Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful but inconsistent
Review: Spectacular production values, but (forgive me) really pretty dis-joint! I'll give one example of what I feel is the book's major shortcoming: in the section on dovetail joints, he never shows a photo or line drawing of a dovetail joint just as it is about to go together - I have to visualize for myself what it is supposed to look like. Its like a friend of mine who when discussing something will think a sentence but not actually say it, and proceed with the discussion as if she HAD said it out loud and assuming you heard it! Very hard to follow sometimes.... In this case a basic beginners step to making dovetails is omitted, so everything that follows is pretty hard to grasp.I also find the pictures and supporting text lacking - they often do not illustrate his point, or are too small / distant to see what is actually going on. I do like the catalog of joints, the discussion of the pros and cons of each and best applications practice. I also like that for each joint he gives several different ways to make it, depending on what tool you have or prefer to use. If Rogowski would just give the book to 5 novice woodworkers and note down everywhere they don't "get" something so he could address their issue in the next edition, he'd do himself and all his readers a big favor.
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome Detail
Review: The amount of detail that this book provides is awesome. It is as thick as a textbook, with lots of pictures for those of us who have forgotten most of our college education. But seriously, the amount of detail provided for each method of joinery is unmatched. There isn't another book I would rather have on this subject. I hope the publishers keep adding to this series!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Quality Book
Review: This book is an excellent quality reference. I was actually suprised because a lot of the stuff you get rated high (4-5 stars) seem to always fall short after the purchase. This is a book that is to be used in the workshop or close by and was made that way....The hard cover, the decent size color step by step pictures, large lettering accompanying pictures, and even down to the table of contents layout makes this a hand down reference for the workbench shelf, as opposed to sitting collecting dust by my War and Peace novel. I really like the fact that the book also went in various ways of performing a particular joint, as it leaves much for the imagination if you need to improvise and improve current project workflow. This is a book that is well thought out and an encyclopedic reference for the above purpose it serves. If your are looking for a book that seems to read like the author just made love to a wood shaving, then there are other classics out there and this definately is not the book. If you want a book that gives you an idea of what your joint options are given tools at hand and how to actually do it, then this is it.
Rating:
Summary: Wow...What a great book !
Review: This was the third book out of the series that I purchased. I loved Cabinet Construction and Shaping Wood and couldn't wait to get this one. I would have to disagree on the other reviews concerning this book. I found the book to be not only informative but quite a work of art in itself. Some people are wondering what audience the book is trying to target. Obviously if you consider yourself 'advanced', then you should not be needing a book on woodworking. Although I feel the book is intended for intermediate woodworkers, I beleive this book would be of use to a 'beginner' as well because it gives the reader something to shoot for. It has hundreds of photos of beautifully crafted joints. Some of these joints I have never seen before. Joints like the "Cogged Scarf" is not only imaginative but looks fun to make. This is a joint that I would probably never thought about until this book. That is how I started in woodworking. I saw something that I wanted to make and I went about learning how to do it. Some people are unhappy because of the detail of instructions. Well the joints are explained with text and pictures. I would agree that the book does not 'hold your hand' on every single step. But then how many of us have learned woodworking by reading a book? We learned it by getting outside and doing it. What is nice about this book is that it gives you the basics of what you need to know to make the joint and the rich color photographs that show you what you could achieve. I would imagine that you could go into any bookstore and find in their woodworking section a book on joints. However, I believe you would be hard pressed to find a book of this caliber on the subject.
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