Consulting Woodworker

A good resource for getting you up and running on the basics of drafting and design. There are conventions to how information is presented in blueprints and shop drawings. Knowing these will help you read plans accurately and develop your own as well.

It covers traditional drawing and digital drafting.

Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah

An excellent primer on using Social Media to market your products or services. This is a must read if you are wondering about what Social media is, and if it may be useful to your business.

Permission marketing  is the process of getting customers to allow you into their lives with their permission. Bcause they want to hear from you, your message cuts through the information overload, and gets through to them.

This book is certainly a worthwhile addition to your library, and dovetails well with the marketing techniques I have been talking about in my blog.

Ok, this may qualify as a bit self promoting, but Woodworker's Journal Magazine has begun publishing compilations of articles. They now have several books each dealing with a different subject topic. I have articles reprinted in a few of them, but I get no royalty for the book sales now. I just think they have good information in them.

Jigs and Fixtures    

Benches Chairs and Beds           

Susan Weinschenk has written an exciting book outlining how people respond to website designs. Using cutting edge brain scanning, scientists are unlocking the neural responces to what we see on the web even as we see it.

Neuro Web Design

Seth Godin hits the mark again with this fascinating book. Tribes decribes how leaders can emerge from anywhere to change the world of business or even the world. As the economy tightens, you need to be looking at strategies to help your company thrive. The lessons in Tribes can be applied to your business to help get the most from the team.

Truly insightful, the E-Myth looks at the problems of working ON your business while working IN your business. A short read and worth the time.

George Magnus does a masterful job of laying out the future trends of the aging world population. A must read for being able to plot the future of your business. Where will the population be? Does "universal design" make sense to offer for your clients? Age of Aging can help you plan your future.

Henry Petroski's amazing exploration of our natural dream to engineer our world. Not strictly a business book, but should be in your library.

One of the favorites in my library, the Card Table on the "From My Shop" page is from this work. Greene brings you the history of 18th century American furniture, looks at how to make many of the traditional details, and examines examples of key pieces.

Another favorite in my library. The furniture featured in this book is stunning. I was able to photograph and measure the tete-a-tete on Page 146 at the whim museum on St. Croix. I'm currently working on a reproduction of it.