Thread: Book for Router Basics

Zed,

I bought this book and found it invaluable.

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...&threadid=6452

Probably not available in soft copy but I've got "Woodworking With the Router: Professional Router Techniques and Jigs Any Woodworker Can Use" by Bill Hylton, Fred Matlack.

Highly recommended, everything you ever wanted to know. Assumes you've never used a router before.

On special now at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846

thanks guys - I assume I can get this from the wookworks and meadowbank or any major book store ?

http://www.thewoodworks.com.au/detai...61665077939625

I got mine from Amazon, saved a few bucks but had to wait 3 weeks for it.

A few years ago there was a booklet (31 pages) that was downloadable called Router Basics And Beyond by the editors of Wood magazine. It was a pdf file. I have it but it's about 7mb in size. It's not bad for a basic book and covers a fair amount. It was through a binaries newsgroup as opposed to a website. Maybe its on the Wood website. I can email it to you if you like (and your ISP will allow that size)

Zed

A soft cover book that I found particularly informative is "Good Wood Routers" by Albert Jackson and David Day pubished by Collins.

It covers all aspects of routing and provides numerous tips on rounter jigs and making joints with a router.

I bought my copy for approx $25 from Woodworks at Gowings but I have also seen it in major bookshops.

G'day.

I have a fair collection of router books now...
Here's a quick run down.

"The New Router Handbook" by Patrick Spielman 1993.
Cost $35AUD at Angus & 's bookworld last year.
Save your money, it covers the basics but it has HEAPS of very general padding.

"Good Wood Routers" by Albert Jackson & David Day 1996.
Cost $22AUD at Angus & 's bookworld last year.
Good value for money. It covers the basics without lots of waffle. Lots of good colour drawings. The down side is that there are hardly any dimensions on anything but they are in Metric & Imperial.

"Woodworking with the Router" by Bill Hylton & Fred Matlock 1993. Cost about $21US inc freight from Amazon & took 2 weeks to arrive. Damned good value for money. Highly recommended for a beginner. Heaps of pictures/drawings/plans & lots of the drawings/plans have dimensions even if they are only in Imperial.

"Router Magic" by Bill Hylton 1999.
Cost about $21US including freight from Amazon & took 2 weeks to arrive. Also Damned good value for money. This one has more advanced stuff, not for a raw beginner.

"Router Joinery" by Gary Rogowski 1997.
Cost about $24US including freight from Amazon & took 2 weeks to arrive. Not bad value for money. The first third of the book takes you through the basics of routers & joinery. The rest of the book shows you how to use the router for joinery. For what it is worth, I showed a friend all of my books & he had a flick through the lot & picked this one out as the one he'd like to own. The bloke that wrote it is not big into jigs like all the other books were. Instead, he has a very simple approach using lots of clamps & bits of wood as guides, stop blocks etc. The book has good pictures & drawings but hardly any dimensions & they are in Imperial.

In summary...

"Woodworking with the Router" by Bill Hylton & Fred Matlock or
"Router Joinery" by Gary Rogowski 1997

If you appreciate good books & can wait, get all three of the last on the list above. I got all three at once for $66US when the AUD was almost 80cents US.

If you aren't much into spending money on books, just want the basics & are the impatient type, go for "Good Wood Routers" by Albert Jackson & David Day 1996. $22AUD at Angus & 's.

If anyone wants a cheap 2nd hand copy of "The New Router Handbook" by Patrick Spielman let me know... it's not worth $35.