Woodworkers' Essential Facts, Formulas and Short-cuts: Rules of Thumb Help Figure it Out, with or without Math

The woodworker's ultimate reference for figuring it out!

• Solve workshop problems by using calculations or following simple rules of thumb
• 321 illustrations guide you through measuring, enlargement, troubleshooting, and more
• Over 70 useful tables, clear charts, and carefully labeled diagrams
• Step-by-step examples for woodworkers of all skill levels
• Essential information that every woodworker should have at hand

A Main Selection of the Woodworker's Book Club

How high should a dining table be? How about a coffee table? How do you draw the ellipse for a butler's tray? What is the Golden Mean and how can a woodworker use it? How should you evenly space the balusters in a railing? How do you saw perfect miter and bevel angles? How much load can a shelf carry before it sags or breaks?

Every day, countless woodworkers scratch their heads over questions like these. Every woodworking operation requires knowing some kind of measurement, formula, fact, or calculation. Workshop problems usually can be solved with mathematics, but as this interesting book shows, there's often a no-math solution, too! In most situations, the savvy craftsman can get the answers to the most baffling woodworking equations and questions by applying a common-sense rule of thumb, or a reasonably close estimate.

This useful book presents both math and no-math approaches so you can choose what works best in your current situation. With this fact-packed guide on your bench, you'll enjoy success in the workshop whether you're comfortable with mathematics or not!

Hundreds of illustrations will guide you through the working solutions to your everyday workshop problems. Straightforward, clear, jargon-free writing and a simplified approach to calculations lead you step-by-step to the answers you need. Dozens of useful tables pack indispensable reference information into this single, easy-to-follow resource.

This practical handbook, packed full of facts, formulas, and shortcuts, is essential for woodworkers of all skill levels. Inside, among the many solutions to tricky problems, you'll find chapters dedicated to:

• Drawing Plans from Pictures
• Enlargement & Reduction
• Drawing to Scale
• Proportions & the Golden Ratio
• Drawing Plans & Projections
• Converting Numbers
• Joining Lines, Curves & Planes
• Size & Measurement
• Circles
• Ellipses & Ovals
• Arcs & Arches
• 3-4-5 Equals 90 Degrees
• Measuring Wood
• Room Perimeter & Area
• Slats & Spaces
• Story Poles
• Stairs
• Shelf Loads
• Bending Wood without Heat
• Miters, Bevels & Crown Molding
• Furniture Dimensions
• Motors & 3-Phase Electricity
• Electricity & 120 vs 240 volts
• Horsepower—Real & Imagined
• Pulleys & Speed
• RPM & Speed
• Taps & Threads
• Dust Collection Systems
• Clamps, Pressure & Joints
• All About Glues
• Useful Tables
• Plus, a complete index!

Author Ken Horner is a retired organic chemist and computer consultant who lives in Sunnyvale, California, deep in the heart of the Silicon Valley. A veteran woodworker, he is a member of the South Bay Woodworkers Association.

Get the answers every woodworker needs, with Woodworkers' Essential Facts, Formulas & Short-Cuts!

"...very useful and comprehensive shop reference."
—Asa Christiana, Fine Woodworking

"Few books are for everyone, but this one is."
—Christopher Schwarz, Popular Woodworking

Ken Horner is the author of Woodworkers' Essential Facts, Formulas & Short-Cuts and More Woodworkers' Essential Facts, Formulas & Short-Cuts. He is a retired organic chemist and computer consultant who resides in Sunnyvale, California, deep in the heart of the Silicon Valley. A veteran woodworker, he is a member of the South Bay Woodworkers Association.