Woodworking: From Design to Making — new book by Norman Pirollo!

Decades of furni­ture making expe­ri­ence combine with furni­ture design in this new and refresh­ing take on wood­work­ing. In addi­tion to detailed furni­ture making tech­niques, the book delves into the thought process behind furni­ture design. Skills and processes to advance you as a wood­worker and furni­ture maker are described. The book is also a window on the life of a furni­ture maker. Although the focus of the book is hand tools, use of machines in the prepara­tory phase of a furni­ture build is addressed. Time and labor-saving preci­sion hand tool proce­dures are discussed. The empha­sis turns to hand tools in latter stages of a furni­ture build where atten­tion to detail is neces­sary. A rever­ence to wood as a medium is featured through­out the book. 

Homage is paid to classic tech­niques such as dove­tail joinery and work­bench processes. As well as the tradi­tional, modern tech­niques and processes are put forward to make your furni­ture designs stand out and be unique. The focus is one of a kind furni­ture, the unique furni­ture and wood objects that sepa­rate you from other makers. As a furni­ture designer + maker, discover my passion, what drives me and where I draw inspi­ra­tion from. Learn how to develop your own style, aesthetic and voice in furni­ture design. It is not the how but the why behind the process that is often crit­i­cal in a furni­ture maker’s mind and practice.

The premise for this book is to provide insight into the craft of wood­work­ing and more specif­i­cally the creation of furni­ture. The book is composed of sections, each of which is crit­i­cal to your wood­work­ing journey. Acquir­ing skills and knowl­edge in the last century involved taking classes, reading books or mentor­ing with a knowl­edge­able wood­worker. Today, in compar­i­son, there is a wealth of knowl­edge avail­able through the Inter­net. What is lacking however, is the hands on aspect of the craft of wood­work­ing. Learn­ing involves making. I know of no one that learned a craft by simply reading and not apply­ing them­selves. It is crit­i­cal to embrace the often lengthy learn­ing curve involved. This book includes several arti­cles focus­ing on aspects of wood­work­ing in a contemporary world.