author

William Noyes

1862–1928

A practical early-20th-century teacher of woodworking, he wrote clear, useful books that helped bring manual training and industrial arts into classrooms and workshops. His work blends hands-on technique with a wider interest in wood, design, and the natural world.

2 Audiobooks

Handwork in Wood

Handwork in Wood

by William Noyes

Wood and Forest

Wood and Forest

by William Noyes

About the author

William Noyes was an American author and educator best known for writing instructional books on woodworking and related subjects in the early 1900s. Records for his books identify him as being born in 1862 and dying in 1928, and several editions describe him as an assistant professor of industrial arts at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City.

His best-known works include Handwork in Wood, Design and Construction in Wood, Woodworking Machinery, Wood and Forest, and A Syllabus of a Course on Elementary Woodworking. These books show a strong interest in teaching craft in a clear, systematic way, especially for teachers, students, and serious amateurs.

What makes his writing still appealing is its straightforward, practical tone. Instead of treating woodworking as a mystery, he explained tools, materials, and methods in a way that invited readers to learn by doing.