5 comments about LaTeX: A Document Preparation System (2nd Edition) (Addison-Wesley Series on Tools and Techniques for Computer T).

1. Seems to be an okay resource for people just getting started. However it is completely inadequate as a reference. Better resources are available on the internet for free.



2. I started using LaTeX (and TeX) over 15 years ago. I was dissatisfied with the way that Word handled equations (it didn't then) and sought software that would typeset my technical text and mathematics well. A friend and colleague introduced me to LaTeX. I bought a copy of Lamport's book, a PC port of the software, and started using LaTeX to set my work.
   
   I've been using LaTeX ever since. I use it for everything I write, with the exception of a few works that require me to use Word, either because my colleagues use it or the research sponsor requires it. Recently, one of my principal research sponsors began accepting PDF format reports, so I may escape one more instance of using Word. That pleases me. But, I digress.
   
   LaTeX is a set of macros (programs) that implement a variety of styles in the TeX language. Use of LaTeX is through a number of mark-up commands (in the same fashion that web documents are set with HTML mark-up) that are applied to textual elements of a document. Most of your LaTeX documents comprise your text. A small amount of text will be allocated to LaTeX mark-up.
   
   This book provides the necessary instruction for learning to use LaTeX. It is written for technical users, but not computer experts. That is, Lamport expects the users of the software to have a technical background because that's the goal of the software -- to set technical documents. But he doesn't expect the reader to be a computer expert.
   
   The book is manageable in length too. It is not so long as to require multiple sittings to work through it. Once familiar with the content, it is fairly easy to find what you are looking for in the text. The index is complete and useful. When using Lamport, I'm reminded of Kernighan and Ritchie (The C Programming Language) -- Lamport has a similar kind of easy flow to the text.
   
   While the material is not easy, Lamport's book does a good job of conveying use of a highly technical piece of software in a readable fashion. If you are going to use LaTeX, you will want a copy of this book. You will also want a copy of Mittelbach and others LaTeX Companion (2nd edition) to help use the plethora of add-on packages available for LaTeX.
   
   So, download a install of TeX (and LaTeX -- Google the TeX User's Group) for your computer, buy a copy of Lamport (and Mittelbach and others), read through Lamport, and start playing with LaTeX. If you write technical documents that require mathematics, you'll find LaTeX very useful. When you find yourself writing longer documents, the ability to automatically generate tables of contents, lists of figures and tables, bibliographies, and indices will make the software all the more valuable and the time invested learning to use it well-spent.
   
   Welcome to the world of LaTeX. Don't forget to join the TeX User's Group and support development of the software!



3. If you are a LaTeX beginner and need to learn the basics, this is probably the best way to do it. Please disregard the low scores given to this book by other reviewers who were disappinted by the level of detail. (Since I am an author of an introductory book myself, this sort of thoughtless on the part of those reviewers really irritates me. A book isn't a bad book just because you didn't read the book description and you thought it was going to be about something else.) The book has a specific purpose, as an introduction and a reference for the base LaTeX packages. It's only 288 pages (compare to The LaTeX Companion at 1120 pages, or Guide to LaTeX at 624 pages). The reference section it has is a reference for the base LaTeX software, not all of the hundreds of packages that have been written for it since 1994 when the book was published. I give it a five star rating for the purpose it was written.
   
   If you want an exhaustive reference to all the packages, try The LaTeX Companion (or dig around on the internet). If you want an excellent introduction to basic LaTeX, the numerous tutorials on the Internet are *not* as good as this book.
   
   There is one very important missing piece from this book - there aren't any key-by-key instructions. That's because LaTeX is used on so many different systems. So an absolute beginner might be surprised to find this information missing. Luckily, this is exactly the sort of information that is more easily found on the Internet.



4. Leslie Lamport's often cited "Latex" book is an adequate guide to this document preparation system. The problem with this book is that it's slightly too complicated (and dated) for absolute beginners (when I was learning Latex, I tried to read this book but couldn't and ended up using "The Not So Short Introduction to Latex" - available on the internet, instead), while not being detailed enough for more advanced users. At only 272, there just isn't enough there to be of much use. I also own a copy of The LaTeX Companion (Tools and Techniques for Computer Typesetting) and I find that I use that book far more often than this one. This book is adequate if there is nothing else for you to look at, but there are better books out there that you can spend your money on.



5. Though less complete, this book is a gentler introduction to latex than the companion book. It covers less terrain but in a form that's easier to assimilate. So if you get only one book get the Compainon book. Otherwise consider this book a better primer on the latex typesetting system.

2 comments about Jigs & Fixtures for the Table Saw & Router: Get the Most from Your Tools with Shop Projects from Woodworking's Top Experts (The Best of Woodworker's Journal series).

1. Nearly thirty projects and instructions on how to make jigs and fixtures for safer and faster woodworking are packed into Jigs & Fixtures For the Table Saw & Router, a guide which uses the experience of the editors of Woodworker's Journal for a range of innovative projects. From technical drawings and easy step-by-step instructions complete with materials lists to color photos throughout, homeowners who have a woodshop will find this an excellent - and essential - guide, as will libraries catering to home crafters and do-it-yourself patrons.



