Customer Reviews

Classic Joints with Power Tools

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I know Yeung and have taken a number of classes with him. At first, I was surprised to hear that he was writing a book on power tools. He is the master of hand work skill and sensitivity. His philosophy of furnituremaking is one of respectfulness and thoughtfulness about the wood, the design of the peice and the process of creating it. This book on using power tools carries this philosophy through in the directness and clearity of his discritptions, explaination and instruction. His familiarity of the process of joinery is so complete that the information flows to the reader as if they are having a friendly converstaion with Yeung about the ins and outs of what to do and how to do it. I recommend this book fully.

This is the book that 'The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery by Gary Rogowski ' should have been. Clear and concise photos, clear line drawings and a logical scheme of organisation. The book covers using table saws, routers, bandsaws, drills, morticers and plate joiners to make general and specialised joints.

Interestingly it's edited by Andy Rae who also writes for Taunton Press.

This book is logically organized so that it's easy to find the information you need. The clarity of the text is amazing - no extraneous stuff, just a simple, clear description of the how to make the joint and why you would use it. The drawings and photos are EXCELLENT and really help support the text info. Yeung Chan is an excellent teacher!

Classic Joints with Power Tools by Yeung Chan is unique amongst books on wood working. Logical, concise, and written by someone with a wealth of experience. The unique thing is how adept he is in explaining it; yes, an excellent teacher.
When you see some of the pictures of work the author completed, which is included in the book in full color, as well as pictures of works created by others, you realize that this is the work of someone who practices what he preaches.
Simple yet profound. One tip for example, is when cutting stock, cut it 1/4" oversize, then re-joint it, and re-cut it to final size. You know the problem of cutting a board, and the internal stress makes the board move a little. Then you have an edge cup in your piece. By cutting and jointing it twice, you eliminate that. What a great idea.
This book is made for the master woodworker, and the beginner alike. For the master; so they can compare techniques, and glean a new bent on methods, and for the beginner, because they can learn the simple truth of the best way of creating the right joint, using the best procedure.
I can't recommend this book enough. It makes for a great read, and a convenient reference guide, due to the fact that it is laid out so logically. Buy it you won't be sorry.

When it comes to joinery, by hand or with power tools, Yeung Chan is the undisputed master. This book is a must have for all woodworkers and designers. If you want to learn how to make great joinery without spending years in apprenticeship cutting dovetails and tennons by hand, read Yeung Chan book.

You will notice that all the reviews so far are 5-star... So why add another perfect-score review? To make it an even "ten?" No... to stop the bickering.

Yeung Chan is widely known for his excellent craftsmanship with hand-tools, so it surprises some people to see him write authoritatively on this subject. I believe that if you knew him, you would see he is a practical man. He understands the value of both worlds. That isn't so surprising considering his background; a Chinese-born immigrant who "made-good" in the USA through hard work and dedication to his art. He brings a refreshing light of common sense to the craft, and extols no pre-conceived bias against hand-tools or power tools.

You would be hard pressed to find a better single volume book on this specific subject. I say that as a man who has been around woodworking ALL his fifty-five years. I literally grew up in my father's violin shop, so my primary experience was exclusively with hand tools. So for certain operations I naturally prefer hand tools. But I believe when you read this book it will end, once-and-for-all, the ridiculous debate between the two camps. Each style of woodworking has its merits and nobody should shun or kowtow to the other.

To seek mastery you must also practice hand-tools methods, a fact that Mr. Chan readily states in several places. To make a living, with fast, repeatable, precision joinery, power tools are our friends. Even for the hobbyist, power tools are necessary if he wants to create that present in time for a birthday.

When I hear people denigrate power-tool methods in favor of hand craftsmanship, I ask them if they used a horse and buggy to pull the log back from the forrest where they cut-down a tree with an axe to then saw and mill it by hand themselves. As a guy who has done that, I can tell you it is NO WAY to make a living.

Most woodworkers buy boards from a mill, so they are already taking advantage of power tools in the production process. They drive home in their cars and turn on electric lights in their air-conditioned homes. Those are ALL power tools. EVEN MOST HAND TOOLS are MADE WITH POWER TOOLS!
So... the only argument then is how far do you want to take that process?

To further quell any debate between power-tool vs. hand-tool camps, the forward is by Frank Klausz, an acknowledged hand-tool master.

For practical people, power tools are necessary. This book shows all the standard machine-methods and shows advanced methods and jigs for joinery that are hard to find elsewhere. The photos prove these are practical ideas and there are clear instructions with every concept.

Like others here, I recommend this book as the best of its kind on this subject for content and clarity. But I also recommend it as a practical guide to anyone who is confused about the power-tool vs. hand-tool debate. It does not make you less of a craftsman when you choose to use power-tools, any more than it makes you more a craftsman if you don't. It WILL make you an effete if you exclusively use one method to the exclusion of the other.

If you have ANY interest in woodworking with power tools, it makes sense, in a Zen-like way, to learn from an acknowledged hand-tool master. Yeung Chan is The Man. This is The Book.

I would like to highly recommend this book. I recently had the opportunity to attend a class on Chair Design and Construction. The instructor was Mr. Chan. As a weekend workworker I have always dreamed of one day designing and building a chair but thought that day was still pretty far into my future. Mr. Chan's prop for the class was a classic reproduction of a Ming Dynasty chair he built. He described how he first understood the joinery techniques, then how he replicated those joints by hand then then finally with power tools. His book describes many of those techniques.

I use this book as a reference to joint design and to remind me of the wonderful experience of the class.

This is a top book on joints. This books deals exclusively with joints and is full of information. There are some jigs shown at the beginning of the book and plans are provided to make the jigs The jigs are really good. The book is written simply and is attractive. If you use your table saw a lot you will like this book but a router and bandsaw are used in some of the joints. In the back of the book there is a small gallery. If you ever had any questions about joints they are probably explained in this book. I am pleased with this book you should also be.

I have already read and re-read this book a number of times. A must have for anyone who has a set of power tools and wishes to make fabulous joints. I bought this book based on the reviews I have read here and my expectations were EXCEEDED.

This book provides in-depth coverage of creating wood joints using power tools, a topic frequently disparaged by woodworking purists. Focusing on the "how-to" rather concepts, the instructions are documented with excellent photographs and supported by artwork which helps explain some of the nuances of joinery. It is a comprehensive reference which I highly recommend to both beginners and advanced woodworkers.