Customer Reviews

Woodworking with the Router: Revised & UpdatedProfessional Router Techniques and Jigs Any Woodworker Can Use

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent resource. I've owned a good plunge router for about three years, but used it only occasionally. After reading this book my router has nearly as much use as my table saw, which is quite a lot. The author has a very readable style, humorous, and straightforward.

The book covers everything about routers. I especially liked his advice on choosing your first bits. There are lots of detailed plans for building all sorts of jigs that are very practical. The many color photos are very helpful.

The first thing I noticed while initially flipping through the book, was the variety of routers and accessories pictured. This was not the typical woodworker writing about how he did things with his router in his shop. All the manufacturers had tools represented. There were no favorites.

He is not a fan of buying anything for the router except bits. He suggests building all of your jigs and fixtures, and has the plans to do it.

I also purchased Router Magic at the same time. It has a small amount of overlap, but is just about jigs. It is also a winner.

If you own a router, you should own this book.

In the revised version of the most definitive router technique and information book, Bill Hylton has out done himself.
Written in a conversational and friendly tone, he gives you all the lessons you need to get the most enjoyment and precision out of the most versatile tool in your workshop. There are more pictures, and they are in color. The new version is available in hardback (something that you will no doubt appreciate if you keep this by your side in your shop --as you should).

At over 300 pages, by far, Hylton's book is the most comprehensive book on the subject. I find the local woodworking stores frequently referencing and recommending it to their customers. It's a great bargain, especially if you are considering taking expensive router 101 courses. This has it all. I'm surprised that this didn't cost a whole lot more because I found myself reading it and trying out the techniques for weeks after I got it. Remember those old Kung Fu movies where the main character walks around and encounters all these wise old masters? He fight thems, and then gets them to teach him their technique. Well here, you get the benefit of all his wisdom, and you don't even have to get hurt along the way!

I would recommend this book to any woodworker. It has excellent types for a variety of levels of skill. Wouldn't purchase the older book Router Majic by Bill Hylton and this book (as I did) there is too much overlap and outdated information in the older book.
I have found several of the jigs and input regarding router tables good- I chose a plan for a router table from Shop Notes rather than this book. The jigs and tips are excellent.

I hardly need to add my voice to all of the others here, but I wanted to say how impressed I am with this book. I've had a router for quite a few years, but it doesn't get a lot of use. I've always suspected that there were tricks and techniques that would make it a more attractive tool for me, but I wasn't really pushed to become more familiar with it until now, when I find myself needing to construct some custom furniture.

The first thing you notice about the book (besides the low price) are the quality and quantity of photos and drawings. They're awesome! Often I find in such books that drawings are obscure, that they don't match the text, or that they leave out critical detail. This book has none of these flaws. I can look at drawings and tell immediately what the author is getting at. They beautifully complement the text. It's clear that an enormous amount of expertise and effort went into the illustrations.

Which bring me to the text. I don't expect someone with skill in woodworking to be a good writer as well, but the book is extremely well-written. I bought the book with some particular questions in mind, and they were quickly and completely answered. Especially appealing is that the author isn't dogmatic. He presents a variety of alternatives, with reasons for choosing one or the other. Unlike other how-to books, there's not a hint of condescension. Nor is it tailored to a narrow range of experience, as are so many other books. There's basic information for the novice, and information for the experts, and the line between is almost seamless, with techniques presented in a progression from simple to complex. Reading the book is like taking direction from a coach. It's just a very pleasurable, ability-tailored exposition of how to accomplish an extremely large variety of woodworking tasks, with plenty of advice and thought-provoking comments.

In short, this is certainly among the very best woodworking books I've ever seen, and at a price much lower than is warranted by its quality. It's a book you can grow with, and of a quality such that it will last. An awesome book for a woodworker of any level of experience.

I am new to routing, having never before even held one and I needed some direction on how to select and use one. Advice on buying a router is short in this book, but sufficient - as the title suggests there is more on working with it! My first afternoon playing with my new toy I had built one of the jigs in this book and am now happily routing some simple joints. I have plenty more to do and this book will definitely help me with ways of completing jobs I would never have thought of. A great buy and quite possibly the only book on routing I'll ever need.

When I first picked up this book, it seemed to me that the first few chapters went over the basics of purchasing and using a router and the rest of the book was about building elaborate router tables (something I was not really interested in).

However, as I read on, I found that this book is a treasure chest of unique ways to use a lowly router to perform almost any task. Most of the techniques are for router table use, but don't require anything more than the small benchtop router table detailed in the early pages.

The author is good at showing several different ways of doing something so you can choose the technique that suits you best. For example, in the section on cutting finger joints, the author shows how to adapt the jig for use with a mitre gauge, sliding fence, and template bushing. You can decide which best suits your equipment setup and capabilities.

