Why am I passionate about this?

Jeff Miller is one of the country’s leading furniture designer/craftsmen. He is also a dedicated teacher and a prolific writer, with over 40 articles and 4 books (with a fifth in preparation). Jeff has exhibited furniture in shows from coast to coast, and has a piece in the permanent collection of the Chicago History Museum. Jeff’s work is heavily influenced by his former career as a professional musician, and he strives to make each of his pieces feel musical in some way. Jeff is a runner and – despite the hindrance of living in the flat mid-west – an avid skier. A substantial chunk of his time is taken up by dialysis treatments, but he tries not to let that slow him down too much.


I wrote

The Foundations of Better Woodworking: How to Use Your Body, Tools and Materials to Do Your Best Work

By Jeff Miller,

Book cover of The Foundations of Better Woodworking: How to Use Your Body, Tools and Materials to Do Your Best Work

What is my book about?

In order to improve as a woodworker, you need to understand that your tools are mere extensions of your body.…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Understanding Wood: A Craftsman's Guide to Wood Technology

Jeff Miller Why did I love this book?

This is a foundational text on wood as a material for building furniture, written by someone who knows the material thoroughly as both a wood scientist and as a woodworker. The combined insights give you the information you need to work with wood effectively. It reads well if you feel like plowing through it, but you can also use it as a resource for answering specific questions about wood and its behavior.

By R. Bruce Hoadly,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Understanding Wood as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Understanding Wood is the definitive reference on wood technology, and is a keystone of every woodworker's library. The first edition (1980) sold over 128,000 copies: this new edition updates the classic text with new information on new materials: composite board, adhesives and finishes which have been developed since the original edition. There are also 225 brand new colour photographs! Up-to-date and Comprehensive: revised and updated edition of a woodworking classic (Taunton Press, 1980; 1-918804-05-1) which continues to sell thousands of copies a year to this day. New four colour photography is clearer and more informative. Comprehensive: everything you know about…


Book cover of The Anarchist's Tool Chest

Jeff Miller Why did I love this book?

Chris has a very personal and very persuasive approach to woodworking. In this book, he uses the discussion of a tool chest and its contents to explain his take on the basic tools needed to work with wood by hand, as well as his philosophy of working wood this way. The book is funny, compelling, and an essential read for anyone interested in hand tools and working with them.

By Christopher Schwarz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Anarchist's Tool Chest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When I am too exhausted, ill or busy to work in my shop, I will shuffle down the stairs to my 15' x 25' workshop and simply stand there for a few minutes with my hands on my tools. To be sure, I thought I was a touch nuts because of this personality quirk. But after reading the oral histories and diaries of craftsmen from the last 300 years, I found it's actually a common trait among artisans. I am drawn, married or perhaps addicted to the things that allow me to coax wood into new shapes. At the same…


Book cover of The Why & How of Woodworking: A Simple Approach to Making Meaningful Work

Jeff Miller Why did I love this book?

This is a beautiful and thoughtful book. And much like others on this list, it offers up a personal take on woodworking. Mike feels that shop time should be devoted to engagement in the work, and offers up strategies for achieving that goal. He also offers beautiful projects, from simple to fairly advanced, that foster learning a slew of techniques for accurate work. The book also includes a discussion of design and its role for the woodworker.

By Michael Pekovich,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Why & How of Woodworking as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Why and How of Woodworking reflects the growing appreciation for the handmade, a movement toward simplifying and uncluttering. There is a growing understanding of the need to fill our lives with meaningful and useful objects. How can woodworkers answer that call? Instagram sensation Mike Pekovich explains how to make work that is worth the time and effort it takes to make it, work that makes a difference, and work that will add to the quality of our lives. . Explains the basics of woodworking, from choosing lumber with care, cutting joinery accurately, and preparing and finishing the surfaces. .…


Book cover of The Impractical Cabinetmaker: Krenov on Composing, Making, and Detailing

Jeff Miller Why did I love this book?

This is one of those books that has inspired generations of woodworkers to aim higher in their work, and to think about broad aspects of both designing for and building with wood. Krenov’s construction methods (using dowels) are idiosyncratic, but his intense approach to woodworking has had a profound impact. It is well worth a read.

By James Krenov,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Impractical Cabinetmaker as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

James Krenov's delicate, lyrical cabinets have inspired a generation of wood craftsmen, as has his impassioned insistence that one do his very best work, no matter what. In this volume, first published in 1979, Krenov invites the reader into his workshop, where he shares his techniques and uncompromising approach to craftsmanship, along with thoughts about his work and its place in the world. Photo sequences show how Krenov composes a cabinet directly in the wood, without dimensioned drawings. He also discusses working with shop-sawn veneers, the technique of fitting curved doors, and the problems of accuracy and mistakes. The book…


Book cover of Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking: Three Step-By-Step Guidebooks to Essential Woodworking Techniques

Jeff Miller Why did I love this book?

This is a 3 volume set (also available in a single-volume compilation), by one of the first widely-known teachers in America of woodworking skills, furniture building skills, and furniture design. Trained formally in Denmark, Frid came to the US, and taught at the School of the American Craftsman, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and then at the Rhode Island School of Design. He was a contributing editor for Fine Woodworking Magazine, and also taught classes around the country. Not only do these books teach traditional woodworking skills combining the use of hand tools and machines, but the mid-century modern designs are also now back in vogue.

By Tage Frid,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

As a tribute to Tage Frid who passed away in 2004, combined with the 30th anniversary of The Taunton Press, this three-volume slipcase set is the most complete, authoritative guide to woodworking for readers of all skill levels. The books in the slipcase include: ""Book 1: Joinery,"" ""Book 2: Shaping, Veneering, Finishing,"" and ""Book 3: Furnituremaking,"" The techniques illustrated in these books are demonstrated step by step, with clarity and organization that allows readers to understand and carry out virtually any woodworking project. This is a limited edition.


Explore my book 😀

The Foundations of Better Woodworking: How to Use Your Body, Tools and Materials to Do Your Best Work

By Jeff Miller,

Book cover of The Foundations of Better Woodworking: How to Use Your Body, Tools and Materials to Do Your Best Work

What is my book about?

In order to improve as a woodworker, you need to understand that your tools are mere extensions of your body. How you use your body, then, is crucial for effective tool use. Our tools connect us to the wood. So understanding how tools function, as well as the complex nature of wood as the material they work on, is also essential to doing better work. Unfortunately, many woodworking books ignore these aspects of woodworking. This book can be seen as the missing manual to woodworking; a book that covers important topics rarely discussed in other books or articles. And it works as a great way to improve the skills and knowledge you already have.
Book cover of Understanding Wood: A Craftsman's Guide to Wood Technology
Book cover of The Anarchist's Tool Chest
Book cover of The Why & How of Woodworking: A Simple Approach to Making Meaningful Work

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in woodworking, wood, and furniture making?

Woodworking 27 books
Wood 10 books
Furniture Making 13 books