Customer Reviews

Advanced Routing (Art of Woodworking)

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The Time / Life series of books always have excellent professional writing and illustrations. This is no exception. Illustrations are often better than photos because the artist can show us the crucial functional parts while editing out superfluous details.

I bought this on the recommendation of a friend who has less experience in woodworking than I, so I was not too surprised to find nothing new to me. That does not mean it isn't a good book though. If you do not already know how to: Cut threads on dowels, rout fluted columns, make jigs for router-use on a lathe, etc. Then this is a fine addition to your library.

In general, most books of this type spend too much space on basics in the introduction and not enough space on the actual subject. I suppose this is because publishers do not want to get sued when a neophyte injures himself doing something he doesn't understand. It may also be true that authors need to "fill-out" the books they are commissioned to write in these "works-for-hire." Absolutely no one who is even interested in the subject of "Advanced Routing" needs a primer on "the anatomy of a router" or "the different types of routers." Nor should such readers ever need rudimentary info on setting depth, choosing bits or what direction to feed. Those are ALL basic things, not "advanced."

Whatever the reason, too much space is given to basic stuff that any moderately experienced woodworker would know. I have found this to be the case for ANY woodworking book that has the word "Advanced" or "Complete" in the title.

Having mentioned that as my only criticism, I would recommend this to anyone not yet familiar with routing techniques that go beyond simple joinery. Most of the so-called "advanced" methods in here are for making decorative details on furniture or "freehand" techniques for sign-making. There are no "new" or "unique" jigs here, (at least to me) but this is a good reference for those who do not yet know how to make decorative details with routers.

I should point out that ALL of the decorative details in here can be made by hand, and nowadays, can be done with inexpensive CNC routers. So if you are looking for an "advanced" routing book in the sense that it is modern, "cutting-edge" or even just "up to date," this is NOT that book. It was published in 1995, and CNC routing definitely existed back then. However, modern computing power has reduced the cost of CNC routing-control so drastically that this book is out of date regarding that subject. It does not mention computer controlled routing at all.

If you are interested in cutting dovetails with your router economically, and you don't know how to do that yet, then this is definitely a book you should read! They show you how to make your own jigs and templates for dovetailing.

Personally, I am constantly amazed at the bewildering array of commercial router-jigs for this simple task. Even more astounding is the outrageous prices manufacturers ask for those fancy commercial jigs. If you didn't know better, you'd think there was some magical "secret" to routing dovetails, or that only expensive jigs can dovetail well. That's obviously not true. Many woodworkers were routing dovetails and other joints DECADES before the advent of commercial jigs, myself included. So, if you are one of those aspiring woodworkers who wants to rout many accurate repeatable dovetails, or just a few specially designed dovetails without spending a fortune on overpriced gizmos, get this book.

I suspect that books like these are taken out of print simply because manufacturers despise them and refuse to advertise with publishers who tell the truth. These books don't show pretty pictures of name-brand tools. Instead, they use superior illustrations with "generic" tools. And worst of all (from a manufacturer's viewpoint) books like these make readers realize how badly they are duped and taken by advertising and hype. There is not a single dovetail joint (or any other routable joint) that cannot be replicated with homemade jigs and templates.... yes, that includes the fanciful decorative dovetails and finger-joints that Akeda, WoodRat and others hawk.

Think about this; American craftsmen built airplanes and other complex machines with hand-tools and routers before WWII. They didn't have fancy expensive store-bought jigs.

In my experience, homemade jigs are not only cheaper, faster and more versatile, they are often more accurate, reliable and easier to set up. Obviously, you must have some understanding of jig-making and accurate layout tools / methods to make these jigs. Perhaps that is why so many manufacturers can sell so many different jigs; because there are so many new woodworkers who don't know these fundamental techniques. It surprises neophytes to learn they can cut the same joints more accurately in less time with $10 homemade jigs that they struggle to do with their grotesquely overpriced commercial jigs.

Without describing everything about dovetailing with homemade jigs ad nauseam, I can offer this advice:
Buy at least TWO routers, one for each part of the dovetail: pins and tails. Once they are adjusted, it saves a bunch of time having two routers.
Use Lexan (Polycarbonate) instead of wood for the bearing-surfaces of your jigs. (it doesn't shrink or swell and it is clear for visibility)
Other than that, you only need an accurate square (like Starrett) and an adjustable square. With those tools, and your routers, you can make ANY kind of jig for ANY kind of routing-joinery.

If you are an experienced woodworker or looking for modern info on CNC routing, this book won't help you.

If you are a novice who works alone in a one-man shop and need some methods for decorative details with your router, this is a good addition to your reference library.

If you do not yet know how to make your own joinery templates and jigs for dovetails and other joints, then definitely get this book! It WILL save you hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars on needless expensive commercial dovetail-jigs.

I bought this book because I read it at my local library and wanted to have it has a resource and reference. There are some excellent discussions with pictures of jigs to use with a router.