The Case for ‘Benchwork’ by Michael Pekovich

I first met Mike Pekovich of Fine Woodworking while we were both working a Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event in Philadelphia. Mike was stationed in one corner of the bread factory; I was in the other.

At one point the traffic through the show got slow, and we got to talk, though I had been observing him all day long as he taught dovetails. I was taken by Mike’s calm and friendly demeanor, plus he had endless patience for the perpetual questions from woodworkers.

(Of course, Adam Cherubini and Raney Nelson were also at that show, so there was a lot of manic energy in the room that day. So who knows what was real.)

After the show, a bunch of us went to dinner, and I got to sit by Mike and we continued a long conversation about woodworking and magazine work.

Mike made such an impression on me that I accepted a job offer from Fine Woodworking later that year. I really wanted to work with him – even if it meant I was going to take a demotion. Eventually I had to decline the job offer. I couldn’t move the family to Connecticut.

But that didn’t stop me from wanting to work with Mike. It just put the date off by a decade or so.

Last year, Mike asked if Lost Art Press would be interested in publishing his third book. I think I said “yes” before I even knew the topic.

You might be wondering: Why didn’t Taunton Press publish his book? Taunton sold its book division, and so Mike was able to talk to other publishers.

The result of that conversation is “Benchwork,” a book that allowed Mike to extend his thought process into the workshop to make it a better place to build things. Mike asked if he could design the book. We said yes. He asked if he could use the illustrators and copy editor he likes. Yes. And he asked... and we said yes.

What we brought to the partnership is some final polish and our manufacturing know-how. To be honest I think sales of “Benchwork” will be stunted a bit by the fact that we don’t sell through Amazon or other mass-market retailers, which is where Mike had some great successes with his previous two titles.

But Mike put his trust in us.

And that’s why I’m writing this short note about his new book. I got to read the whole thing over four long evenings when he first sent us his layouts. If you have read either of Mike’s other books or his work in Fine Woodworking, you will be pleased with “Benchwork.” Mike packs an extraordinary amount of information into every page spread. All the sidebars, photographs and captions are woven together by someone who can see the entire picture. Not many people can do that, but that’s not what is most impressive about the book.

Instead, it’s the care that Mike took in boiling down and then refining all the information he’s absorbed about workbenches, tool chests, shop appliances and tool cabinets. Some of his solutions have been refined and rebuilt several times.

Put another way, I read almost every woodworking book that comes out. I’ve seen a lot of ideas. But “Benchwork” had me taking notes. I even reworked the Dutch tool chest I use for chair classes because of the book. And boy am I glad I did.

“Benchwork” is a home run for us. And by “us” I mean woodworkers. It’s a beautiful and thoughtful book you will enjoy reading deeply or just paging through.

If you don’t believe me, stop by our booth at Handworks next month and take a look at the finished product. Mike is going to be there for part of the time to sign books and talk shop.