Customer Reviews

Router Magic: Jigs, Fixtures, and Tricks to Unleash Your Router's Full Potential

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Bill Hylton's first router book, "Woodworking with the Router", is a tough act to follow, apparently even for the original author. Where the "Woodworking with..." book is a discussion of routers, routing, woodworking, and problem solving using the router, this edition is, as its title suggests, a collection of the jigs and fixtures discussed and illustrated throughout the earlier collection. The emphasis here is answering your question of "how can I build a flumfungwoozle to do XYZ?"; it presumes you already perceived the need for the flumfungwoozle. The first volume starts on the other side of the problem: "How can I do XYZ?", and presents the flumfungwoozle along with other ways it can be done. (I hope that makes sense.) Given this difference in organization, the "Router Magic..." book is more suited to the advanced woodworker, while "Woodworking with...", I think, is suitable for all levels.

I own both. I read "Woodworking with..." for fun and for inspiration, and then maybe refer to "Router Magic..." to see other variants of how else something might be done. I would recommend both, but "Woodworking with..." gets the nod if you only intend to get one or the other. In either case, beginners should start there, instead of here, for the basic why's, what's, how's and everything else.

The router table plans are worth the price of admission. Simple design, instructions and operation. And, just to show us all that no one's perfect, he included a photograph of some "pot metal" he broke while tapping an existing hole in a router base. The technique for assembling the router table also serves as an excellent instrucional guide on how to build a counter top and apply and properly trim laminate. It won't make you an expert overnight, but when you're done with the router table, you'll feel more confident about building and laminating countertops. Lot's of other small gems throughout the book. Highly recommend to beginners and intermediate woodworkers.

While the jigs do require attention to detail to get the most use out of, certainly most of them could be made a bit sloppily and still be worth an attempt. I've made about 6 or 7 and use them regularly. (No, I did not make the turning jig at the end...and I'm positive I never will...although, I keep saying I don't want a lathe and that might be a solution!)

The book does not cover things like "what kind of bits should I buy at first" and "what do I do if I run my router bit through my aluminum t-slot". It's a book about using jigs to solve your problems and to make using a router safer and more effecient. If you own a router and know how to make even bad cuts with it, you should read this through and find ways to make your life easier.

Anyway, just keep in mind that you don't need to make all of the jigs here to get started. Just make the 2 or 3 basic ones (all of which take less than a weekend to make--usually 4-8 hours once you have the materials) and make the others as you need them. Again, it may be a bit intimidating at first read, but all of the details are there and after a second read of a jig, they will come to life for you.

He hit the router table design right on the head. Great design, I stole some components and added them to my existing clunker to make it more useful. When I accidentally run over it with my truck in a few months, I'm planning to build his almost exactly as detailed.

(No I don't know the author...I'd have to pull my copy off my workbench to check his name.)

I've just received this book today and must admit that there are a lot of jigs in there. This is no router initiation book that teaches bit maintenance and such but focuses on jigs to make the work easier. Although certain jigs are a bit more complicated than others, I find that I could easily build any of the jigs (except the turning table) in a weekend. I think that the person who wrote a review saying that this book is complicated must really be under confident. This book contains plans and instructions to build every possible jig for a router! I recommend it!

This book contains lots of helpful information and plans for making jigs and using your router as a superior workshop MULTI-TOOL.. The last "jig" in this book is by far the most creative use of a router I have seen so far. Its a router lathe built with bicycle parts, that turns your router into a "mini" turning machine capable of handling any length of stock and creating beautiful spiral designs. I don't know much about turning, but I do know machines capable of creating spirals are either extremely expensive, or are moderately priced ($300) and cheap, with far less options as the homebuilt version.

I got this book a few years ago and got some great ideas from it. I did find that there are a lot of steps missing to get from point A to point B. I found measurements that were incorrect and very fustrating. I have been a woodworker for over 15 years so I know how to "measure twice, cut once" but with this book, you're on your own. Another thing I found frustrating is let's say you want to build a router table. Well to cut the dados they refer you to a fence earlier in the book. To make that fence, you need the router table. Poorly organized. Check out Pat Warner's books instead.

This is fun to read. The drawings are detailed and the writing is very well written. There are so many things that I learned by reading this book. It will make you say..."Why did I not think of that before." I have a very good amount of wood working experience and was pleased by how much knowledge this book dropped on me.

It will open your mind up to possibilites not just limited to Routers. Even if you have no plans to build any of the jigs, you will certainly learn to think about fabricating other things in your shop to make wood working more accurate.

At less than $12, its hard not to cough up the money for the many hours of reading and brainstorming you will get back from the book-

Jason

I bought this book and Hylton's updated book and wish I had only purchased the most recent. This book was out of date and redundant with his newer, more comprehensive book. His other book was Professional router jigs and techniques that any woodworker can use (or something like that).

The subtitle says it all. This book can unleash your router's full potential. There are jigs for everything in this book -- routing circles, mortises, all types of edge joints, dadoes, etc. An excellent resource. There are lots of detailed instructions for construction and use of all the jigs and router tables.

The author is very readable. It's a pleasure to read, and extremely helpful. If this is your first router book purchase, look at "Woodworking with the Router" by the same author. That's a better first purchase. This is a good companion book.

I hate using other people's plans, but in this case I made an exception since I liked the look and function of the table. The author describes how to make many useful jigs, but some just aren't necessary if you have other tools besides a router. As a result, you can spend alot of extra time making jigs that you really don't need to use and add to the time to complete the project. Overall, there are some great ideas here.