Hi Stumpy thanks for this post. Like you I love old woodworking tools and methods, but I also appreciate all the labor saving machines that we have available nowadays. I try to do fun work with hand tools and the laborious stuff with machines. It is indeed wonderful to see all the details in Sloan’s meticulous drawings. There is another dimension to this old time woodworking that is also very interesting, but seldom mentioned, and that is the selection of suitable timber right from the woods in the old days. This was an important skill, not just for professional woodworkers, but also for farmers, most of who were making their own wooden tools and other items for daily use. I have some pretty good info on that and I may try to put together a little blog on it. Woodworking history and culture is fascinating to explore and with so much material from all around the world there is a lot of info on it out there waiting to be found or at least rediscovered.

I just ordered Sloans book for a very reasonable price on Amazon. Thanks for the tip!

Mike, an American living in Norway