Old B & W Books and SS

[Bibliophile 13]

Oh yeah, I have a lot. Most are modern editions of old books, which are much easier to read than old editions. The old editions tend to fall apart after a while, and that's not good for anybody.

For some reason, a 150-year-old tool tends to hold up better in regular use than does a 150-year-old book.

[Skip J.]

Bibliophile 13 said:

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Oh yeah, I have a lot. Most are modern editions of old books, which are much easier to read than old editions. The old editions tend to fall apart after a while, and that's not good for anybody.

For some reason, a 150-year-old tool tends to hold up better in regular use than does a 150-year-old book.

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You got that right - my "Wood Handbook" is a new reprint of the old one - and it gets the most day-to-day use... I do read the others occasionally for enjoyment only... the SS book I'm rereading now is from 1925, and I have to be very careful not to let the pages just fall out...

[toolemera]

Skip

The Stanley book was first published in the 1920's and stayed in print for nearly 30 years with very few changes. Says something about just how much people liked it. I still do too.

It was a great introductory book then and it's a great resource now if you figure that the authors wrote of what they learned at the turn of the century.

A lot of the early 20th C books came out of the manual arts educational system. I think that's why they're clearly written and provide such great detail. No attempt to sell us on products or push theories. Just education.

[Skip J.]

toolemera said:

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Skip

The Stanley book was first published in the 1920's and stayed in print for nearly 30 years with very few changes. Says something about just how much people liked it. I still do too.

It was a great introductory book then and it's a great resource now if you figure that the authors wrote of what they learned at the turn of the century.

A lot of the early 20th C books came out of the manual arts educational system. I think that's why they're clearly written and provide such great detail. No attempt to sell us on products or push theories. Just education.

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Thanks for chiming in here Gary, coming from you, that means a lot!

After the pressure of producing projects on a schedule all year long, usually one-only's of stuff I've never done before - this time of the year I can work on a little bit of my own projects just for entertainment value... and these books jump start me every time... That super-duper 3 book set that was nearly $200 by the time it got here just sits on the shelf,and sits, and sits...

[toolemera]

Happy to chime in. Now if only Stanley would reprint their old book... it just doesn't fit with their modern image!

[Skip J.]

toolemera said:

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Happy to chime in.

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Hi Gary;

Thanks! And, instead of waiting for winter reading season I'm trying a summer project.... I'm re-reading the book that started me down this path.... note that it had just recently been published in 1998, but it is done in the old format and set the tone for all the books I bought later...

Quote:

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Traditional Woodworking Handtools
Book by Graham Blackburn
Explains to woodworkers how to choose, rehabilitate, and use hand tools, including holding, setting-out, sawing, edge, and boring tools as well as planes, and includes historical information and personal ... Google Books
Published: 1998
Author: Graham Blackburn

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I scanned over the first few pages and realized how long it had been, it all seems so fresh and new today... Besides, it's just too hot outside here on the gulf coast....

[Bill_Houghton]

Skip J. said:

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What makes the biggest impression now on a re-read is that in there nowhere does it mention how something could be done some other way with power tools. It assumes that if you're going to work your way all the way up to the most difficult joints that you would be using a #55 to do them with....

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Stanley, of course, had a little self-interest in promoting hand tools - after all, if my understanding of their history is correct, they didn't get into power tools until after World War II. But it's also true that the home woodworker relied on hand tools a long time. I've got some shop posters from my father, put out by Chevrolet in the late 1950s, that discuss woodworking shop tools - and they're all hand tools.

I read a book from our library system when we first moved to this house 40 years ago that mentioned, almost casually, that someone could build his own house solo, as long as he had a good handsaw - and the author did not mean a worm drive Skilsaw!

Nice books. Your (no longer) Secret Santa was good to you!

[Skip J.]

Bill_Houghton said:

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Stanley, of course, had a little self-interest in promoting hand tools - after all, if my understanding of their history is correct, they didn't get into power tools until after World War II. But it's also true that the home woodworker relied on hand tools a long time. I've got some shop posters from my father, put out by Chevrolet in the late 1950s, that discuss woodworking shop tools - and they're all hand tools.

I read a book from our library system when we first moved to this house 40 years ago that mentioned, almost casually, that someone could build his own house solo, as long as he had a good handsaw - and the author did not mean a worm drive Skilsaw!

Nice books. Your (no longer) Secret Santa was good to you!

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Thanks Bill!

And yes he was.....

......continuing on reading Graham Blackburn.... and in pops the PWW over the transom... I need a break anyway I guess...

[Skip J.]

Ummmm, well this old thread is about to start the 12th month, and I need some P-bucket practice anyway... here's an old book on the right and it's reprint on the left. Notice the reprint is softcover now... This way I can read the new one and not harm the old one...



And an interior view.... the old one definitely looks more interesting... the reprint does not have any printing on the inside of the cover... Frankly, I like this description in depth of different furniture styles. I don't have this particular information anywhere else in all of my old books...



Funny story, several years ago Dave Parkis saw some of my first words on this subject and PM'ed me to ask if I would like some old B&W ww'ing magazines. I said sure, send'em on down! He sent me about 12 issues of these:



Norm sure looks young back then.... and inside is:



Mike Dunbar looks kinda young too, doesn't he???? In fact almost all of the young writers inside the 12 mags back then went on to become established "sombodies".... of course, there's a lot more powertool articles than handtools... but as this one shows here, the handtool articles are quite detailed and fresh now as ever...

Thanks for letting me practice.... I guess I can get out the camera now and start shooting new stuff...

[cputnam]