Workshop Companion Book Series

[ryanbp01]

I recently received the "Workshop Companion" book series offered by Popular Woodworking. For those who don't know, this series was authored by Nick Engler who had created the Sawdust Sessions for Shopsmith and has authored many books on woodworking. The only requirements to run the DVD series is to have Adobe Reader 8.0 or later.

The DVD is easy to navigate, just follow the directions. When you access the books, they are grouped into thirds so when you scroll down rather than looking at all 21 books at one time, there are only 7 per screen. I find that a lot easier on the eyes than looking at 21 smaller covers. For those of you who also have tablets, I am going to see whether or not I can transfer the series onto my tablet (a Nook HD+). This way I hope to avoid lugging a laptop when I travel or go to the workshop.

I would highly recommend this DVD to anyone who needs to consolidate book space. While I do have some the series on the bookshelves, mostly purchased secondhand, I do not have all of the volumes. This is a convenient way to have all of the volumes in one easy space. I purchased the set at an introductory price of $62.99. I did receive an email today where the series is $69.99 which comes out to $3.33 per book. If you are thinking of transferring the series onto your tablet, as I hope to do, the space needed is 3.7 GB. In case you are wondering, I believe this series is the best "tool" you could have to enhance your skills as a woodworker whether you are experienced or just starting out. I hope you find this review to be helpful if you are considering a purchase.

BPR

[algale]

Thank you for this review. I have one of the hard cover books (on joinery) which my wife bought for me at a used book store. I almost pulled the trigger on a complete set of hard cover books about a month ago and then heard about the DVD and have been debating which I would find more useful. At the moment I am leaning toward the DVD.

[nuhobby]

It's good to know all this. I have kept a handful of hardcovers that I bought personally from Nick Engler at the Shopsmith get-together in July 2008. I have liked them and it's gratifying to see that they're still well-reviewed.

[roy_okc]

@Ryanbp01,

Are the books PDF files? Are they one file per book?

I have the DVD on my short list.

Roy

[beeg]

The only requirements to run the DVD series is to have Adobe Reader 8.0 or later.

The DVD is easy to navigate, just follow the directions. When you access the books, they are grouped into thirds so when you scroll down rather than looking at all 21 books at one time, there are only 7 per screen. I find that a lot easier on the eyes than looking at 21 smaller covers.

BPR

[ryanbp01]

@Ryanbp01,

Are the books PDF files? Are they one file per book?

I have the DVD on my short list.

Roy

They are all PDFs.
BPR

[ryanbp01]

Update-
I was successful in downloading the series onto my Nook.