Woodworker's Central Woodworker's Gazette Gazette Archive 2/28/00

A book review: By Marc Phillips Title: Router: Methods of Work Edited and Illustrated by Jim Richey Published by: Taunton Press 63 South Main Street, PO Box 5506 Newtown, CT 06470-5506 ISBN 1-56158-369-3 Price Softcover: $12.95 220 color pages For readers of Fine Woodworking Magazine's section called "Methods of Work", this book will look familiar. It is a compilation of 25 years of the best from the tips and questions and answers sent in by their readers. Jim Richey has been the illustrator for the entire 25 years, so all of the hand-drawings are the same quality - which is to say they are well done, but very few measurements or details as to the construction methods are given. For most of us woodworkers who have experience making jigs and fixtures, this isn't a problem - all we want is an idea and we can take it from there. To that end, this book is great - tons of ideas on all aspects of router work including Router set up and maintenance, tables and mounts, joinery and dovetails, fluting, reeding and milling, and fixtures for curved and circular work. I noticed a few names I recognize and trust among the authors who supplied the different tips, such as Mark Duginske and Tage Frid. The beginning woodworker may find this book a little less than helpful. The illustrations are not in detail and usually only one angle of view is given. For all others, this book will be a valuable reference when you're suddenly confronted with a challenge such as "I need to make a giant wooden sphere" or "I need to smooth the top of a 8' redwood slab" These challenges and many, many more are handled by the jigs and fixtures presented in this book. I found this book to be a valuable addition to my reference library and would recommend it to my fellow woodworkers. Marc Phillips Custom WoodCrafts Panama City, Florida Editor's Note: You can purchase a copy of Jim Richey's Book from Taunton Press for $12.95 (US)