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Jim Tolpin's Table Saw Magic by Jim Tolpin Jim Tolpin's Table Saw Magic
by Jim Tolpin

Paperback: 128 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.42 x 11.02 x 8.55
Publisher: Popular Woodworking Books; (July 1999)
ISBN: 1558705120

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Customer Reviews
The Jigs Are Worth the Price, February 11, 2003
Reviewer: A reader from Fort Collins, CO United States
I'd consider myself to have an intermediate level of woodworking skill - I'm not a novice or an expert - and this book is just right for me. I've built two of the jigs and love them. The general info on setup, blades, and technique is just what I need. I'm working through it, about half way so far, and thoroughly enjoying myself.

Just OK, February 1, 2003
Reviewer: A reader from Massapequa, NY United States
First of all, if you are working on a beginner-type table saw, this book will be pretty useless to you. The book centers around a number of jigs that work with standard sized table saw slots - so your entry level Sears bench saw will exclude you from most of the fun. You need a decent [$$] contractors saw or better.

There are some amazing things that can be done with a table saw as is demonstrated by Mr. Tolpin but as others have pointed out you need to STUDY the book. I've looked at some of the jig diagrams multiple times and still haven't figured them out. If you don't have good solid basics under your belt, look elsewhere. I give it two stars for presenting some very original ideas.

Good Book, December 7, 2002
Reviewer: krassel from SPANAWAY, WA USA
As noted in some of the other reviews, Mr. Tolpin is not a Pulitzer prize winning author. But he is a hell of a woodworker. I lucked out and bought this book at my local library's yearly book sale. I got it and four other related books for five bucks. I would buy it at full retail just for the jigs and sled diagrams. Some have complained that there are no measurements included, well how could there be? The idea of the book is to give you ideas for your own applications. I don't have the room for all the jigs shown in this book, nor would I ever use em all if I did. But I did glean enough from this book to make it worth having in my woodworking "library". I would reccommned this book to everyone who uses a table saw, beginner or pro.

Excellent Book, September 15, 2001
Reviewer: Jim B from PA United States
Tolpin's advise on a wide range of table saw topics and issues is very good. His fence jig system is excellent for anyone using a Biesemeyer-style rip fence and adaptable to others. While not the finest writer, he does know his subject. This book and his "Measure Twice, Cut Once" title are essential for any woodworker's personal library.

An amazing book, June 28, 2001
Reviewer: Paul Martin from Albuquerque, NM USA
This is an amazing book. Jim Tolpin is a master of his craft, and a fine writer as well. There is material in here for readers at every level. The beginner gets a thorough guide to the choice of a table saw. I would recommend this book to anyone who is considering their first purchase. The experienced reader can come back to the same chapter when it is time for an upgraded model. Every section is like this; Tolpin introduces the simplest techniques, and goes on to show us cuts I never thought possible on a table saw. The book is an excellent starting place for someone new to the table saw, and yet I cannot imagine outgrowing it.

Major sections include choosing a table saw, setup, accessories, blades, ripping, crosscutting, grooves dadoes and rabbets, sheet stock and small parts, curves and moldings, and joinery. Throughout the book, Topin presents shop made jigs for setting up the cuts. He also discusses commercial jigs. His jig designs are quite impressive, and some of them are major projects in themselves. These jigs would be a major asset in any shop, and I look forward to building them. In most cases, Tolpin describes a variety of techniques for solving the same problem. Where a cut can be done on a variety of machines, he discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each one. The advice is evenhanded and unbiased.

At the end of the book, two appendices provide source information on all of the equipment shown in the book, and all of the necessary parts for building the jigs. For example, the aluminum mini track which is used in many table saw jigs is available from Garrett Wade Co. in New York, complete with an address and an 800 number for obtaining price information.

Valuable Info, Crummy Presentation, June 22, 2001
Reviewer: thereverendmax from Cambridge, MA
Good news first:
The maintainance information and Jigs presented in this book are very useful, it's obvious tolpin knows what he's talking about.

The bad news:
It took me forever to figure out what the heck he was talking about! The jig construction drawings are somewhat confusing. They present an entire system of jigs in a piecemeal fashion through the course of the book. In order to decipher them you really have to go through the book several times, cover to cover, cross referencing all the way.

That said, I chosen the jigs I needed and made them, and they work great, even adapted for my Bosch benchtop saw. What a headache figuring them out though!

Could be better..., February 1, 2001
Reviewer: Ross Allard from Cary, NC USA
While I still recommend this book, I have several complaints. First, it is poorly indexed. There are only vague cross-references in the book: "See Chapter Nine". In one case, I wasted probably 45 minutes scouring Chapter N only to discover the reference was in Chapter N+1. I believe this involved the discription on making a featherboard using an indexing jig the reference for which was wrong.

I'm in the process of trying to duplicate his featherboards (as shown on the cover). His instructions though don't include the aluminum mini-tracks as in the photo. Instead, they tell you to route a T slot, which is more complicated and NOT what the author did. Furthermore, for the miter slot featherboard he tells you to buy a certain size hex bolt and grind the cap down to fit! That seems like an inelegant solution. I've since discovered that toilet bolts work better.

He should have at least mentioned a source to get the aluminum mini-tracks since they are useful in a wide variety of jigs. It would have saved me some time in Home Depot staring at cabinet hardware and wondering how it could be munged in some way to work. ...

In balance, it's a good book. I agree with the points made by the other reviewers. The organization is logical and the information is generally well presented. It may not be THE table saw book, but I don't regret buying it.

Tolpin's Tablesaw Tome is Topnotch Too, January 27, 2000
Reviewer: Jay Heiser from Vienna, VA
I enjoy Tolpin's books. Like his toolbox text, this reads well and has helpful photos and diagrams. It covers purchase, setup & maintenance, and common operations. Even if your saw manufacturer had included a decent manual, this book would be better. Like Lonnie Bird's new Bandsaw Book, this book represents a new generation of workshop guides--a worthy successor to de Cristoforo's "The Table Saw Book". The language and style is more appealing to a younger audience, and the use of modern materials, such as mini-trac, is helpful. Tolpin doesn't assume that the reader will make all of their own fixtures from scratch. He not only provides complete instructions for making fixtures, such as cross-cutting sleds and high-accuracy miter gauges, but he also gives equal time to commercial equivalents. Providing helpful guidance on both commercial and home-built accessories is a great approach--he does it in the setup section also. This enjoyable book won't spend much time on your shelf--it'll be scuffed up & dusty in your workshop where it belongs.



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