It is currently 28 Mar 2024, 10:29

Book Review: 'Complete Woodworking' by Chris Tribe

This forum is for any general questions, queries or plain old chinwaggery on Woody stuff in general.

Book Review: 'Complete Woodworking' by Chris Tribe

Postby Woodbloke » 21 Apr 2017, 09:19

Some time ago Chris asked to read and review his book.

Chris Tribe is a name familiar to all woodworkers who are passionate about making fine furniture. He has been designing and making contemporary pieces for over three decades; his work has been viewed with highly favourable acclaim in galleries and exhibitions nationwide. However, he now concentrates much more of his time on teaching a series of courses from his workshop in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, details of which are available on the website at http://www.christribefurniturecourses.c ... k-courses/
In 2016, Chris published his first book ‘Complete Woodworking’ which is intended primarily for the would-be woodworker who is interested in starting, but who may not know quite how to go about it.
The word ‘primarily’ is deliberately chosen because as you will gather from this review, it’s a book that will appeal to all levels of woodworker and not just those in the first, hesitant, exploratory stages.
On receiving the book, one prominent feature that becomes immediately apparent is that it’s quite a weighty hardback; none of the flimsyness associated with soft cover publications that become dogeared and ragged in a very short space of time. This is not a book to stuff into a back-pack to read on the train; it deserves a place on your bookshelf and should be savoured and absorbed at leisure accompanied by a decent tincture or three of the red. For a workshop copy that you can afford to get dogeared, there will soon be a paperback edition.

The book is printed on good quality paper; on first opening it, the reader also can’t fail to be impressed with the sheer volume of annotated photographs and diagrams, leaving the woodworker in little doubt about the correct procedures to follow; all sequenced in numerical order. Chris writes in an easy, straight forward and occasionally jocular style which ensures an informative as well as entertaining reading experience.

The book’s content is pitched directly at the enthusiastic newcomer, but the level of detail within each chapter means that more experienced woodworkers will find something of interest as well. It begins with a section on Workshop Safety, followed by Wood and the Workshop, Using Hand Tools, Using Power Tools, Routing, jointing, Veneering, Finishing and finally a chapter containing five projects, some of which are a lot more difficult than others. The very last section contains a useful Glossary and Index.

As is to be expected there is no mention in the book about setting up or using machinery such as a table saw, planer thicknesser or band saw.
The chapters are very comprehensive and Chris goes into a lot of detail in each. The two that are particularly good are the ones on routing and veneering, the latter being an excellent treatise and one area with which the woodworking newcomer may not be familiar. Although power tools are discussed at length, great emphasis is placed on the correct use of a router, as it’s the most useful and versatile of them all.
The only area in the book that caused a little concern is the method of referencing the biscuit jointer off the fence. Although I used this method for very many years, I found it caused some misalignment problems. I now reference the machine off its base rather than the fence which seems to make it more accurate. Both methods are entirely valid and like much else in woodwork, it’s up to the craftsman (or woman) to decide which one to use to provide the best results.

The feature that makes ‘Complete Woodworking’ unique is that there are ‘Clinics’ at regular intervals throughout each chapter. Things can go wrong in the workshop with alarming regularity and it can be a perplexing business for a newcomer to try and work out exactly what’s happening and why. In each of the clinics, Chris outlines various scenarios where mistakes could be made and the ‘fix’ needed to correct them.
As well as the Clinics there are little ‘Try This’ snippets throughout each chapter. These are useful tips, tricks and shortcuts that have been accumulated over the decades, all of which make life a little easier for the aspiring craftsman.
A Resources Section can be found on Chris’s webpage at http://www.christribefurniturecourses.c ... odworking/
which includes Sketchup drawings, cutting lists and other information for the projects as well as additional help and guidance for the newcomer.
In addition, the web page also contains a chapter on the Design Process which is particularly informative and well worth studying in more detail.

When I first started woodworking in the early 70’s I asked a very well known maker who lived near me about a book which I ought to buy. His instant reply was to purchase Joyce’s ‘The Techniques of Furniture Making’ which I subsequently did and still have today, though it’s been much read and is now almost falling apart. Since that time, many more good books have been published but the number of really great ones can be counted on your fingers. The ‘Complete Woodworker’ should be one of them.
Published by Quarto Press
Price £20
Available from all good bookshops or if really necessary...Amazon.
Last edited by Woodbloke on 21 Apr 2017, 10:49, edited 1 time in total.
I no longer work for Axminster Tools & Machinery.
User avatar
Woodbloke
Sequoia
 
Posts: 5865
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 10:06
Location: Salisbury, UK
Name:

Re: Book Review: 'Complete Woodworking' by Chris Tribe

Postby Rod » 21 Apr 2017, 10:23

Nice review
Sadly for Chris there can't be much money in these types of books as an Online bookshop is offering it at £8.62.

