The Table Saw Book, Completely Revised and Updated [Paperback]

Kelly Mehler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2003

The table saw is the cornerstone of any woodworking shop, and this book in its first edition quickly became the standard reference. Written by the recognized authority on the subject, the book explains how to choose the proper saw and use it safely, and covers all basic operations including ripping, crosscutting, and handling large stock. Included are discussions of innovations in table saw design and new accessories.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Mehler, a professional woodworker, contributes this well-paced, focused book on what is usually the central tool in most woodworking shops. Mehler comprehensively lays out the various choices available and details the advantages of the suggestions he makes, particularly in terms of the reader's level of woodworking skill. Much here will benefit the novice, and a fair amount of the material will serve as a reminder or means of improvement for the advanced woodworker. Illustrations are well placed and relevant to the text, while the drawings are clear. Many suggestions have a direct bearing on convenience and safety. This simple, direct, and thorough book is recommended for collections with extensive woodworking sections. A companion video is available from the publisher.
- Alex Hartmann, Bloomsburg Univ. Lib., Pa.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"You know from the first few pages that as Mehler shares his hard-earned experience, he understands the tool intimately" Woodworker magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press; Rev Upd edition (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561584266
• ISBN-13: 978-1561584260
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Power Tools

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mehler breaks "The Code" for beginners, February 4, 2006

By 

M. J. Mccaffrey "Matt OneLANE" (Conn., United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Table Saw Book, Completely Revised and Updated (Paperback)

If you are already a skilled woodworker, look elsewhere. The information in this book will be too basic for you.

I am NOT a skilled woodworker; I did not have "shop" classes in high school (and man, in retrospect was I ever steered wrong!); and I'm determined to learn the right way to work with power tools. For someone like me, this book is perfect.

Thanks to Mehler, I now know that I'm looking for SO much more than a motor spinning a blade. This book's discussions on table saw history, design, application, and safety are written with a wealth of first-person experience behind them. Mehler's style is relatively jargon-free, in that he explains the common terms used in woodworking when they come up.

Mehler's clear exposition has persuaded me to pass up the $89 table saw at the local big-box store. My time, my lumber, and my fingers are all too precious to waste my money that way. What is remarkable, though, is that he has also persuaded me that I don't have to give up an arm and a leg (sorry!) purchasing a stationary home-shop saw. There are several good models at the high end of the portable saw market that will do everything I am likely to need, for about $500. (And yes, your mileage may vary--that's what this book helps you determine.)

I did not find the comments on the advantages of European-style saws to be tedious. They served to educate me on what I should be seeking in my own table saw--and I would hope that American consumers would start demanding some of these improvements since they relate to safety and performance. Knowing what I was looking at, I noticed that some of the American saws on the market in the three years since this book was published now have some European-style features...and wonder of wonders, without an increase in price.

What was taught in woodworking classes was "The Code"--how this stuff works and how to use it. I believe Mehler effectively teaches The Code to beginners like me through this book. I heartily recommend this clear text with its full-color illustrations to others who want to know how to purchase and use a table saw.

82 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful but eliteist, February 27, 2006

By 

Bill Laine (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Table Saw Book, Completely Revised and Updated (Paperback)

I am a beginner at woodworking. I bought this book, based on reviews, hoping that it would give me some of the fundamentals of table saw use. Mr. Mehler does cover many of the basics fairly well but he also has something of an eliteist attitude about saws.

The first problem is his infatuation with "European" table saws. Example: "A riving knife. . . is a much better solution than a typical splitter. . . Sadly, riving knives are only available on European saws." This is fairly typical. There are lots of good illustrations but many of them are of a guy working at a European saw.

Then there is the fine woodworking attitude. He starts off the section titled "Ripping Sheet Stock" with: "I don't use plywood or other manmade boards very much in my work, but. . ." Gee, as a beginner just hoping to get a project to come out square I plan on using plywood quite a bit. In most of the other procedural discussions plywood given little attention, if any at all.

This book contains good discussions of setting fences and miter gauges, stuff like that. How to handle stock, how to extend the utility of the saw, safety tips. There is value here.

European saws sure look great but right now I have a simple contractors saw and I would appreciate a book that tells me how to make the most of that without giving me an inferiority complex.

50 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful information for the student cabinetmaker., December 19, 2002

By 

Atheen M. Wilson "Atheen" (Mpls, MN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Table Saw Book (A Fine Woodworking Book) (Paperback)

I am a beginning cabinetmaking student at a local community and technical college in Minneapolis. I'm also one of those people who feels ill prepared for an undertaking unless I've read at least one book on the project. This is particularly true with my present undertaking, because I have never used power tools in the past and feel sort of all-at-sea!

Because I hope to set up my own shop, I have been researching the types of equipment that I will need to do that, in this case the table saw. I looked for a book that could not only give me advice on what to purchase for my particular needs, but how to use it safely, how to care for it, and what types of spacial arrangements would be best in housing and using it. The Table Saw Book provides that information in a clear, well-organized and well illustrated manner.

It begins, logically, at the beginning, describing the anatomy of the machine, both externally and internally, listing the parts and discussing their purpose. It also includes a chapter specifically dedicated to blades: their types, uses, and maintenance.

There is a section on dust collection and the pros and cons of different styles. This is something of importance in my case, as I expect to set up my first shop in the basement and my house has forced air heating. I have already looked at some of the equipment that is available on Amazon to control the dust, and am planning a dust collecting system. (I've even thought of putting in a household vacuum system also).

The chapter on adjustment and maintenance of the saw helped to reinforce classroom learning in the former case and provides an important reference in the latter case when I am faced with care of my own equipment with no instructor around to advise me! I hope to have a complete reference library for trouble shooting all of my equipment, and this represents my first addition to that collection!

Sections on ripping, cross-cutting, the use of jigs and joinery on the table saw were very informative. I expect that my first purchase-and probably the only one for a while-- will be a table saw, and I will have to become proficient in its full range of usage if I wish to do much work before I am able to get any other equipment.. This volume and The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery by Gary Rogowski should help me do that.