Customer Reviews

Router Joinery

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've looked around for a good book that explains how to make joints with a router. The others I've seen do not explain the whys and hows as well as this book does. There are pictures and very good drawings. One of the things I like most about this book is that it explains clearly the mechanics of jointery; why should you choose this joint for this application and the strengths and weaknesses. It explains about how wood expands and contracts to effect the joint.

The book is broken into three main parts; 1) intro to routers, 2) intro to joinery, 3) joinery with the router. More than half the book is spend on this third section.

In all this is the best book I've seen on routers and makeing joints with routers.

I came across this book originally in a bookstore. I thumbed through it, and read bits and pieces. Then I got online, and ordered it...it was cheaper...I've purchased several woodworking and handyman type books in the last 3 or 4 years, and this book ranks up with the best. It is very easy to read, and the author does not assume the reader has volumes of prior knowledge, like some other books do. It starts out describing types of routers, and bits, moves onto what can be done with each type. And, the segway into joinery is seamless. It is well written for both beginner and experienced woodworkers alike.

I bought this book 'hot' off of my first project, my Joints needed help, and I loved to use the router - the title just sold the book to me.

I wouldn't clasify this book as a beginer book, nor would I say it's an advanced book. However it does have something for everybody, and it's very easy to follow.

Personally I think that every beginer wanting to do more than plywood boxes should pick up a copy. It starts you out with basics of a router (good to read before you buy one, though not diffinitive in that area).

This book really shines with all the stuff that a beginer doesn't know to worry about - how different boards are sawn from the log, and how that effects the way that they shrink/expand. How to plan your project so that the changing seasons do not cause it to self destruct. While this sounds out of the scope for a beginer - it is very easy to understand and will help anybody (short of a seasoned pro) get the most out of their work. And this is all before the basics of joining wood.

When it comes to the different joints the book is layed out from easiest to most complex. You can work to the back of the book as your skill and knowledge improve.

Everybody should have it, and beginers should not feel intimidated by it!

This great video demystifies just about all router techniques. Along with the book of the same name, you are provided with the best router know-how I've ever seen. It helped me immeasurably.

I can't think of anything to add that the prior reviewers didn't say already. It's very well written, and easy to read and follow the diagrams. There are plans for versatile but simple to build and use jigs.

This book has inspired my woodworking and also helped me simplify many processes. Highly recommended!

Gary Rogowski demonstrates a number of creative ways to use your router. This is a DVD that comes from a video tape master. There are good close ups. Gary answers questions such as why right to left and when to go in the other direction. We see a simple way to set up a router on a table and a number of old and new routers in use. Gary shows how and why to use different joining. Norm will show you. Gary explains why. For me, a light bulb goes on and I say "HUH, Oh Yah!" As I have said in other reviews this is great for people who don't have a mentor, and who read the books but need that extra visual demonstration.

This DVD is for New Guys and maybe some intermediates. In my case I haven't used the router in many years as I have been doing houses and decks. Now I am investing in machines for cabinets and furniture. For a wood butcher this is a great find. Taunton and Amazon have many more DVD's from framing to turning a bowl. I'm not ready for a lathe just yet. Need to do more with my router. When I am ready I feel comfortable in knowing I can get some good advice.

Most of these reiews are for a book! The product shown is a video!
Another comment on here says they are completely different!

consider yourself warned.

This is a good book. It's sort of written in the
Fine Woodworking magazine tradition of the 1970s
and 1980s - and the routers the author uses are
more primitive that the ones available today.

You don't need a new whiz-bang tool to accomplish
accurate, attractive joinery with a router. In
fact Rogowski's cheap-o router table is a welcome
antidote to the expensive tables you can buy today -
which, as nice as they are, don't make you a better
woodworker.

This book will in fact make you a better woodworker
because a thread of thoughtfulness runs through it.
The jigs are mostly simple and easy to build -
and they depend on operator skill to get good
results in general.

You can invest a lot of money trying to set up your
woodshop to get perfection in an idiot-proof way -
an approach that is folly but more or less the thrust
of a lot of the jigs and tools on the market today.

If you want to putter around and make a perfect
workshop with the latest tools this is not for you.
If you want to produce beautiful furniture with an
old second-hand router, a small collection of bits,
a few handtools and a bandsaw you will find great
value here - because this book most importantly shows
you how Rogowski thinks and that is very valuable
because he is an excellent craftsman and he shows
us the thought process that gets those results.

Yeung Chan's book on power tool joinery is also
very good but a little broader.

The videography here is excellent, with clear close-ups and good elucidative camera-angles.
The editing is great. We see just enough of each topic, then the camera moves on. Multiple angles are used when needed. Focus is on the work; the essentials of method, NOT the tool-brand or any particular promotional gizmo.

Gary Rogowski narrates this himself and does a fine job. His diction is clear and his pace is bright. In the entire series, there is only one instance where I did not understand him perfectly the first time. (Where he says "carcass-sides") At first I thought this was a new word. Upon replaying, I got the meaning; two words joined together.

The text is logical, clear and very fast-paced. It MUST be fast paced because this covers so much ground in so little time. In fact, if there is only one criticism I could possibly make it is that this is so chock full of useful information, you will probably have to see it several times to get it all. That's OK though, since the production is so good, this is a pleasure to watch repeatedly.

The format of Gary's teaching is splendid! He divides router joinery according to the general type of joinery used for different constructions; Casework, Frame-and-panel, and mortise & tenons for odd angles as are used in chairs, stools and tables. By itself, this organization helps tyros and experts alike understand how to choose the best type of joinery AND the best method when designing furniture. You will save time, money and frustration if you understand your joinery options. Gary's logical gestalt organization is unique in this feature.

Personally, I like the fact that we ALWAYS see him unplug the router before adjustment or at least re-plug-in the tool after adjustment; before working. This is a far better (intuitive) way to inculcate that necessary safety habit and not nearly as annoying as those constant "nags" we see in televised content. TV producers are overly wary of litigation since their lawyers know there are so many idiots potentially watching any broadcast show. This series is refreshingly different as it is not "dumbed-down" for neophytes. Gary doesn't repeatedly remind you to wear safety glasses. He just ALWAYS wears them.

As another reviewer noted about the book version, Gary demonstrates every technique here with well-worn tools and the simplest of jigs. He does not use a single brand over any other, so this does not look like so many other books and videos where manufacturers have obviously bribed authors with free tools in return for "product-placements." Gary proves that professional results come from knowledge, care and patience, not fancy expensive tools. That's another refreshingly different aspect of this DVD.

Even though I have a lot of experience with woodworking, I learned a good number of new things from this DVD. I am so impressed with it, that if I had time and money, I would attend workshops with Gary personally. As it is, this is the next best thing. In some ways, it is BETTER than personal lessons, since you can refer back to it any time as often as needed.

You WILL learn something from this DVD no matter how much of an expert you are. And if you are a newcomer who is tempted to buy those expensive new tools, router-tables and fancy attachments, this DVD will save you several hundreds of dollars. (Maybe more!)

I can confidently recommend this superb DVD for ANY woodworker, regardless of experience.

This simply the best DVD on using a router that I have seen. The DVD is a great value at twice the price. Gary makes using the router simple and easy to understand.