Saws, Planes, and Scorps: Exceptional Woodworking Tools and Their Makers

Though high school shop classes have largely disappeared, the market for artisan woodworking tools is as strong as ever, with some small-batch tool runs selling out within minutes. This volume from dedicated woodworker Heim (SketchUp Success for Woodworkers: Four Simple Rules To Create 3D Drawings Quickly and Accurately) will be in high demand. The book profiles four toolmaking companies, covering their inspirations, business philosophies, and products, from flushing chisels to bronze-bodied skew-angle block planes. The remaining chapters, organized by tool type (workbenches, hand saws, hammers), offer interviews with tool designers and ample close-up photographs of tools and workspaces from North America, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand; Japanese tools are briefly mentioned. Heim interviews venerated old-guard tool makers, as well as the next generation of designers and influencers, and spotlights tool benches that use ethically sourced wood from, for instance, red oaks that were downed during storms. An index of makers adds to the book’s usefulness.