This book was written as a sequel to my last book
entitled Manual of First- & Second-Fixing Carpentry,
which was prompted by a perceived lack of trade
books with a strong practical bias, using a DIY
step-by-step approach – and not because there
was any desire to add yet another book to the long
list of woodworking books already on the market.
Although many of these do their authors credit, the
bias is usually from a technical viewpoint only, with
wide general coverage; and I wanted my books to
be manuals that deal with the sequence, techniques
and practise of performing the various, unmixed
specialisms of a trade.
Such is the aim of this book, then, to present a
practical guide through the main items classified as
purpose-made joinery. This italicized term refers here
to items of joinery that are made-to-measure by hand
and/or by using portable powered- or fixed-machines
in small to medium-sized workshops, as opposed to
large, more mechanized workshops or factories with
CNC (Computer Numerical Control) and CAD/
CAM (Computer-Aided Design and Manufacture)
machines. The items covered here include rods and
setting out, joinery joints, traditional and modern
wooden casements with hinged sashes and box-
frame windows with vertical, sliding sashes (still
preferred by many owners of period properties), doors
and doorframes, stairs and staircases and shelving
arrangements, etc.
The book should be of interest to a variety
of people, but it was written primarily for craft
apprentices (whose diminished numbers are hopefully
due to increase in the near future), trainees and
building students, established trades-people, seeking
to reinforce certain weak or sketchy areas in their
knowledge and, as works of reference, the book may
also be of value to vocational teachers, lecturers and
trade instructors.
Also, the very detailed, step-by-step, graphic
treatment of each subject should appeal to the keen
DIY enthusiast and the hobbyist.
Finally, with reference to a few reviewers’ well-
meant comments on the draft copy of the stair chapter
in this book – such being comments aimed at the
entire proposed book – the final presentation has
not been dumbed down to suit beginners, because I
believe that they should raise their efforts and pit their
wits against what needs to be studied in their subject
area.
Les Goring,
Hastings, East Sussex