his design choices as well as his evolution as a craftsman and an artist.
January 30, 2025
Great to read about sources of inspiration
Great overviews of various projects as well as discussion of iterative processes.
Highly recommended for woodworkers of any skill level.
Great overviews of various projects as well as discussion of iterative processes.
Highly recommended for woodworkers of any skill level.
October 15, 2018
One of the best books on woodworking ever written. It’s pitiful that the binding of the book is not very strong.
December 31, 2018
Well done and thoughtful book on design and process with, as the title states, meaningful work.
September 10, 2019
Superb, evenly paced, and just seems to speak to me
May 11, 2020
Good but felt a bit magazine-ish
July 7, 2020
An excellent book. It outlines the bedrock thought process on making things with wood, without being overly prescriptive or confining. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
February 2, 2022
An absolutely beautiful book. Beautiful photos and a simple, down-to-earth, easy to understand text.
The only thing that would make it better would be to have more of it.
The only thing that would make it better would be to have more of it.
January 4, 2023
A very good introduction to woodworking, although it still left my head spinning with the variety of possibilities.
March 3, 2024
Excellent reminder of why we woodwork
Really enjoyed the book, it was an excellent reminder of why we get into woodworking; to build pieces with purpose.
Really enjoyed the book, it was an excellent reminder of why we get into woodworking; to build pieces with purpose.
June 16, 2025
so inspiring!!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews