Fun with Paper & Wood, Stones & Knives Books

The Little Book of Whittling: Passing Time on the Trail, on the Porch, and Under the Stars

Chris Lubkemann

Amazon Price: $10.36 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Fox Chapel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $7.42

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Good beginners guide 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I went to a local wood hobby shop and looked at several carving/whittling books. This one looked good so I bought it on ebay and saved some $s.
I'm a total novice, so this book was perfect. Full of photographs that explain every step. No previous experience necessary. Tip: I've managed to cut myself a few times so I'm wearing gloves until my technique improves. A very relaxing pastime. Highly recommended. If you are wondering which beginners book to buy then buy this.

Editorial Review:

With a friendly, down-home style, this guide encourages readers to whittle away the hours. Great for beginners looking for an easy way to get started and more advanced carvers looking for a relaxing way to spend their time, this instructional manual provides 20 projects, including knives, forks, birds, animals, trees, and flowers. Chapters detail the proper whittling tools and materials, including what woods are best to carve, and how to start projects by selecting and safely sharpening the best knife for each project.

Pyrography Workbook: A Complete Guide to the Art of Woodburning

Sue Walters

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Fox Chapel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $12.25

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

THE must for woodburners! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

A complete and detailed book, with a lot of necessary technical info and tutoring for beginners and advanced. Nice touch are the beautifull step by step examples you can make at the end of the book. If you plan to buy only one book on pyrography, this is it!

Editorial Review:

Woodworkers interested in woodburning will build their skill level through these three step-by-step projects for beginner, intermediate, and advanced burners. They will learn how to prepare wood surfaces before burning, how to transfer a design or pattern, and how to select materials for burning, coloring, and finishing a project. Methods for burning onto wood, leather, paper, bark, and antlers are detailed alongside ample pictures of pyrography on the various materials that will inspire novice woodburners. Numerous techniques are also discussed, including solar, negative, relief, engraving, torch, and hot wire. The most difficult area for burners—how to realistically create animal fur, feathers, and eyes—is addressed.

The Beginner's Handbook of Woodcarving: With Project Patterns for Line Carving, Relief Carving, Carving in the Round, and Bird Carving

Charles Beiderman, William Johnston

Amazon Price: $8.76 List Price: $10.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Dover Publications Amazon Marketplace: 52 new & used starting at $5.75

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Very basic shapes 3 out of 5 stars.
14 of 17 people found this review helpful.

Like many beginning woodcarving books this book describes the basic cuts you need to practice and it gives some information on wood types. Beyond that, the only reason to purchase this book is if you need the patterns in them.

Being new to wood carving I like the price of the book and I thought I would give it a try. Once I saw the patterns though, I changed my mind and bought another book. This is just a matter of taste but the cutesy mouse and the fisherman weren't what I wanted to carve and I feel that you really need to find carvings that interest you (especially while you are learning) to prevent boredom. Once again, if the patterns on the cover look interesting to you, then by all means get this book (if you are a complete beginner).

Good starter book 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I am a carver -- mantle pieces and such -- and bought the book for a young man who wanted to try his hand at carving. It covers all the basics and even has some great patterns.

Editorial Review:

Detailed instructions, illustrations for carving animals, flowers, figures, more. Tips on tools, techniques, painting, finishing, exhibiting. Excellent for novices, veteran carvers.

Beyond the Basics: Gourd Art (Beyond the Basics)

David Macfarlane

Amazon Price: $10.36 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sterling/Chapelle Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $6.98

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Dismayed 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

First reading the product description, I was excited to find someone else utilizing our country's "wild gourd". After looking at the cover of Macfarlane's book and reading the Amazon reviews, I was dismayed to find the description deceiving.

This crafting book is NOT about "wild gourd", but the hardshell gourd, Lagenaria siceraria. The ONLY native gourd growing in this USA is the gourd called Buffalo Gourd or Coyote Gourd (coyote melon, chili coyote, wild gourd are also some common names,) scientific names -- Cucurbita foetidissima and C. digitata. How disappointing to find such an obvious blunder.

Perhaps the author could do with some additional fact checking and botany lessons instead of so many crafting classes. I decided to rate with book with one extra star out of shear compassion.

