For Christmas I was given a set of Audel’s Carpenter’s & Builder’s Guide Vol. 1-4 1923 and have been working my way through them.
Vol. 1 covers planes to chisels to saws to drills to measuring tools
Vol. 2 covers builders math and drawing and plans
Vol. 3 covers framing and roofing and layouts
Vol. 4 covers doors, windows, stairs, mill-work and painting
Over 1400 pages of illustrations and insightful how-to and interestingly enough how-not-to (not necessarily the best way to teach techniques).
I particularly like this delightful illustration giving advice on: ‘How not to drive a nail, or method used by greenhorns and some amateurs’.
A – stroke 1, hits nail (by accident)
B – stroke 2, hits thumb
C – stroke 3, oblique blow causes hammer to slide off nail and hit board (first dent)
D – stroke 4, second oblique blow bends nail
E – stroke 5, side blow to straighten nail
F – appearance of nail and board after “driving.”
Stay tuned for more from Audel, in the meantime you can still find sets of Audel’s Carpenter’s & Builder’s Guide.