One of my books surfaced the other day, and I was looking through it. It's one of those I got at my favorite used book store.
Ttitle: BUILD A BOAT For Pleasure or Profit (It's East To Build Your Own Boat). It's a Popular Mechanics Press book, copyrighted 1941.
Got some powertool info, besides the handtool stuff. Loads of photos, detailed drawings, information. Several examples of steamboxes, etc. One thing is doing curved rabbets - with a hammer and chisel. Most of you guys would want to know how to do it with a router. By the time you set up to do it with a router, you probably could have done half a dozen by hand..
You guys that want good books on woodworking really need to start checking out used bookstores. Prices are very much lower than new bookstores, and they have books that are lonnng out of print. Not sure, but I think the most I've paid for any woodworking book is about $9, lowest 50 cants. My personal woodworking library is larger than the local library, and probably than the county library's too.
Books like this are geared toward people who aren't professionals, and have pretty clear instructions. Or, at least what I consider clear. I guess the authors back then figured people were capable of doing the work on their own. I think they were right. As a bonus, it has plans for some very neat boats, and most of them look as good as anything made today.
I love old books.
JOAT Intellectual brilliance is no guarantee against being dead wrong.
- David Fasold