This is a step-by-step guide to working with wood, with over 60 techniques and a full guide to tools, shown in over 600 easy-to-follow photographs and diagrams. It shows you how to choose the right tools for working with wood, from saws and planes to drills and sanders, with tips on planning your workshop and working safely. It is an essential guide to fixings and fittings, to ensure that you use the most suitable screws, nails, hinges and catches for the job. It includes basic techniques for selecting and storing wood, cutting, shaping, assembling and glueing, how to make joints, and finishing techniques such as staining, varnishing, polishing, lacquering, waxing and oiling. It features over 600 photographs make even the most technically difficult tasks easy to follow, and practical tips throughout explain the best ways of perfecting your working skills. No matter how simple or complex your woodworking goals, the same basic skills are needed: selecting and cutting wood, shaping, assembling and sanding the components, and using the right tools for the job. This book provides a good grounding in each of these areas, showing how to improve skill levels as you become more experienced. The book includes a guide to the tools needed for measuring, marking, cutting, shaping and finishing. All the basic cutting and assembling techniques are described and illustrated, and there are advanced techniques for decorative work. Finally, the book shows how to stain, varnish, paint, lacquer, wax and polish wood, ensuring a beautiful finish, whether you are an experienced woodworker or a beginner.