The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery

Review by Roger A. Knopf for The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery
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Spectacular production values, but (forgive me) really pretty dis-joint! I’ll give one example of what I feel is the book’s major shortcoming: in the section on dovetail joints, he never shows a photo or line drawing of a dovetail joint just as it is about to go together – I have to visualize for myself what it is supposed to look like. Its like a friend of mine who when discussing something will think a sentence but not actually say it, and proceed with the discussion as if she HAD said it out loud and assuming you heard it! Very hard to follow sometimes…. In this case a basic beginners step to making dovetails is omitted, so everything that follows is pretty hard to grasp.I also find the pictures and supporting text lacking – they often do not illustrate his point, or are too small / distant to see what is actually going on.I do like the catalog of joints, the discussion of the pros and cons of each and best applications practice. I also like that for each joint he gives several different ways to make it, depending on what tool you have or prefer to use.If Rogowski would just give the book to 5 novice woodworkers and note down everywhere they don’t “get” something so he could address their issue in the next edition, he’d do himself and all his readers a big favor.

Review by Helphrey Skelter for The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery
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As a moderately experienced woodworker with a lot to learn, I thought this book might provide a comprehensive description (or nearly so) of woodworking joints with detailed instructions and tips on how to do the joinery. Unfortunately, it turned out to be long on glossy image and short on nuts-and-bolts information. The list of joinery techniques is a long one and may indeed be quite comprehensive; it definitely includes some I had not seen before. The photography and production are beautiful and sumptuous. But the descriptions of how to make the joints are sadly deficient. Again and again, on one type of joint after another, I find the instructions to be breezy and incomplete (as if I were expected to know how to do everything already). Frequently the text gives a one-sentence instruction and then refers to a photo where one might expect to be able to fill in the information missing from the text. But the photos, although beautiful, are no more informative than the text. In most cases, line drawings would be much more informative. For a much less sumptuous, but definitely more informative book, I recommend Woodworking: The Right Technique: Three Practical Ways to Do Every Job-And How to Choose the One That’s Right for You, by Bob Moran and Nick Engler. It doesn’t cover as many techniques, but the ones it does cover, it covers well.

Review by Jack B. Welch for The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery
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This was the third book out of the series that I purchased. I loved Cabinet Construction and Shaping Wood and couldn’t wait to get this one. I would have to disagree on the other reviews concerning this book. I found the book to be not only informative but quite a work of art in itself. Some people are wondering what audience the book is trying to target. Obviously if you consider yourself ‘advanced’, then you should not be needing a book on woodworking. Although I feel the book is intended for intermediate woodworkers, I beleive this book would be of use to a ‘beginner’ as well because it gives the reader something to shoot for. It has hundreds of photos of beautifully crafted joints. Some of these joints I have never seen before. Joints like the “Cogged Scarf” is not only imaginative but looks fun to make. This is a joint that I would probably never thought about until this book. That is how I started in woodworking. I saw something that I wanted to make and I went about learning how to do it. Some people are unhappy because of the detail of instructions. Well the joints are explained with text and pictures. I would agree that the book does not ‘hold your hand’ on every single step. But then how many of us have learned woodworking by reading a book? We learned it by getting outside and doing it. What is nice about this book is that it gives you the basics of what you need to know to make the joint and the rich color photographs that show you what you could achieve. I would imagine that you could go into any bookstore and find in their woodworking section a book on joints. However, I believe you would be hard pressed to find a book of this caliber on the subject.

Review by for The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery
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I agree with one of the other reviewers: this is a GREAT looking book, filled with well-crafted photos. However, as a beginner woodworker, I was unable to follow most of the text. I thought this book would give step-by-step instructions on accomplishing various joinery solutions. Instead, it merely mentioned the solution and more or less told the reader to fumble his way through it himself. This may be a decent reference book for TYPES of joinery, but if you’re looking for guidance in crafting the joints, you’ll probably need other material to do so. What is also seriously lacking here is a glossary of terms used throughout the book to help the beginner understand exactly what the author is writing about.

Review by Marc Ruby™ for The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery
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One of Taunton Press’s best efforts is the ‘Complete Illustrated’ guide series. The books are all well illustrated with and emphasis on both quality and durability in the binding. They make use of writers who are well-established craftspeople who have served as teaching professionals as well. ‘Joinery’ is no exception to this rule as it opens the door into what many think of as the secret science of woodworking. Certainly few things will create disagreement among woodworkers the way the question of how two bring two pieces of wood together to make one.

The book is divided into three parts – Tools (hand tools, small power tools, and machines), Carcase Joinery (butt, rabbet, groove, dado, miter, finger, mortise-and-tenon, and dovetail joints), and Frame Joinery (butt, miter, lap, bridle, scarf, splice, edge, and mortise-and-tenon). Each joint type is discussed in some detail, covering both the theory behind the working of the joint and discussions of how to make the joints. In general, the level of detail and clarity are very good.

There are those who would sit down and read this book from cover to cover. Some, no doubt, would actually remember it all. But for most of us the best use of Gary Rogowski’s work is as a reference. Browse through it several times to expand our joiner’s imagination, and then deep dive into the joints for a potential project. Eventually, you will absorb an alarming amount of knowledge. Just as, with practice, the skills required for each joint develop and grow.

It amazes me how, each time I return to this book I find something completely new. Rogowski has a straightforward writing style that meshes well with the format of this series. The only thing I would add are even more pictures, even a gallery of various examples. This is a volume I am delighted to own.