First of all I would like to know who wrote this book. And why, mysteriously, no one appears to have actually read it.

It would seem that a book detailing all of the possible mistakes one could make would be of enormous value, so much so that a copy should be found in every workplace.

Of course, most of us realize that the majority of mistakes one is likely to make during a career in woodworking cannot be prevented simply by having knowledge of their existence. Any more than one can learn to use a chisel simply by reading some instructions. Some can but not all.

One could read, for example, that a chisel should not be pushed toward a body part and by never pushing a chisel toward a body part, avoid the necessity of learning about a great number of mistakes "the hard way." But one cannot learn about the subtleties of using a chisel and, by association, all of the little mistakes that add up to a poorly cut joint because these techniques require a feel for the work that only comes with repeated doing.

It would be a tough book to write, but a guarenteed best-seller!

D.D.