Editorial Review:

A common wild gourd becomes a thing of beauty in the hands of 25 top artisans who specialize in exploring, expressing—and teaching—their handiwork. Magnificent projects shown in illuminating full-color photos and practical skills introduce you to a universe of ways to turn gourds into works of art. Learn to use simple media such as staining, stenciling, carving, and pyrography, which are all clearly explained. Projects include an elaborate teapot with a metallic finish; carved oak and maple leaf bowls; “Path to Harmony” gourd with mother of pearl, abalone, and turquoise inlay; carved gourd lamps; hand painted and decorated masks; gourd birdhouse with pyrographed Celtic design; lizard and broken pottery designs; and “Baby’s New Shoes” with a carved, pyrographed, and painted finish.

The Pocket Paper Engineer, Volume I: Basic Forms: How to Make Pop-Ups Step-by-Step

Carol Barton

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Popular Kinetics Press Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $14.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Too Simplistic for the Truly Inquisitive 3 out of 5 stars.
9 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Of the several how-to books I own on creating & designing pop-ups, this book disappointed me.
The vast majority is devoted to what is basically one pop-up technique, and the author gives numerous variations on that one type of pop-up as if each were entirely different. Yes, this book is simple & easy to use... great for those who want to play a bit -- or people who work with kids.
For true pop-up explorers however, pop-up mechanisms such as floating layers, scenery flats, boxes, etc. are not included in this book. To really dig into the subject of pop-ups and paper engineering, look elsewhere.

Editorial Review:

Whether you're eight-years-old or in your eighties, "The Pocket Paper Engineer" workbook will show you how to design your own pop-up cards and pages. This elegant, accessible guide steers readers through the process of designing and constructing simple pop-ups, no matter what their skill level. Filled with sixteen do-it-yourself models, helpful illustrations, and clear, step-by-step instructions, "The Pocket Paper Engineer" provides playful cards that can be detached, cut, and assembled right out of the book, then stored in pocket pages inside. Each card demonstrates a fundamental principle of how to design and construct easy cut-and-fold pop-up forms. Instructions for creating pop-ups from scratch are also included, along with suggestions for illustrations and recommendations for tools, paper, and adhesives. Whether the goal is to produce a pop-up greeting card for a friend or a sculptural page in a book, this workbook will assist and inspire it! s users.

How to Carve Wood: A Book of Projects and Techniques (Fine Woodworking Book)

Richard Butz

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Taunton Amazon Marketplace: 84 new & used starting at $4.48

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Best Beginner's Book 5 out of 5 stars.
105 of 105 people found this review helpful.

To an experienced woodcarver this book may seem unfocused and thinly spread, but for the beginner it does exactly what it should do. The book begins with a good grounding in the tools of the craft and how to care for and sharpen each type. After that it gives you a sampler of carving styles with at least one project for each. It's guaranteed there is at least one or two chapters the reader will not care for. Even this is useful since the reader avoids launching into the craft with a project they really have little enthusiasm for, and then lose interest in wood carving all together. This book should be required reading before the beginner spends a single dime on tools, equipment, or wood. If it's not 'the' best beginner's book, it's in the top five.

Editorial Review:

Woodcarver Richard Butz teaches chapter by chapter whittling, chip carving, wildlife carving, relief carving, lettering, and architectural carving. The reader learns by doing, working through carefully illustrated and progressively more challenging exercises and projects. Butz provides scaled patterns for each project and ends each chapter with a gallery of additional projects using the techniques learned.

Extreme Pumpkins: Diabolical Do-It-Yourself Designs to Amuse Your Friends and Scare Your Neighbors

Tom Nardone

Amazon Price: $11.16 List Price: $13.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: HP Trade Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $1.22

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Funny 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is written with a sense of humor. It has lots of ideas, tips, recipes, and facts; it even has poetry. There are no patterns but plenty of ideas and pictures (to copy). This book is a delight!

good 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

this was a great book but i bought it new form amazon and there was writing on the sides and cover.

Great Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I recommend this book if you are into Halloween like me. Not only is there unique pumpkin ideas, there are witty educational tidbits on each theme pumpkin. He tells you what tools to use and even how to make fake blood..... and don't forget the proper way to dispose of your pumpkin carcass.

Editorial Review:

Pumpkins are supposed to be scary!

