Affordability of tools such as the router make woodwork increasingly popular.

With a love of making things from wood going back to his childhood, on leaving school Phil studied musical instrument making at the London College of Furniture. After running a woodwork training workshop for school leavers, he taught carpentry and joinery at various colleges in the west of England and is a qualified wood machinist. He joined Good Woodworking magazine as Technical Editor when it was launched in 1992, going on to edit Britain's biggest-selling woodwork magazine for nine years.

Introduction. Wood & Materials: environment & sustainability,characteristics,how to buy, timber samples,sheet materials. Design: furniture gallery, drawing/sketching, CAD, cutting lists. Home Workshop: location, budget considerations, workshop types: garage/shed/purpose-built, layout,storage. Buying and Caring for Tools: DIY sheds, internet, mail order, secondhand, shows, essential toolkit,sharpening equipment, edge tools, machine blades. Safety: tools, dust extraction,eye/ear/face protection, clothing,noise,chemicals, fire hazards, first aid. Hand Tools & Techniques: measuring & marking, sawing, planing, chiselling, drilling, sanding, morticing, shaping, finishing, cramps. Power Tools & Techniques: budget versus professional, routers, biscuit jointers, drills, saws, planers, sanders, cordless tools, workcentres. Machines & Techniques: buying considerations,saws,planers,sanders,morticers, grinders,combination. Woodworking Techniques: laminating, bending,veneering,turning, carving. Making Joints: butt, halving, mortise & tenon, housing, dovetail, edge to edge, board. Glues and preparation: traditional, PVA, epoxy, safety, abrasives, scraping. Finishing, Fittings and Hardware: polishes, waxes, oils, varnishes, synthetics, hinges, handles. Glossary.