Country Woodcraft: Then and Now – Drew Langsner

In 1978, Drew Langsner released his book Country Woodcraft to the world, and it sparked a movement, (which is still expanding today), of hand-tool woodworkers who make things with mostly green wood.Country Woodcraft showed you how to split wood from the forest and shape into anything you might need, from a spoon to a bowl, from a hay rake fork to a milking stool, a pine whisk to a dining table.

After more than 40 years, Drew has revisited this long-out-of-print and important book to revise and expand it to encompass what he has learned since Country Woodcraft was first released.The result is Country Woodcraft: Then & Now , which has been expanded by 100 pages and has been updated throughout to reflect what Drew has learned since 1978. Among many other additions, it includes greatly expanded sections on building shavehorses, carving spoons and making green-wood bowls.The original books text is intact, and the old photos are in black and white. But, throughout the book, Drew has added text to explain what he does differently now after 40 years. This new information has been printed in a slightly different font to set it apart form the original text.

In many ways, the book is a delightful conversation between the younger Drew, who is happy to chop down trees with a felling axe, and the older Drew, who now uses an electric chainsaw and band saw to break down stock to conserve energy (and likely aspirin). New illustrations and color photos throughout show how Drew works now.

Some of the more significant additions include:

• A detailed section on how to make your own sloyd knife from a piece of steel and block of wood everything you need to know about shaping and heat-treating the steel. Plus how to fashion and attach the handle.
• An extensive discussion of the different forms of shaving horsesthe core workholding tool for this sort of workand complete plans for the shaving horse that Drew prefers, the Z-Mule.
• An enormous section on spoon carving, which is almost long enough to be a book in and of itself. Drew shows beginners how to make their first spoon and delves into more advanced techniques, including steam-bending blanks with Curtis Buchanan.
• An almost-as-large section on carving bowls, which features many examples for inspiration.
• A large chapter on the workbenches that are ideal for country woodcraft, including plans for the design that Drew prefers: a simple strong table with a laminated plywood benchtop.

What is also fascinating about Country Woodcraft: Then & Now is how much Drew has absorbed and adapted from his peers and the instructors at his Country Workshops school (which he retired from). You can feel the influence and interplay between woodworking greats such as Jennie Alexander, John Brown, Dave Fisher, Wille Sundqvist, Jogge Sunqvist and on and on.

Country Woodcraft: Then & Now is printed on #80 matte coated paper for superior image reproduction. The pages are sewn and taped for durability. The whole thing is wrapped by thick boards covered with cotton cloth. This is a permanent book. Like all Lost Art Press books, it is produced entirely in the United States.

Hardcover, 404 Pages

ISBN: 978-1-73339-166-5

Additional Information

Check out Jim Dillon’s insightful review: Country Woodcraft: Then and Now – a Behind the Scenes Look

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