The art and craft of wood A practical guide to harvesting, choosing, reclaiming, preparing, crafting, and building with raw wood

A fallen tree has more potential than just mulch or landfill. First-time authors Kyler and Hildreth, codirectors of the documentary film Felled, which focuses on salvaging wood from urban trees, here offer a book that represents the process, including finding wood, milling, seasoning, and using the material in a small selection of projects. The designs, however, lack a cutting list or exploded view and steps are not well illustrated. Solid sections include those on moving wood, milling, and seasoning. Frank and Stephen Philbrick's The Backyard Lumberjack has better instructions and techniques illustrated for cutting tools. VERDICT Following the trend of making old crafts artisanal and new, this book is visually lovely but falls a bit short. For advanced woodworkers with a well-equipped workshop. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.