How high is a dining table or a coffee table? How do you draw the ellipse for a butler's tray? What is the Golden Mean and how can a woodworker use it? How to evenly space the balusters in a railing? How do you saw perfect miter and bevel angles? How much load can a shelf carry before it sags or breaks?

Every day, every woodworker has to scratch his head over questions like these. Every workshop operation requires knowing some kind of measurement, formula, fact, or calculation.

Workshop problems usually can be solved with mathematics, but as this interesting book shows, there's often a no-math solution too. In most situations, the savvy craftsman can get the answers either with math or by applying common-sense rules of thumb. This handbook presents both approaches so readers can choose what works best in their particular situation. With this handbook on the bench, readers will enjoy success in the workshop whether or not they are comfortable with mathematics.

Hundreds of illustrations guide readers through the solutions to everyday workshop problems. Straightforward writing and a simplified approach to calculations lead readers step-by-step to the answers they need. Dozens of useful tables put essential reference information into this single, easy-to-follow resource. This practical handbook, packed full of facts, formulas and shortcuts, is essential for woodworkers of all skill levels.

Ken Horner is a retired organic chemist and computer consultant who resides in Sunnyvale, California, deep in the heart of the Silicon Valley. A veteran woodworker, he is a member of the South Bay Woodworkers Association.