wood working notebooks

[Alan W]

Can some of you recommend a woodworkers notebook that I can keep out in the shop to write down project notes, hints to myself in the future when I make a mistake, project planners etc.. It has been a large number of years since I was working in the shop and find myself making mistakes I did years ago vs. recalling them.

I will likely make up my own book from ideas here. Will be using a zippered leather 3 ring binder so to keep the dust out, make it water resistant incase I want to travel to a store with it and it might be raining, and include some photo pages to show past projects, page inserts for inspiring photos of pieces I'd like to make or incorporate portions into my pieces.

Perhaps a dream shopping list and a suggesting for Christmas/Birthday presents.

Thanks

Alan

[Young Carpenter]

Lee Valley, Everyman's Journal. 11.95, 400 pages. Very nice looking

[Andy Dingley]

I have several.

A5 pocket notebook, for making drawings in museums. Artist's sketchbook with good hot-pressed paper (smooth surface, unlike most artist's sketchbooks), strong covers and a lay-flat wire binder. Also travels with a small pencilcase containing a range of pencils (2H, B,

2B, brown crayon), a sharpener, rubber and a cloth (tailor's) tapemeasure. No pens, because they worry curators. If you look like you're used to doing it regularly, and you ask first, then it's surprising how much you'll be allowed to open and measure up.

A4 artist's sketchbook for design sketches at home.

Workshop clipboard. Fold-over cover and a big spring clip. Usually full of plain A4 printer paper.

Any useful workshop drawings, cutlists etc. get stapled or pinned into a card folder with the project name on, then stored together in a boxfile. Same for photocopied magazine plans & articles.

[putz]

I use a regular notebook, then just a quick pass with the blowgun on it occasionally to remove the dust. I keep reference pages in individual plastic holders with a hole in the corner to hang on a nail in the wall.

[Grandpa]