Rod
User avatar
Rod
Old Oak
 
Posts: 4471
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:34
Location: Winchester, Hampshire
Name:

Re: Book Review: 'Complete Woodworking' by Chris Tribe

Postby Phil » 21 Apr 2017, 10:40

Thanks for posting.

The link - comes up with server not found. ? :?
We don't stop woodworking because we grow old, we grow old because we stop woodworking!

https://www.instagram.com/phil_pretoria/
User avatar
Phil
Old Oak
 
Posts: 3499
Joined: 23 Jul 2014, 05:11
Location: Southern Africa 0054
Name: Phil

Re: Book Review: 'Complete Woodworking' by Chris Tribe

Postby Woodbloke » 21 Apr 2017, 10:51

Phil wrote:Thanks for posting.

The link - comes up with server not found. ? :?

How bizarre? When I wrote it in MS Word the linkies were working, but when it was c/p'd for publication, they stopped :cry: I've sorted them out now and they appear to work - Rob
I no longer work for Axminster Tools & Machinery.
User avatar
Woodbloke
Sequoia
 
Posts: 5865
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 10:06
Location: Salisbury, UK
Name:

Re: Book Review: 'Complete Woodworking' by Chris Tribe

Postby Phil » 21 Apr 2017, 10:56

Rob, working, thanks.
We don't stop woodworking because we grow old, we grow old because we stop woodworking!

https://www.instagram.com/phil_pretoria/
User avatar
Phil
Old Oak
 
Posts: 3499
Joined: 23 Jul 2014, 05:11
Location: Southern Africa 0054
Name: Phil

Re: Book Review: 'Complete Woodworking' by Chris Tribe

Postby Woodbloke » 21 Apr 2017, 11:03

Rod wrote:Nice review
Sadly for Chris there can't be much money in these types of books as an Online bookshop is offering it at £8.62.

Rod

That must be a complete pain in the arris. That particular copy at £8.62 is shipped from the cotton pickin' US of A for around £2.60 postage, which makes it around 11 quid...cheap as chips, but I don't know how much of that Chris would see? He came over to Wilton on Easter Sunday btw and we had a good old natter in the 'shop - Rob
I no longer work for Axminster Tools & Machinery.
User avatar
Woodbloke
Sequoia
 
Posts: 5865
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 10:06
Location: Salisbury, UK
Name:

Re: Book Review: 'Complete Woodworking' by Chris Tribe

Postby techauthorbob » 07 Aug 2017, 15:37

Just seen this, looked at the website and realised he works in part of the place that I used to work years ago!
Will have to call in next time we go shopping there.

Funnily enough Chris is going to be running courses at British Hardwoods, where I buy timber, small world!
techauthorbob
New Shoots
 
Posts: 101
Joined: 01 Aug 2017, 16:33
Location: Bingley, WestYorkshire, UK
Name: Bob Hardy

Re: Book Review: 'Complete Woodworking' by Chris Tribe

Postby Newbie_Neil » 08 Aug 2017, 11:57

Rob,

Woodbloke wrote:
Rod wrote:Nice review
Sadly for Chris there can't be much money in these types of books as an Online bookshop is offering it at £8.62.

Rod
That must be a complete pain in the arris. That particular copy at £8.62 is shipped from the cotton pickin' US of A for around £2.60 postage, which makes it around 11 quid...cheap as chips, but I don't know how much of that Chris would see? He came over to Wilton on Easter Sunday btw and we had a good old natter in the 'shop - Rob


Chris won't see anything out of the sales, as he was paid to write the book.

Neil

PS BTW, that's a really good review.
User avatar
Newbie_Neil
New Shoots
 
Posts: 182
Joined: 27 Jul 2014, 20:02
Location: Nottingham, England
Name: Neil

Re: Book Review: 'Complete Woodworking' by Chris Tribe

Postby Woodbloke » 12 Aug 2017, 22:57

Newbie_Neil wrote:
PS BTW, that's a really good review.

Glad you liked it. It's a really good book and worthy of inclusion on any serious woodworkers bookshelf - Rob
I no longer work for Axminster Tools & Machinery.
User avatar
Woodbloke
Sequoia
 
Posts: 5865
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 10:06
Location: Salisbury, UK
Name:

Re: Book Review: 'Complete Woodworking' by Chris Tribe

Postby Froggy » 20 Aug 2017, 00:11

Chris showed me the book in Harrogate in November before it was officially published and I subsequently bought it and recommend to friends in France, both English and French as it has been translated into French. I keep most of my woodworking books in my workshops but this one stays in the house.
Froggy
Seedling
 
Posts: 28
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 22:31
Location: Chateauponsac, SW France
Name:


Return to General Woodworking

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests