Brand: Reston Pub Co Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone

Why I reached for this book

I pulled Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone off the shelf after dragging a Shopsmith Mark V into my garage and realizing the machine could be as capable as I was careful. I wanted a guide that balanced safety, setup, and technique—something that would get me cutting cleanly and repeatedly rather than guessing my way into bad habits. This book delivered that and gave me more shop-made solutions than I expected.

What it covers—and how it’s organized

“Power Tool Woodworking” is structured by tool and operation, not by glossy projects, which I appreciate. Each major station gets its own chapter: table saw, band saw, drill press, lathe, disc sander, and horizontal boring, with accessory sections that expand what you can do. The layout makes it easy to jump to what you need. If a tool isn’t in your shop, you can skip that chapter without losing the thread.

The emphasis is on safe operation and repeatable technique. Steps are broken down into bite-sized checklists, and the illustrations—clear line drawings and black-and-white photos—show fixtures, hands, and stock in positions that make sense. It reads like a seasoned instructor is standing by your elbow, pointing at the right knob and explaining why it matters.

A Shopsmith-first, but not Shopsmith-only, guide

Let’s be clear: if you run a Shopsmith—especially a Mark V—this book functions as the shop manual the brief owner’s guide wishes it was. It covers the five base functions in detail and treats setup as a craft in itself. The alignment procedures are thorough without being finicky, and they connect directly to the quality of your cuts.

The Shopsmith-specific callouts (quill adjustments, headstock speed range, table alignment, accessory mounts) are everywhere, which is exactly what I wanted. But the underlying methods translate to standalone machines too. Squaring a table to a blade, verifying fence alignment, compensating for band saw drift, rigging safe support for long stock—these are universal skills. You may need to mentally remap a few knobs and bolts to your brand of tool, but the logic holds.

Setup and alignment that actually improved my results

Two procedures from the book made immediate, measurable differences in my shop:

• Table saw alignment: The book’s step-by-step sequence for aligning the blade to the miter slot, then the fence to the slot, eliminated a faint burn mark I’d been fighting in hardwood rips. The method uses feeler gauges or a dial indicator if you have one, but it also shows a low-tech approach with a hardwood stick and pencil marks that works just as well. Following that with a table tilt calibration gave me square crosscuts right off the miter gauge without chasing them later on the sander.

• Band saw drift: The setup walkthrough for the band saw—tracking, tensioning, and guide block positioning—paired with a quick method for finding and setting the true rip angle, cut my drift to almost nothing. It also includes a practical resawing setup using a tall auxiliary fence you can make in an evening.

On the Shopsmith, the book’s guidance on quill lock tension, tailstock alignment for the lathe, and truing the disc sander to the miter gauge slot all paid off. None of these procedures are flashy, but the cumulative effect is big: cuts are predictably square, faces glue up without fuss, and sanding becomes a light touch rather than a rescue operation.

Jigs and fixtures you’ll actually build

A lot of books preach jigs; this one gives you ones you’ll use. I built three right away:

• A push shoe and featherboard set that keeps hands away from the blade and reduces chatter in narrow rips.
• A crosscut sled with an adjustable stop, sized for the Shopsmith table, that’s rigid and square enough to trust for small case parts.
• A simple horizontal boring fence with replaceable zero-clearance inserts, which turned the Mark V into a very controllable doweling station.

The plans are shop-proven rather than ornamental, and the bill of materials stays in offcut-bucket territory. Angles, offsets, and clearances are clearly specified, so the jig works the first time.

Technique: from stock prep to finishing

The technique sections are where the book shines as a teacher. It doesn’t assume prior skill and still respects experienced readers’ time:

• Cutting: It covers feed rates, blade selection basics, and workholding with practical examples. You’ll find guidance on ripping without binding, crosscutting without tearout, and using the disc sander to sneak up on perfect length. There’s a smart section on cutting tapers and circles safely that pays off on day one.

• Joinery: Dados, rabbets, miters, dowels, and even simple mortising workflows are laid out with repeatable setups. I particularly liked the method for consistent, centered dowel holes using the horizontal boring mode and fence stops. It’s not a Mortise & Tenon museum piece, but it’s solid, fast, and accurate.

• Finishing: The finishing advice is conservative and aims for dependable results—surface prep, grain raising, sanding sequences, and straightforward film finishes. Some product references feel dated (more on that below), but the process is sound. I adopted the recommended sanding progression and saw a clear improvement in how evenly stain took on maple drawer fronts.

Where it shows its age

The book was written decades ago, and it looks and reads like it. A few implications:

• Visuals: Photos are black-and-white and a bit small by modern standards. The line drawings carry most of the weight, and they’re clear, but you won’t get glossy, full-bleed inspiration shots.

• Safety and dust collection: The safety foundation is good, but you won’t find current dust collection practices, PPE standards, or the latest in blade brake technology. I supplemented with modern resources for respirators and dust control.

• Materials and tooling: Expect references to classic blade and finish types more than today’s specialty options. Carbide and modern coatings are discussed in principle, not in brand-specific detail. There’s no coverage of CNC, track saws, or modern router-centric workflows.

None of this undermines the core value. Fundamentals don’t age much: square is square, alignment is alignment, and safe body position is timeless.

Readability and usability

The tone is patient and practical. Instructions are written in plain, precise language, with the “why” attached to the “how,” which helps you troubleshoot when something goes off. Measurements are given in clear steps, and the index is good enough to quickly find a setup you half-remember. At 360 pages, there’s real depth without padding.

Physically, my copy has held up to shop use: it lays flat enough on the bench, and the pages tolerate pencil notes. I ended up flagging sections with sticky tabs for the setups I revisit often.

Who will get the most from it

• Shopsmith owners: This is a must-have. It’s the single most complete guide I’ve used for setup, alignment, and operation of the Mark V and common accessories. It turns the machine from a curiosity into a system.

• New woodworkers: If you’re new to power tools, the step-by-step structure and emphasis on safety make it a strong starting point. You’ll build good habits and avoid the common pitfalls.

• Owners of standalone machines: You’ll still find a lot of value in the core techniques and jigs, but be prepared to mentally translate some setups from the Shopsmith context to your equipment. If you want brand-specific advice for, say, a modern cabinet saw with riving knives and advanced dust ports, you’ll need supplemental sources.

Final thoughts and recommendation

“Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone” isn’t flashy, and it doesn’t try to be. It’s a practical, deeply useful shop companion that helped me tune my machines, work safer, and produce more accurate parts with less fuss. The Shopsmith focus is a feature if you have one, not a bug if you don’t; the underlying methods and jigs are broadly applicable.

I recommend this book strongly for Shopsmith Mark V owners—it should sit next to your machine and earn pencil marks on its margins. For woodworkers with standalone tools, I still recommend it as a fundamentals reference if you’re comfortable translating a few setups and supplementing with up-to-date safety and tooling info. The procedures are clear, the jigs are worth building, and the emphasis on method over mystique will make your work better.