Book Review Mike Pekovich Book

(Published 2018)

“The Why and How of Woodworking” is Mike Pekovich’s woodworking book prior to “Foundations of Woodworking”. I really like Mike’s writing style & design.

I read the book reviews on the Amazon site prior to buying it.
I tend to read the 1 star reviews before the 5-star ones, not sure why. The 1 & 2 star reviews were few; 8 out of over 700. One reviewer called the book “preachy” and another reviewer critical of his use of Kumiko panels on many of the projects in this book. There are always naysayers.

One of the 3 star reviewers said “could have used less Zen and more sawdust, but overall I loved the book.” That made me chuckle and sealed the deal and ordered it, and am not sorry in the least.

Chapter 1: Making Shop Time Matter
This chapter discussed several things, making shop time a habit, take time to think

through the next steps and potentially out beyond them.

I used to fully draw out the project prior to starting, sometimes leaving difficult items till later. Have often been guilty of the “need” to cut boards and telling myself you should really finish figuring out the design.

The little things are often big things is a section Mike devoted time to. Emphasis was put on sharpening tools, tuning up machines and a clean work area. A personal area needing work on, keeping my work area clean.

Rethinking perfection & don’t rush but don’t stand still were two areas that were read quickly. There will be errors in most projects, and finding a tempo that suits you can lead to more satisfying time in the shop were points he made.

Ok, Chapter 1 had a lot of Zen in it. A brief capsule of the remaining chapters follow

Start with small sketches and refine ideas, learn to trust your eye. You probably have an idea of how big it needs to be. Draw the project to scale.

Mike has several of his design ideas scattered throughout the book. In the cabinet chapter he makes the case for offsets, even small, calling that section “A Study in 1/16’s”. They disguise wood movements due to seasonal moisture changes. This element is a feature of arts and crafts furniture design.