Best Compilation of Router Information

The September 2008 special issue of Wood magazine, titled “Best-Ever Router Tips, Tricks and Jigs” is an A-to-Z guide to using routers more effectively. For the novice, there’s a good presentation on uses for various bits. For all woodworkers, there are 34 jigs and several skill-building helps that solve some of the problems of routing, such as burnouts, chip prevention on corners. Important safety tips are also included.

The magazine gives the skinny on selecting the right router table, and provides plans for making your own fences, table inserts, hold-downs and a display rack for your bits. [Although I personally prefer to store my bits separately inside a clear plastic compartmental box (like a tackle box) to keep them from getting damaged or lost.]

For $7.00, you get a lot of information and, unlike many other mags, it isn’t a rehash of articles that were covered in other woodworking magazine over the past year.

Editorial Comment: While this particular magazine has a refreshing and different approach to their articles, others don’t. They just take the same topic, change a few dimensions, put an extra jig on it and paint it a different color. Viola, another cover story. For instance, if I see one more article about building the “Ultimate” router table, I’m going to puke! They’re all starting to look the same. And I certainly don’t recommend spending $6 to $10 on a magazine just to read another variation of a topic that’s been beaten to death.

By the way, I don’t have a picture of the magazine cover and the Review requires a picture to get posted, so I’ve included a picture of my Anatomically-Correct Reindeer Pencil Sharpener. Enjoy.

-- Sir Robert