The Workshop Book: A Craftsman's Guide to Making the Most of Any Work Space

by Scott Landis

As your woodworking skills grow, your shop needs to grow along with you. Whether you are just starting out or are somewhere along this lifetime journey, this book will be your faithful guide.

Genres: Woodwork, Reference

224 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1991

Reviews

[Les Abernathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cracked open this book expecting it to be a boring but informative tome on workshops. Surely, it was informed and thoroughly researched, but what surprised me was how well written it is. I mean this in both prose and format. There was almost a journalist level of quality to the writing. That, with every workshop this book touches, there is a story and people behind them but also doesn't get bogged down in sentiment. Even if you're not thinking about building a workshop, I would recommend this book.

The most common downside I see is people saying it's outdated. That is true, but you can still get a good deal from it. In both enjoyment and practical useful information. If anything, I would say this book's best quality is that it's inspirational. If I wasn't already turning my garage into a workshop, this book would definitely convince me to do so.

[Dan Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this book is now 30 years old, there are still tons of good ideas to be found here. I found myself reading much more of the material than I anticipated, rather just skimming and looking for parts that are pertinent to my immediate needs.
(Tip: get this one from your library or via Inter-Library Loan.)

[January · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit dated (the "Microchips in the Workshop" section and the pervasive mullets were particularly hilarious) but this is truly the begin and end-all book to the workshop.

Every type of workshop you can imagine is in here—boat building shops, chair shops, shops that run on water power, shops that integrate other crafts, shops that use found and green wood, shops in attics and pantries, backpack workshops, dream shops, shops in RVs and buses, kids' shops, garage shops, basement shops, commercial shops, shops in retail spaces, guitar shops, shops that make up various rooms inside a home, husband-wife shops. The breadth and ingenuity in these spaces is truly inspiring.

The chapters are broken down into great topics:

1 - The Workshop Tradition (i.e. the history of workshops. The photos here were fascinating)
2 - Locating the Workshop (basements vs. sheds vs. garages etc)
3 - Layout
4 - Machinery
5 - Systems: The Workshop Envelope (heat, lighting, plumbing, electrical etc)
6 - Specialty shops (where all the outlier shops really shined)
7 - Dream shops
8 - Storage (some of the best storage solutions I've seen and I've seen a lot of "workshop storage" books and articles)
9 - Fixtures (misc. workstations, gadgets, benches, accessories, etc)

Probably my only gripe is that I wish the photos were larger and there weren't so many black and white photos. Plus there were a few glaring typos, which is surprising since this is a fairly well-known book that has been in print for some time.

I'll probably be adding this one to my home library.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great ideas for people who have more space than I do.