The Minimalist Woodworker: Essential Tools and Smart Shop Ideas for Building with Less

Fantastic and inspiring book.I did woodwork in the old days at school (1961 to 1969) and I was - to be fair - pretty useless at it.Since then I have never had enough money to buy a nice house, so I have had to learn to do a lot of stuff that I probably could have learned at school if I had listened!This book has reintroduced me to that 'old school' philosophy - using hand tools instead of noise makers and taking a bit more time and trouble to produce something with a bit more style and accuracy.Now I'm retired I have a shed (which my daughter calls my man cave for some reason) and I am enjoying a rather more sedate pace of working with wood thanks entirely to reading this book.

Good little book for woodworkers starting off on a small scale and planning to keep it simple.

Great book! Building my own ‘tiny workshop’

I really appreciate Vic's approach and philosophy of being able to do great woodwork in a small space and avoiding the noise of machines. I came to a similar place being in the south of England and not having a lot of space. I mainly use hand tools, chop saw and I also have the luxury of a bandsaw. But enough about me. The book is a good introduction to tools and sharpening. However there is very little on the techniques of using the tools, not much discussion of how to use planes. Scrapers don't get mentioned at all, nor sanding and finishing. There is a little on how to use saws and chisels. The projects are good for a beginner to work through. Overall not a bad book. I would heartily recommend David Charlesworth's Book 1 and Mike Pekovich The Why and How of Woodworking.