1) Harvesting your own lumber. The internal structure of wood. Alaskan jigs, chain saw mills, portable band saw mills. Air drying and solar kilns. Measuring moisture content.
2) Adhesives in woodworking. Yellow, white and brown glues; epoxy, phenolic resin, hyde glue, super glues. Gorilla glue. How to apply them and when not to use them.
3) Steam bending, how to steam bend wood, the best types to use, generating your own steam, making your own steam chamber, drying racks for simple curves and recurves.
4) Identifying woods. How to recognize different wood species domestic and exotic hardwoods and softwoods.
5) Wooden molding, the names of different moldings and the names of different parts of complex molding. How to make and install crowns and bracket feet. The oldtimers' method of coping molding.
6) Veneering. How to match veneer; book, book and butt, and diamond match, making your own veneer press and vacuum press. How to make and inlay borders.
7) Finishing wood. Different finishes, shellac, varnish, oil, lacquer, enamel and different methods of application, brush, spray, roller, pad.
8) Table saw tricks, cutting circles on the table saw, making molding, feather boards, stop tear out, sliding table, cutting true 45-degree mitres every time.
9) Refinishing furniture, how to strip with water and solvent based products, tricks for making minor repairs to veneer and wooden parts. How to replace a broken corner.
10) Carving, how to use and sharpen carving tools. Carving acanthus leaves, egg and dart molding, ball and claw feet. Commercial carving companies where you can order carvings.
11) The "impossible" dovetail splce. Step-by-step instructions for making the dovetail splice on the table saw.
12) Resaw and laminating. Creating curves and smooth bends with wood. Tricks for making molds and techniques for clamping. Free bending without a mold.
13) Lathe work. Turning between centers, cutting and scraping, turning bowls and finishing on the lathe. Some good ideas for production pieces.
14) Small shop layout and design, what machines to get first, where to put them and how to wire them. Fixtures you can make yourself.
15) Kerf bending. How to bend plywood and timber. Creating radius corners in plywood furniture.
16) Compound mitres. How to determine the angles for various size wooden pyramids and sloped picture frames--the mathematical formula and the oldtimer's methods.
17) Man-made boards. The good and bad traits of all the new engineered wood products and sheet goods. Plywood, flakeboard, waferboard, MDF, MDO, MCP, and fire rated and pressure treated. How to work with them and where to use them.
18) Stacking. The sculptural approach to furniture, creating smooth flowing lines by placing different shaped pieces on top of one another, and carving into the outer surface.
19) Figure in wood. The various colors and patterns in wood, how to name them, what causes it. Where to get it. And how to work with them.
20) Vacuum forming. How to make and veneer, curved surfaces. Making a convex and concaved door. Some helpful hints that will insure success. How to turn a compressor into a vacuum pump.
21) Working with formica, plastic laminates and solid surfaces material.
22) Shop safety--all those things I've learned in 35 years that have kept me from hurting myself or my work. The care and maintenance of the hands. What you should do if you cut off a finger.
23) Picture framing. Making your own molding. Cutting true 45-degree mitres, cutting glass, shadow boxes. Frames with more than 4 sides. Museum-quality mounting technique. Hanging pictures on the wall.
24) Stone and glass in furniture. All about glass and stone tops, including limestone, travertine, marble and granite. How to cut and polish marble with woodworking tools. Mounting semi-precious stones in decorative hardware.
25) Hand planes. The history of planes, all about sharpening and tuning block, jack, scrub jointer and smoothing planes. Compass planes, molding planes, bead scrapers and cabinet scrapers.
27) Making everything tight, the old-timers' tricks for achieving tight tolerance without measuring. Compound and complementary errors; measure twice cut once. Building a box by only setting the table saw 3 times. Making and fitting drawers.
28) Caring for your tools and machines. How to keep them running for a lifetime and beyond.
29) Blacksmithing in the wood shop. The different kinds of steel used in making tools and furniture. Cast iron, low carbon steel, high carbon steel, tool steel, stainless steel. Carbide, titanium, cobolt. Maing and tempering your own tools.
30) Wood dust, dust handling equipment for the woodworker. Collectors, mask, respirators. How to prevent explosive mixtures. Dust allergies and how to prevent or cure them.
31) Law for the craftsman. What does it take to be a legal business. What kind of insurance should you have. Keeping your own books. What makes a good contract. Mechanic's liens and what to do if you're not paid. How to handle customer complaints. Minimizing your tax burden. When to incorporate.
32) How to sell your work. Taking good photographs, where to advertise. Craft trade organizations, list of craft fairs and shows.
33) Finish repair and touch-up. Repairing scratches, cigarette burns, nicks and gouges on furniture and antiques. Caring for the finish on your furniture.
34) Making presents, ideas, short cuts, tricks, techniques for making small gifts (or production items to sell or give away). As Christmas gifts, birthday, anniversary. Making a lot at one time. An old trick for making a chess board, making a wooden ball without a lathe, an almost effortless way to sand a lot of small pieces at once.
35) Computer drafting and rendering programs for woodworkers. Autocad, Autocad Light, Turbocad, Mini Cad, Iron Cad, 20-20, Cabinetvisions.
36) Working with Plexiglass. Cutting and polishing different types of plexiglass. Bonding with cohesive glue. Strip heating. Building museum-quality cases. Buffing and flame polishing.
37) The creation schedule. The various steps that all craftsmen take from conception to completion. In short, how to make an idea real.
38) Financial management, tax planning, retirement strategies for the self-employeed craftsman. Chapter S corporations, IRA, 4O1-K's, SEPP, SIMPLE, ways to avoid probate, how to leave it all to the kids.
39) Working with fiberglass. How to use fiberglass to reinforce joints or kerf bends. How it is used on boats. Some boat building techniques.
40) How to specify furniture, cabinets, millwork and finishes for architects and designers.
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