Woodworker's Manual(s)

Any book with information on woodworking, whether "how-to-do-it", i.e., "processes" --  or "projects to build", i.e., "products" -- is a woodworker's manual. In additon to a "section 8, education" in all narrative chapters that cover each decade of my online history of the amateur woodworking movement, for each of these same decades, I include an annotated list of woodworker's manuals published during that same decade.

In the inline frame directly below, scroll down to the chart that shows -- decade-by-decade -- the approximate number of woodworker's manuals published over two centuries. I think that you will be quite surprised by the shear numbers of titles, clearly an indication of a "market" for books that addressed amateur woodworkers' intersts and needs.

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How to Define What a Woodworker's Manual Is: One would assume that, "A woodworker's manual is a woodworker's manual!

The issue is the transition from the "textbook manual for courses on woodworking" to the woodworker's manual that we know today.

Meaning number 3 for entry on "manual" in Oxford English Dictionary:

Of a book, etc.: of the nature of a manual; intended to be kept at hand for reference.

1504: For ane manuale buk, conuenient for having baptizing ande erding to thar kirk. Source: John Stuart The Miscellany of the Spalding Club, Aberdeen, 1504, reprinted, 1852 V. 35

 

1533: The commen verse of the compute manuell, Ergo ciphos adrifex.  Source: Sir Saint Thomas More The Answere to the Fyrst Parte of the Poysened Booke, which a Namelesse ...  IV. viii. 207 b, 1533

1907 There is as yet no edition of the Rule that satisfies the requirements of modern criticism... A sufficiently good manual edition was published by Dom Edmund Schmidt of Metten, at Ratisbon in 1892. Source: Catholic Encyclopedia volume II. 437/1, 1907

Temporarily I am throwing in this pot the background in Ray Stombaugh on  textbooks and manuals

used in courses in Industrial Arts:

From Stombaugh pages 157-158:  

Manuals Speaking of conditions prevailling in Industrial Arts before the turn of the 20th century, Stomaugh argues that several cities included in courses manuals for the guidance of both teachers and pupils. Robert Forbes Beardsley points to the printed course of manual training in Chicago as the first manual ever printed by any board of education. One of the most suggestive "printed course of study in manual training published". Argues Beardsley, It "is a radical departure from the practice elsewhere", as, "no such textbook had ever been printed by any Board of Education. It has proved of inestimable value to the special teachers, and has been sought by educational people all over the country. It has beeen especially helpful to those contemplating the introduction of manual training departments in localities where ideas regarding the subject were vague, and where the teachers were at a loss as to the selection of subject matter for the proposed department. This manual "contains illustrations and directions for the making of models in wood, cardboard, wirework, Venetian iron, chip carving; with chapters on book mending, woods of the United States, tool instruction, equipment in manual training shop and a bibliography prepared by the Eastern Manual Training Association. The drawings and directions are clear. The one criticism would be that the unskilled teacher would not be able to make a good selection of projects, owing to the somewhat hap-hazard arrange ment of the material." Source:as cited by Ray Stombaugh, # bibiography item #266, page 206, in Forty-Fifth Annual Report of the Board of Education   1899, pages205-207.] Robert Forbes Beardsley, Course of Study-Manual Training Department of Elementary Public Schools, Chicago, 1899-1900. Chicago, 1899. pages 205-207; see also page 61 of Arthur Henry Chamberlain, Bibliography of the Manual Arts A. Flanagan company, 1902. Stombaugh: Some of the leaders in industrial arts today [1936] feel that altogether too many teachers in the work are failing to make use of books and printed materials. [7 : 146 -- 7. Emanuel E. Ericson, Teaching Problems in Industrial Arts. Peoria, IL: The Manual Arts Press, 1930. 433 P.; sstombaugh's #68, page;aslo Emanuele E. Ericson, "The Use of Books in Shop Teaching." Industrial Education Magazine, XXX : 140-141, October 1928.; 113: 131-132-- 113; Homer J. Smith,  "A Defense of the Textbook." Industrial Arts and Vocational Education, XXI : 121-122, April 1932. Source: Stombaugh..] Ericson and Smith give several reasons for the attitude of industrial arts teachers against textbooks, and proceed to list reasons why textbooks should be used in industrial arts classes.  Historically, the first textbook seems to be one by the Boston Industrial School Association felt the need for a textbook and immediately set about preparing one. (Channing Whitaker Woodworking Tools How to Use Them 1884 )[Date?] ; Source: Stombaugh..] In 1906, Crawshaw raised the question of why the best books and best methods of teaching were not demanded in the industrial arts the same as they were in the other school studies. [62 : 9 -- 62. Fred D. Crawshaw,  "Practical and Educational Manual Training in the Public Schools." Manual Training Magazine, VII : 90-92, January 1906: Source: Stombaugh..] As late as 1920, MacDonald criti­cized industrial teachers for making too little use of books in their classes. At that time he said it was the exception rather than the rule for shop teachers to refer their pupils to printed information. The majority of them, he said, were still attempting to supply infor­mation in verbal form. [91 : 46 91.  D. J. MacDonald, "Fostering Self-Directive Ability in Pupils." In­dustrial Arts Magazine, IX : 45-50, February 1920 Source: Stombaugh..]  A few years later Vaughn and Mays divided teachers into groups who used textbooks and groups who opposed their use. (The book is online, but not in full text format. Here, though, is a pdf of the chapter on textbooks) Both these groups felt that a fund of information related to the work being done should be constantly accessible. vaughn and mays pdf here [33 : 140 33. Samuel L. J. Vaughn, and Arthur B. Mays,  Content and Methods of the Industrial Arts. New York: The Century Co., 1924, pages 132-141. Source: Stombaugh..] With the increasing amount of printed ma­terial in the several industrial arts subjects, even though each pupil may not be provided with a textbook it would seem that there is little excuse for pupils not having access to a good shop reference library.

