Router book review

I am a novice wood worker who has just got a router and a table. I bought the book ‘Woodworking with the Router: Professional Router Techniques and Jigs any Woodworker can Use’ by Bill Hylton and Fred Matlack.

I have found the book invaluable as a novice router user. I new the router was versatile but I hadn’t realised that you could do so much. The books starts off describing various router types, what to look for when buying a router, router care and then all about router bits. The book also covers making different router plates for your router, making a router table, a horizontal router table, a router bench and other router accessories. And then, how to do circles, ovals, decretive edging, jointing, surfacing, dadoing, rabbiting, dovetails, m&t joints, panel making and more. The book as plenty of ideas, jig and techniques that will be fun for the whole family.

I found the book easy to read and well set out. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have learnt a lot about routers and their uses. Recommended.

The book is 300 odd pages with the photos in b&w.

Thanks Grunt. I'll go spend some time in the bookshop. I have the router but....tis a little confronting and the instruction manual is anything but instructing...oh except not to use it while standing in water etc :o

Without doubt the particular book you refer is still the best ever printed, it has been my constant guide in learning and developing skills with a router over the past two years.
Many of the jig designs do work by my experience, and the narratives well support his techniques and designs. Have found no other book as comprehensive and still currently relevant after being first published in 1999. It doesn't have large pretty coloured photos on shiny paper, instead it has adequate b&w photos to illustrate methods together with excellent dimensioned drawings of most jigs.
On the issue of router table design, Hylton covers most/more of the details discussed in our own extra long forum on 'The Ultimate Router Table'. Apply any of his principles and you will succeed.
If you still need convincing this book is the best, go to www.amazon.com and search in books for 'bill hylton'. There you will find reference to the subject book and others Hylton has written, with readers comments and ratings at 5 stars.
You should note a new second edition was released mid 2005 which has been updated with coloured photos etc. At USD 19.77 from Amazon, it is a bargain not currently available in Oz bookshops while they flog the old ones.
I shall be ordering my copy in a few days.

Bruce

I bought a Popular Mechanics book called "Router Fundamentals - The Complete Guide". It starts off with the very basics, and moves through hand and table techniques, maintenance & troubleshooting, and also contains plans and instructions on a number of jigs.

I got it on special for $10 reduced from $35. It was worth it for a few of the jigs that I am now making and I did learn a few things, but I think I am after a book a little more 'advanced'. If you are already pretty accomplished with a router, then I'd say its not for you.

ISBN # 1-58816-365-2

https://youtu.be/mtpmw1pbxKU

Here is my attempt to produce articles with the router in the plunge mode. Various projects that are not possible to be completed in the table mode