The Router Book: A Complete Guide to the Machine and its Accessories

Rating:
Summary: Didn't learn much at all
Review: I bought this book and read it right after I got my first router and table for making picture frames. When I finished the book I found I didn't know much more about routers, bits and techniques than before I read it. And the author uses useless terminology where a clear description would be much more helpful. For example, writing about the router I bought he says, "There is about 1 3/4 in. of motor travel once all four pins in the base casting engage both ground helixes in the motor pack." What? I had to look at my router to determine that he was talking about the distance the motor rotates in its base. The book is also very negative; you'll hear more about what routers and bits can't do rather than what they can and how to do it.

I picked the book up again after I had been using my router for about 6 months, figuring now that I knew what I was doing I would get more out of it. I was wrong - there's just really not much useful information, unless you want to see the impressive jigs the author has made. All around, a pretty disappointing book.

Rating:
Summary: Pat Warner publishes another valuable router book
Review: I highly recommend this book for any beginning woodworker who is thinking about buying, or has just bought, a router. I would also recommend it for those who want a different view on router tables and routers for those tables. I own Mr. Warner's three earlier router books, and his router CD. I find each to be useful in a different way. I'm glad I bought "The Router Book"; I've read it twice.

Some other commercially successful authors of woodworking books write about a wide variety of subjects with little, if any, insight. In contrast, Mr. Warner writes insightful books on a subject that he obviously knows well: routers. "The Router Book" gives a marvelous comparison between fixed base, plunge, and trim routers; why the differences are significant; and where and how to use each. I have two fixed base routers; I've used them a fair amount; and I'm comfortable with them. But this book gave me a good summary of routers and helped me identify the features that I want in a plunge router - it made me change the router that I plan to buy. The book also identified router bits and accessories that I found of interest. And his example of how to make a "comb" style template (such as you see on jigs for dovetails and box-joints) was worth the price of the book all by itself. I now find myself making templates for pieces I only need one of: I can work faster without concern about the costly stock, and the template controls the cut to give me better quality. Faster and better is hard to beat.

For those considering buying, building, or replacing a router table, Mr. Warner explains why he considers the usual solution of a plunge router on an insert plate an unacceptable compromise. His logic explains problems that I have had using router tables with inserts; and I could find no flaw in his explanations or suggestions. I've sold my fancy router table built on the "American Woodworking" design; I'm going to build a MARKEDLY simpler one based on his design - and I expect it to give more accurate results with fewer test cuts. (The book does not include a plan, but it shows and explains how it's built.)

I don't know any woodworker who wouldn't benefit from one of his books. After reading this overview guide, you should consider his two books on router jigs and joinery.

As much as I like this book, there are two things that I would change:

The title is somewhat misleading in that no one can reasonably expect a 179 page book to be "A Complete Guide" to anything. I'd delete "complete" and leave the title "The Router Book, A Guide to the Router and its Accessories."

The second change would be the publisher - which surprised me because this is a Taunton product and I am glad to own a number of their other books. Mr. Warner's earlier books used a large type face that gave attractive, easy to read pages. This book leaves ridiculously large margins and uses a much smaller type face. Taunton was also careless in that it printed some of the images reversed left-to-right so that you see a mirror image. Not the quality control that I expect from Taunton.

Neither flaw goes to the value of the book's contents: I STRONGLY recommend the book.

Rating:
Summary: The first router book to read.
Review: I read the reviews here before I bought this book. Then, I bought it, anyway, and read it cover to cover. This is a highly informative book. No, it is not a book for the expert who owns several of these machines and uses them every day. For the beginner and intermediate level router user, however, it is the gospel. Actually, anyone who owns just one type of router and/or limited accessories will benefit from this book.

If you are looking for a comprehensive book about technique for using a router and it's accessories, this is not the one you want. If, on the other hand, you want to know what type of router to use for a particular task, when to use a router table, when to use a particular accessory, how various accessories can make your routing safer and more accurate, then, this is the book you want. If you are trying to decide what type of router to buy, this guide is indespensable.

I bought a Craftsman router (1 HP, 1/4" collet) about twenty-five years ago. I have used it several times, but not extensively. Recently, I decided to put together a full shop in my garage. That meant a more powerful router with a 1/2" collet. Mr. Warner's book was invaluable in determining the best machine to purchase for my anticipated uses. I now own a Porter-Cable 895 kit (the 890 series post-dates the book), an off-set base, a circle jig and several other accessories and bits.

In summary, this is a book about routers and their accessories, when to use what and how to do it and still keep all of your fingers. There are many good books out there about using a router (and this author has written some of those, as well), but you have to know WHAT to use before the how is important. This is the book for that.

Rating:
Summary: The first router book to read.
Review: I read the reviews here before I bought this book. Then, I bought it, anyway, and read it cover to cover. This is a highly informative book. No, it is not a book for the expert who owns several of these machines and uses them every day. For the beginner and intermediate level router user, however, it is the gospel. Actually, anyone who owns just one type of router and/or limited accessories will benefit from this book.

If you are looking for a comprehensive book about technique for using a router and it's accessories, this is not the one you want. If, on the other hand, you want to know what type of router to use for a particular task, when to use a router table, when to use a particular accessory, how various accessories can make your routing safer and more accurate, then, this is the book you want. If you are trying to decide what type of router to buy, this guide is indespensable.

I bought a Craftsman router (1 HP, 1/4" collet) about twenty-five years ago. I have used it several times, but not extensively. Recently, I decided to put together a full shop in my garage. That meant a more powerful router with a 1/2" collet. Mr. Warner's book was invaluable in determining the best machine to purchase for my anticipated uses. I now own a Porter-Cable 895 kit (the 890 series post-dates the book), an off-set base, a circle jig and several other accessories and bits.

In summary, this is a book about routers and their accessories, when to use what and how to do it and still keep all of your fingers. There are many good books out there about using a router (and this author has written some of those, as well), but you have to know WHAT to use before the how is important. This is the book for that.

Rating:
Summary: Good for what it is, but...
Review: I should have done more research before I bought this, but the book is exactly what it says it is; a book about routers.

The 2 main points against it are

- as someone else said, very little technique. As I mentioned, it's about routERS and not routING, which is my fault for not researching thoroughly

- it has a lot of information about specific models, which is likely to be outdated and useless quite quickly.

Rating:
Summary: To sum it up
Review: Let me help you out and save you some money. The router is a tool with a device that spins real fast and can remove wood. That's what I got from the book.
Actually, in all fairness, the author did cover the differences between plunge routers and fix-based routers very well. The book also addresses the popular routers on the market though it seems likely that Porter-Cable may be subjectively promoted a bit much. Additionally, the photography was well done.
As far as being a complete guide, it is not. I am particularly interested in learning the ends and outs of router usage and gained no insight here. Even when the book did resort to technique, the author used terminology not applicable to beginners and then did not bother to enlighten readers with an explanation nor with a glossary of definitions. In fact the book reminded me somewhat of old college texts where the author was more interested in impressing his own contemporaries than imparting knowledge on the unknowing.

Rating:
Summary: A good skim of the topic
Review: This is basically a good book with some strenghts, but also some significant weaknesses:
Strengths
- Good intro to equipment
- Very good safety info
- Very good descriptions of when routers, tables, etc. are not the right tool/approach

Weaknesses
- Virtually no description of technique
- Virtually no useful into on jigs (essential to robust router use)

Overall, this book is useful for someone who has never picked up a router. Nevertheless, both beginners and more experienced users will also need to buy another book for the substantial material this one lacks.

The author clearly has real expertise on the topic and writes well, but this is just far too thin on content to be a one stop guide for even a novice.