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Nora Ashby

Nora · from the videos

Nora Ashby · 45 years restoring furniture in Vermont

Technique,
not muscle.

Fine furniture and old pieces brought back, in a small shop, without straining your back.

$27 + $47 + $87 = $161 · all 3 for $97

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Small hands, a cranky shoulder and two thousand pieces later, I can tell you: good work comes from technique, not muscle.
Nora Ashby · the method from the videos
The Only Tools You Need, Vol. IWoodworking Without the Strain, Vol. IIINo More Blotchy Finishes, Vol. IIVol. I · II · III
Nora Ashby

Meet the author

Hi, I'm Nora

I'm seventy, and for forty-five years I've built and restored furniture in a one-car garage in Brattleboro, Vermont.

I have small hands and one bad shoulder, so I never had muscle to spare. Every technique I teach is one I found because the hard way hurt: a sharp edge instead of a push, the legs instead of the arms, a finish wiped on instead of fought with.

These three books are the whole of it, from the tools to the finish to the method. Every chapter has a gentler version for tired backs and stiff hands, and a box for left-handed woodworkers.

Come spend some time in the garage with me. — Nora

Choose your books

Start with one book.
Or get all three.

Each book is sold on its own. The complete set gives you all three, in the right order, for $97.

Nora Ashby holding Woodworking Without the Strain Vol. III · Woodworking Without the Strain

1Volume I

Get The Only Tools You Need, Vol. I

The Only Tools You Need

A short list, a small shop, and fine furniture anyway

165 pages · 16 tools to make · 10-week plan

$27Vol. I

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  • 165 pages · the tool myth, the first ten, the next six and the never-needed
  • Buying used without getting burned, making a cheap tool work like a good one, and tools you make yourself
  • The light workbench, a shop in one car space, and your buying order
  • 16 tools you make: measure and mark, hold, cut, shop · Fix It by Symptom (12 symptoms)
  • Your shop on paper · a 10-week shop plan and cards to keep in the shop
Get Volume IInstant delivery

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Best value

1+2+3Complete set

The Only Tools You Need, Vol. IWoodworking Without the Strain, Vol. IIINo More Blotchy Finishes, Vol. II

Woodworking Without the Strain — Complete Set

The few tools you really need, finishes that come out even, and my whole method for fine work without force.

Vol. IVol. IIVol. III · Woodworking Without the Strain

$97all 3 books · 510 pages

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Bought separately: $27 + $47 + $87 = $161. You save $64.

  • Vol. I · The Only Tools You Need — A short list, a small shop, and fine furniture anyway
  • Vol. II · No More Blotchy Finishes — A restorer's way to even color, smooth coats and old furniture brought back
  • Vol. III · Woodworking Without the Strain — Nora's method for fine furniture with technique, not muscle
Get the complete setInstant delivery

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Only want Vol. III? Get it on its own for $87

2Volume II

Get No More Blotchy Finishes, Vol. II

No More Blotchy Finishes

A restorer's way to even color, smooth coats and old furniture brought back

159 pages · 16 recipes · 12-week plan

$47Vol. II

✓ Instant delivery · Full money-back guarantee

  • 159 pages · why wood blotches, the surface decides, and test boards first
  • Color without blotch, the wipe-on finish, and a clear coat brushed without streaks
  • Make it look like wood, not plastic · restore without stripping · and when you must strip
  • 16 finishing recipes: pine, cherry and maple, oak and walnut, old furniture · Fix It by Symptom (12 symptoms)
  • The oily-rag rule that saves shops · a 12-week plan and cards for your bench
Get Volume IIInstant delivery

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The hard way and my way

Stop forcing it.
Let technique do the work.

The hard wayNora's way

Real pages

Look inside
Woodworking Without the Strain

Sixteen real pages from Vol. III: the method, the drills, the plan and the cards. Every chapter ends with a gentler version and a box for left-handed woodworkers.

  • 165 pages · Vol. I
  • 159 pages · Vol. II
  • 186 pages · Vol. III
Sixteen sample pages from Woodworking Without the Strain

Is it for you?

This is for you if…

  • Your shoulders, wrists or back ache after an afternoon in the shop.
  • Your stain came out blotchy, or you sanded an old piece down to nothing.
  • You work in a small space and you're tired of buying tools you don't use.
  • You want fine work that looks like wood, not plastic, and you'd like to keep doing it for years.

It's not for you if you want to muscle through it. Everything in here is about doing less, more cleverly.

7days

7-day money-back guarantee

Read the books, try one technique at your own bench and feel the difference in your shoulders. If it's not for you, that's perfectly fine. Ask within 7 days and you get every cent back.

Questions

Before you
decide

I have arthritis or a sore shoulder. Can I still do fine work?

Yes. That's exactly what Vol. III is for: your bench at the right height, sawing without pushing, planing with your legs, and chisel work with two fingers of pressure. Every chapter has a gentler version.

Will this help me restore a piece without ruining it?

Yes. Vol. II has a chapter on restoring without stripping, one on when you really must strip, and recipes for old furniture.

My shop is tiny. Is that a problem?

No. I've worked in one car space for forty-five years. Vol. I shows you the first ten tools, a light workbench and how to fit it all in.

Do I need to buy a lot of tools?

No, quite the opposite. Vol. I gives you a short list, a buying order and sixteen tools you make yourself.

I'm left-handed. Does it work for me?

Yes. Every chapter has a box for left-handed woodworkers, and each book gathers it all in one place.

What exactly do I get?

The complete collection gives you all three volumes. Each volume is also sold on its own ($27, $47 and $87), but the collection gives you all three for $97 and saves you $64.

How do I receive it?

Right after payment you get your access link, on screen and by email. It's yours to keep, and there's nothing to wait for.

Can I read it on a tablet or computer? Can I print it?

Yes. It opens on any phone, tablet or computer. You can zoom the text as large as you like, or print the pages and cards at home and pin them up by the bench.

Is the payment secure?

Yes. You'll pay on a secure checkout page run by Payhip, a platform used by thousands of independent authors. Pay by card or PayPal. It's a one-time payment: no subscription.

What if it's not for me?

You're covered by a 7-day money-back guarantee. Ask for a refund within 7 days and you get every cent back. Just write to [email protected].

The complete set

Everything in
the complete set

The few tools you really need, finishes that come out even, and my whole method for fine work without force.

Vol. I · The Only Tools You NeedIncluded
Vol. II · No More Blotchy FinishesIncluded
Vol. III · Woodworking Without the StrainIncluded
Complete set$97

✓ Instant delivery · Full money-back guarantee

Bought separately: $161 · You save $64

Get the complete setInstant delivery

Secure checkout · Card or PayPal

Fine work.
Easy on you.

All three books, one price, and a money-back guarantee while you try them at your own bench.

✓ Instant delivery · Full money-back guarantee

Get all 3 books — $97Instant delivery

Secure checkout · Card or PayPal

The Only Tools You Need, Vol. IWoodworking Without the Strain, Vol. IIINo More Blotchy Finishes, Vol. II
Nora Ashby

Also from Nora

Nora's Bench Club

One bench note from me every week, by email, with a shop card to print and pin above your bench. $9.90 a month, cancel any time.

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