Based on his popular and addictive website ExtremePumpkins.com, Tom Nardone has created a full-color guide to pumpkin carving that's truly frightening. Featuring the website's signature Puking Pumpkin, and spanning everything from Drowning Pumpkin, Crime Scene Pumpkin, and Cannibal Pumpkin to Electrocuted Pumpkin and other never-before-seen designs, this gleefully gory guide is nothing short of a manifesto to take back Halloween from the cheerful, the cutesy, and the parent-sanctioned. For the egg-throwing, toilet tissue-streaming, window-soaping teenager in all of us, finally- a whole new way to celebrate October 31.

Carving for Kids: An Introduction to Woodcarving

Robin Edward Trudel

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Linden Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 27 new & used starting at $10.09

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Good whitttling guide for kids. 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Purchased to accompany a Christmas gift of a small pocket knife for a six-year old grandson who expressed an interest in whittling, Carving for Kids is written at the appropriate level, well illustrated and includes a suitable range of projects from simple to challenging. He immediately selected a project and went right to work on it.

Editorial Review:

The simple and beautiful art of woodcarving is adapted for children of all ages in this introduction to coaxing shapes and figures from solid blocks of wood. Requiring only a few tools and some inspiration, the projects in this collection are perfectly suited to building the skills it takes to work with wood. Safety and adult supervision are emphasized, but children will be able to complete the age-appropriate designs all by themselves. The graded projects range from carving a name stamp—for the youngest woodworkers—to carving a face—for teenaged craftspeople. The book also touches on computer-aided pattern-making, teaching children who face learning challenges, and methods for instructing kids of each age group—from elementary through high school. With its quick results and cumulative skill-building, learning to carve fosters hand-eye coordination and confidence as young carvers turn out unique handicrafts.

Complete Book of Gourd Carving

Jim Widess, Ginger Summit

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sterling Amazon Marketplace: 37 new & used starting at $10.48

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Complete Book of Gourd Carving 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I'm new to gourd art and was looking for ideas and techniques to try. This book provides both. The artwork is fantastic and the pieces portrayed are inspirational. A dozen different techniques are showcased with photos of several completed pieces created with each technique and with various tools. Some of the artists tell how they created their pieces in a general way, while others explain in great detail. I love the mix of styles and methods. I would recommend this book to any gourd enthusiast. The Complete Book of Gourd Craft, by the same authors, is also a great book for beginning gourd artists.

Editorial Review:

Jim Widess and Ginger Summit, the best-selling authors of The Complete Book of Gourd Craft and Making Gourd Instruments, produce another winner to delight the many gourd crafters. Large, lavish, and astonishingly comprehensive, this breathtaking volume introduces every tool and technique, offers fabulous projects that advance in difficulty, and presents a gallery of works designed to inspire. See how to choose and prepare a gourd, impress the surface with a design, and work with green gourds. The magnificent methods of decorative carving covered include fretwork, engraving, chip carving, carving with gouges, relief carving, inlay, and deep relief or sculptural carving. Throughout, color photographs of exquisite carved gourds present crafts styles from countries around the world.

The Joint Book: The Complete Guide to Wood Joinery

Terrie Noll

Amazon Price: $12.73 List Price: $12.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Chartwell Books Amazon Marketplace: 15 new & used starting at $9.35

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Nice book. Well illustrated. Worth the money. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Many good illustrations and photos. Reinforced spiral binding allows book to lie flat for easy reference on workbench, etc.

Joint Selector section at back of book shows thumbnail illustrations of all joints in the book, with corresponding page numbers to the detailed instructions. This section makes it easy to visually identify a particular joinery type and then get more info on how to create it, etc.

Also has nice sections on common joinery tools (squares, clamps, etc.), how to select the proper joinery for a particular project, how to properly glue and clamp a joint -- including a comparison chart explaining the different types of wood glues, a discussion of various hardware used in some joinery types, a glossary of terms, and a thorough index. A great little reference book for any woodworker.

Editorial Review:

The Joint Book is the ultimate workshop reference, giving woodworkers all the knowledge they need to choose the right joint for the job. It also features step-by-step, illustrated instructions for making over 70 joints, including mortise and tenon joints, dovetails, miters and more. In short, it covers every basic joint in every joint family--including a range of joint variations and helpful jigs.

An introductory section details the factors that determine proper joint selection, including the characteristics of various types of woods, joints and adhesives. It then breaks down basic joints into five chapters featuring complete instructions for crafting:

Edge and scarf joints Lapped and housed joints Mortise and tenon joints Mitres and bevels Dovetails

This guide also includes a quick-reference Joint Selector guide, and instructions for working with hand tools as well as power tools to achieve each type of joint.