The Workshop Book
You can download an excerpt of this book here.
By Scott Landis; foreword by Roy Underhill
First published in 1991, "The Workshop Book" by Scott Landis remains the most complete book about every woodworker's favorite place: the workshop.
“The Workshop Book” is a richly illustrated guided tour of some of the world’s most inspiring workshops — from garage to basement shops, from mobile to purpose-built shops.
Author Scott Landis traveled all over North America to discover the workshops featured in this book. The result is an intriguing and illuminating look at multiple successful approaches to shop layout.
You’ll also find advice and instruction on:
• 20 detailed floor plans for a range of woodworking shops (basement, shed, mobile, purpose-built, and more) to make the most of your available space
• Storage for tools, lumber, and supplies
• Heating, lighting, and electric
• Dust collection
• And more
A woodworker himself, Landis’ journey became a personal quest for the elements he’ll include in his own dream workshop.
Whether you are an amateur or professional, The Workshop Book offers a wealth of ideas and inspiration for setting up your ideal shop. Whether you are just starting out or are somewhere along this lifetime journey, this book will be your faithful guide.
This new 216-page hardbound edition from Lost Art Press ensures "The Workshop Book" will be available to future generations of woodworkers. Produced and printed in the United States, this classic text is printed on FSC-certified recycled paper and features a durable sewn binding designed to last generations. The 1991 text remains the same in this edition and includes a foreword by Roy Underhill.
About the Author
Scott Landis built his first workbench in the early 1970s in a friend’s shop in Maine, where he discovered many of the essential tools and techniques of woodworking. Since then, he has been a professional benchmaker, log house builder, and freelance writer, chronicling the disappearing traditional occupations of the North. He returned to woodworking as the author of The Workbench Book (1987) and The Workshop Book (1991), first published by Taunton Press. Scott went on to write numerous essays and articles about woodworking and wood use, and their intersection with responsible forest management. He founded the nonprofit Woodworkers Alliance for Rainforest Protection (WARP) and organized the traveling exhibition Conservation by Design, launched in collaboration with the Rhode Island School of Design.
A WARP field project in Honduras eventually led to his establishment of GreenWood, which was recognized in 2014 with the first-ever Innovation Prize awarded by the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. GreenWood continues to employ appropriate woodworking technologies and creative niche marketing in support of sustainable forest management and economic development. The organization has trained artisan woodworkers in the Peruvian Amazon and works extensively in Honduras and Puerto Rico. Scott now lives in coastal Maine, where his woodworking and workbench career began.