Sample of entries available full text on online

These books are digitized by Google Books Search, Open Library and Internet Archive, and numerous other titles are digitized by Google but not available in full text online.
 

Essentials of Woodworking: A Textbook for Schools by Ira Samuel Griffith - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1915 - 190 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library

Bench Work in Wood: A Course of Study and Practice Designed for the Use of ... by William Freeman Myrick Goss - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1888 - 161 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library - More editions

Home Labor Saving Devices by Rhea Clarke Scott - Home economics - 1918 - 117 pages This manual aims to increase efficiency in the farm home and to satisfy the growing demand for useful information in the country schools. cf. Pref. Full view - About this book - Add to my library - More editions

Problems in Farm Woodwork for Agricultural Schools, High Schools, Industrial ... by Samuel A. Blackburn - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1915 - 128 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library

Correlated Courses in Woodwork and Mechanical Drawing by Ira Samuel Griffith - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1912 - 238 pages 102 full-page illustrations numbered as plates. Full view - About this book - Add to my library - More editions

The Sloyd System of Wood Working by Benjamin B. Hoffman, Otto Aron Salomon - Sloyd - 1892 - 242 pages Chapter III is a translation of book V of Otto Salomon's "Slöjd och folkskola. Full view - About this book - Add to my library

The Teacher's Hand-book of Slöjd: As Practised and Taught at Nääs ... by Otto Aron Salomon, Carl Nordendahl, Alfred Johansson - Sloyd - 1904 - 264 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library - More editions

Problems in Wood-turning by Fred Duane Crawshaw - Turning - 1909 - 61 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library - More editions

Educational Woodworking for Home and School by Joseph Charles Park - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1908 - 310 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library - More editions

Elementary Sloyd and Whittling: With Drawings and Working Directions by Gustaf Larsson - Wood-carving - 1906 - 97 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library - More editions

Exercises in Wood-working, with a Short Treatise on Wood: Written for Manual ... by Ivin Sickels - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1889 - 158 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library - More editions

Exercises in Wood-working, with a Short Treatise on Wood: Written for Manual ... by Ivin Sickels - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1889 - 158 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library - More editions

Farm Woodwork by Louis Michael Roehl - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1919 - 136 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library

Boy Activity Projects by Samuel A. Blackburn - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1918 - 143 pages Part of illustrations are numbered as plates. Full view - About this book - Add to my library

Wood-working Tools: How to Use Them. A Manual by Industrial School Association, Boston - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1881 - 101 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library

Manual Training for Common Schools: An Organized Course in Wood-working by Eldreth Gordon Allen, Fassett Allen Cotton - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1910 - 217 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library

...Elements of Woodwork by Charles Albert King - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1911 - 146 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library - More editions

Elementary Woodwork for Use in Manual Training Classes by Frank Henry Selden - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1906 - 206 pages Includes index. Full view - About this book - Add to my library

Problems in Woodworking by Michael William Murray - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1905 - 84 pages The numbered leaves are printed on one side only. Full view - About this book - Add to my library - More editions

Projects for Beginning Woodwork and Mechanical Drawing by Ira Samuel Griffith - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1912 - 32 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library - More editions

Furniture Making, Advanced Projects in Woodwork by Ira Samuel Griffith - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1912 - 10 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library

Handbook in Woodwork and Carpentry: For Teachers and Normal Schools by Charles Albert King - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1911 - 132 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library

Knife Work in the School-room by George Baldwin Kilbon - Sloyd - 1891 - 192 pages Revised edition ; 1st edition, 1890. cf. Pref. Full view - About this book - Add to my library

Woodwork in the Common School by Frederic Allen Hinckley - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1895 - 126 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library

Manual Training: First Lessons in Wood-working by Alfred George Compton - Woodwork (Manual training) - 1888 - 188 pages Includes index. Full view - About this book - Add to my library - More editions

A Text Book of Working Drawings of Models in Sloyd, Adapted to American Schools by Gustaf Larsson - Sloyd - 1893 - 82 pages Full view - About this book - Add to my library

Elementary Course in Woodwork: Designed for Use in High and Technical ... by George Alexander Ross - Wood working - 1901 - 117 pages Full view - About this book -