This is a great reference I find myself going back to time and time again (and it's inspired me to build a router table).

The most definitive woodworking book I've seen.

I took the time to read and re-read the reviews and details here on many router books. It has been my experience some books claim a lot and deliver very little and I am sure most of us have had that experience at one time or another. I read all the reviews very carefully because I wanted the very best book on routers that I could find and I did not want to buy a whole library of books on routers to have enough information easily at my fingertips for reference. I have not picked up a router in more than 15 years and at that time it was a very casual need for the tool. I just could not find anyone that was remotely disappointed with this book and that is very rare. I ordered the book expecting to see a good book but not setting my expectations too high. This book exceeded my expectations in every way including the nice hardcover binding.

If you are considering buying a router new or used, buy this book FIRST. It could save you a significant amount of money and advise you on how to select the best router for the budget you can afford. How refreshing to find a book that delivers so very well in so many ways. I don't see how anyone can read this book and not learn a huge amount about routing and do it so easily.

The book is beautifully printed with both illustrations and photos. It may be there but I did not see the author push for you to use one router over another. The pros and cons of each kind and category of routers are presented in an easy to understand way. I found myself forming a greater understanding of what I really needed quickly and at the same time how I could settle for something less expensive if my budget could not handle the very best in a certain feature. If you take the time to read carefully the early chapters and make a short list of the features you think you need, I don't see how you can make a bad selection on a router with this book as a guide.

In this book you will find very nice drawings and details on building your own router table. That in itself is worth a lot. Router table designed is very clearly illustrated and discussed. Router table fences come in a multitude of shapes and materials. The book discusses all of this including the very important subject of dust collection.

Router bits can put your head in a dizzying fog if you have ever picked up a catalog of router bits. It is a very important technology of its own. The author gives you more than an ample understanding and advice on buying, storing and sharpening of those expensive little tools. Don't skip over this subject thinking that you know all you need to know about it. I doubt any of us know even half enough about the subject.

Once you are past the basics, I think you can start focusing on the specific subjects you may have a specific interest in reading. But, I found myself thoroughly enjoying reading on subjects that I really didn't think I would really want to read about.

Bottom line on this book is you just can't go wrong in my opinion in investing your hard earned cash on this book. I think it could end up saving you many times your investment in so many different ways. The back cover reads roughly that it is the most highly regarded book on the subject for more than 10 years. I couldn't agree more. What a powerful tool in your hands with no power cord. I can't wait to read another informative chapter. And, I can't wait to try my hand at using my new router in so many new ways.

An excellent reference for the novice and experienced woodworker. Easy to read with very clear illustrations of examples and techniques. Serves as an exceptional resource for "how-to" questions on router techniques and capabililties.

This book can best be described like going fishing for the first time and catching a great big fish. I purchased this book as an introduction to routing ... and now I am hooked, and probably for life!

With my dedicated workshop space being limited, the full size router table cabinet plan contained in the book will have to wait. However, using ideas directly from this book, I was able to construct a first class router table anyone would be proud of. This being in the form of an table saw extension-wing router table with quick release toggle clamps securing the router to the bottom of the surface. This allows me to quickly release my router for normal hand held use. OR ... to quickly detach it from the router table and attach it to the Horizontal Router Table for quick and efficient mortise and tenon work. This brings me to the main reason for purchasing this book. Within the pages of this book is a chapter dedicated to the construction of a horizontal router table. From an engineers perspective, this is a great design, very useful, and can be built in two phases, normal table 1st, sliding X and Y tables second (or vice-a-versa). Without getting much more in to detail, here is a brief list of router jigs and router tables I have already constructed after only 2 weeks owning my router bits (which by the way were the basic starter bits recommended by Mr.Hylton): Table Saw Extension Wing Router Table (with quick release), Router Table Fence with Vacuum Attachment (can be shimmed for edge jointing of stock material!), Horizontal Router Table, Trammel, Micro Adjustable Edge Guide (for grooves and dadoes).

Enough is enough, 1970's style kitchen, here I come ...

At over 3 pounds (mine is a paperback version), this book is worth its weight in gold. With no exaggeration, this book became my most important woodworking book upon its purchase. Why? After reading to halfway, it convinced me I had to:
1. Buy a new router - preferably a combo set (and a laminate trimmer)
2. Build a new router table to eliminate imperfections in my current one
3. Consider buying a better bit selection, and...
4. I didn't really need to do 1, 2, or 3!!!! (Although I still can and will eventually).
Look, this book has the jigs and fixtures you want and need. Hylton cuts through the BS and gives you the straight up on the most logical way to proceed with a task. He has great sidebars and bit selection tips throughout and an exellent deluxe router table plan (may even be better than Norm's!) - and I'm not done reading yet.

Bottom line, you can't afford to be without it.