Book review: Woodworking Tips and Tricks

It’s often said that woodworking is about problem solving, and for a woodworker like Charles Mak, that’s become a source of enjoyment in its own right. Known for his predilection for authoring tips and tricks, as well as his articles for Australian Wood Review, Charles has now put together an entire collection of his writings. And with almost a quarter of a century of woodworking, and 17 years of tip authoring behind him, the collection is comprehensive.

There’s a sense that just one way of doing things is never enough for Charles, whose tips and techniques represent his personal exploration of the art of woodworking. Charles also has a love of drawing others in to his world, and Woodworking Tips and Tricks is now an extension of his teachings.

There are eight chapters: Shop Setup and Storage, Workbenches & Work Holding, Machine and Tool Preparation, Stock Preparation, Marking & Layout, Working by Hand, Working with Power Tools, Assembly and Finishing; in addition to a gallery of Charles’s own work and workshop setup.

‘One-of-a-kind solutions, shortcuts and sometimes unorthodox shop wisdom’ is the keynote of the book. The solutions are very often Charles’s own shopmade jigs, accessories and workshop storage solutions. The materials tend to be what’s at hand, and are very often improvised. Offcuts of wood and ply, rubber bands, mirrors, old credit cards and cardboard are clearly at times surprisingly useful.

Machinery and power tool usage and maintenance are scope for a wide range of tips, and Charles’s love of hand tool woodworking is behind the wealth of techniques and insights he shares into their use and maintenance. Holding things down securely is one of the holy grails of efficient woodworking, and workholding solutions are another of his specialities.

Softcover, 131 pages and 230 x 153mm in size, Woodworking Tips and Tricks is a book you can sit up in bed and read snippets of, or just keep it to hand in the workshop, because without fail you’ll learn plenty from it.

Published by Algrove Publishing, 2022 and available from Lee Valley