The Urban Woodsman

This is a beautifully presented, good quality hardback, which is (at the moment) great value for money. Considering a lot of fairly slim paperback carving books are more than £10, it's a no-brainer.I got this book because at a glance it looked nicely presented with some excellent photography (it's nice to have some detailed photos to go on) and I have started to get into spoon-carving, having been a carver for a few years now. I like the minimalism and simplicity of the projects demonstrated and the tools used, most of which I have already, some reviews have complained about this and the limitations, but I don't think you need in-depth instructions about spoons, though as noted more options on food-safe finishes would be ideal.It doesn't end at the good projects, though. The parts of the book on different finishes, including ebonising, which I am particularly interested in, and sharpening techniques as well, are excellent and really useful, as are the lists of sources and websites at the back of the book. The author also goes into how and where he sources his wood and how to go about doing so by contacting the forestry commission, which most I know don't seem to do but this seems like a great way of cleanly sourcing wood that's otherwise just lying around in your local woods.I haven't got stuck into any of these projects yet, but look forward to doing so soon, and to making up a pot of my own beeswax salve as well. To any wondering about alternative oils and finishes, I believe Tung oil is a recommended food safe one and you can get this by Liberon from the likes of Dockerill's. I would have thought linseed is perfectly fine as well but I don't know enough about the different types of linseed (raw, boiled, or purified) to confirm this or how well it fares when washed.

As a keen woodworker and newish spoon Carver, I enjoy reading about the phycology of woodworking, and this book gives me cause for thought, as he talks about the reasons he does it.

I bought this as a gift for my husband who has been dabbling in basic woodworking. He has glossed over the book but is the sort of person to just figure things out for himself and there wasn't really much that the book taught him. It is a very attractive book and the photography is beautiful. However, if you are a handy sort of person anyway, there isn't much this book can offer apart from a pleasant read. That being said, I have flicked through and found it quite interesting, but i'm completely ignorant in the ways of woodcarving!

I really like this book --- it provides plenty information for starting wood carving, and it considers the most economic ways of doing things. Its a good book to get started with, but its also a decent reference book, so I have it in my shed and I can check on techniques, advice re wood and tool care. The author is very passionate about the craft so it reads well; its not a formal textbook, its more of an invitation to try wood carving.

This was bought as a gift for the father in law he loved it and can’t stop talking about how good it is.

It's a book with a really simple yet nice content. There are some very useful information that helped me a lot, such as where and how to find wood, tools that you need and more.

a Beautiful book, with great photos and some OK How-To-carve stuff. The Book is for the absolute beginner, is an easy read but lacks substance. That said, I like the book, but would really wish that the author had waited a couple of years before writing the book. I believe the book would have been better, had the author gained a bit more experience in the field, before putting pen to paper.

I learnt about Max through a link to his site on Pinterest, and decided to buy his book. The book is beautiful, very informative, and extremely well written. Explaining how to do something with your hands is difficult, as it's one of those things you need to actually do to get the hang of. Max makes the learning process incredibly accessible, and my spoons, in particular, have come on a long way as a result of this book.

I am learning how to carve and so I purchased this book second after "Heirloom Wood". Which was very informative and a pleasure to read. I was so happy with that book that I decided to purchase "Urban Woodsman" by the same author thinking I was getting more info and design ideas. However, aside from the front cover image and reviews on the back cover, the contents of the two books are identical. Only buy one or the other as they are the same.

Visually - a Beautiful Book! And... it has a a ton of information that I thought clearly illustrated a full range of topics and projects. From the different types of Knife grips -(he shows 7 in the book), an eating spoon, spatula,cooking spoon, butter knife, coffee scoop, chopping board, serving board, and a small oak board. He then moves on to Finishing techniques such as faceting, scorching,ebonising and sanding- - how to make your own wood salve- tool care for the straight knife and crook knife and making a tool roll.I found this book to be a great book to get you started or to add other projects to your to do list. I enjoyed reading about the different ways to finish your spoons - in particular the section on ebonising and scorching!Sure you could google various techniques but to have the many projects and various ways you could add your creativity all in one book - was so worth it! I will be working my way through each project!A side note on the actual physical book - the book has a good tactical feel- very nice weight to the paper - has an Art Book sensibility to the book design

What a magnificent book this is. It displays a dozen of projects, showing them with step-by-step images. Price well worth the expense. Could give 6 stars.

este libro lo considero adecuado para personas que apenas tienen conocimientos de cartinteria.hecho en falta plantillas o planos que te pueden servir de referencia.

An excellent book on wood carving; the best I have seen. Max tells you all you need to know about wood carving and how to get started and make interesting things yourself. Also Amazon service was excellent. Ordered Thursday evening (late), delivered in next Tuesday's mail-hard to beat that!