2. I am going to assume that the individual who wrote the only other review (so far) has not tried to build one of the fixtures or jigs depicted in the book. While most of the projects certainly look like great things to build for your home workshop I have found, as I build the Precision Crosscutting Jig, a bunch of inaccuracies. Measurements and dimensions given in the Technical Drawings don't match what is either pictured or what is explained in text elsewhere. In one instance "5/16" should actually read "5/8" which is quite a discrepancy. Another gives the thickness of one of the fences as 11/16" when, from the picture, it looks more like 1 1/2". One of the most blaring errors is the measurements of the placement of a hole that is WAAAAAY off. I don't even know where they came up with the numbers for that one. If I had actually drilled the hole where they told me to drill it the piece would have been ruined. Glad I double checked it.
   
   Here are some of my other observations/suggestions:
   -In the materials list it would be nice to know what material each item is. Hardwood? Plywood? Plastic? As it is now you have to search through the text of the article to figure it out.
   -A list of suppliers for some of the more specialized items would help as Home Depot doesn't carry a lot of what they want you to use.
   
   So, while the projects all look great and I'm looking forward to building quite a few of them I am going to have to double check and scrutinize the measurements of each item in the materials list as the inaccuracies have been so prevalent on the very first one I've tried, who knows what the rest hold?
   The publishers should really go through this book, fix the problems and re-publish. It's worth it.

3 comments about A Study of the Toyota Production System: From an Industrial Engineering Viewpoint (Produce What Is Needed, When It's Needed).

1. I enjoyed it since it gave me insight on how TPS evolved and allowed me to better understand not how TPS works but more why.



2. There are a lot of books about the Toyota Production System, but this is one of the most useful for those actually attempting to implement elements of this system. Most of the books on TPS by western authers are just superficial glosses written by MBA's who don't seem to have a clue how to make anything. This book is detailed, specific, clearly written, and very well translated. Some of the material is repetative, nevertheless this is the book to get on TPS.



3. Shigeo Shingo was the mastermind behind the Toyota Production System, constantly experimenting and thinking on how to improve. The result was an approach that significantly reduced required inventories (and their associated costs and losses), improved quality, and reduced throughput time.
   
   "A Study of the Toyota Production System" is somewhat difficult to read, due to translation issues, but more importantly will make you stop to think, scratch your head in disbelief, and then finally agree in amazement.

3 comments about Creating Mixed Model Value Streams: Practical Lean Techniques for Building to Demand.

1. Value stream mapping and lean "nuts and bolts" for high variety - low quantity products. This book walks the reader through the process of setting up a high variety flow. I am no lean expert by an stretch of the imagination, but found this book to be extremely helpful in understanding and implementing the technique of flow.
   
   The writing is very clear and concise. Graphics show clearly the subject being discussed.
   
   I suggest reading Learning to See first to understand how to create value stream maps, then apply those learned skills to the floor using Creating Mixed Model Value Streams.
   
   This book should be a required core course in the lean planned program of study. But remember there is no graduation, only life long learning.



2. 
   In this very good book author Kevin Duggan describes an approach to implementing lean manufacturing in challenging environments characterized by a high degree of variety, shared resources, and lumpy demand. All too often in such situations, practitioners conclude that lean principles can be applied incompletely or not at all. Significant missed process improvement opportunities follow from this foundational misunderstanding.
   
   Duggan develops his material using as a case study the hypothetical EMC Supply Company. Value stream mapping is used throughout the book to depict the current scenario and the various improvements to achieve the desired future state.
   
   The author starts at the very beginning, with a discussion of how the proper definition of product families is critical to the creation of flow in high mix plants. He goes on to introduce the concepts of takt time and the pacemaker operation for the process. From there the discussion moves to the balancing of operations, presentation of materials at the point of use, scheduling the work, and dealing with variation in customer demand.
   
   These concepts are applied by the EMC implementation team and are illustrated with an evolving series of value stream maps. As a result the presentation has a "real world" feel to it that should encourage application of the principles.
   
   One significant caveat needs however to be mentioned. Successful implementation is about pressing through countless details in every situation. Duggan draws attention to this in various places writing for example, "Material presentation for a high mix of products will take some creativity and planning. This is an area where we will have to sweat the details".
   
   In fact, in my experience as a lean implementer, the details need to be sweated at every turn. The concepts may be simple, elegant, and often self evident, but putting them into action requires an almost obsessive attention to a myriad of practical intricacies.
   
   For those committed to making this effort the results will be impressive. This book can help make it happen.



3. I have to agree with other reviewers. The math is dead simple. And the transition from batch to flow will re-invent your business.
   
   Where to book fell down for me was in the examples given. If i worked in a shop which only produced a small list of parts and very little process variation i would be done implementing by now.
   
   Where a small business may fall most large facilities/organizations do not. Again, great way to approach changing the way your business runs but without some serious data mining and statistical skills you will end up right where you started.

5 comments about The Complete Cabinetmaker's Reference (Popular Woodworking).

1. ...namely for all the people that flunked out of elementary algebra and can't figure out how to size cabinet parts for themselves. Do yourself a favor, save your money and buy either udo schmidt's, jim tolpin's or danny proulx's books on cabinetmaking as they provide much more useful information beyond cutlist and assembly instructions. Keeping in mind that a standard wall cabinet is 12" deep and that a standard base cabinet is 24" deep and that both are often 30" high (excluding toe kick), you can EASILY fill in the rest of the dimensions by downloading a PDF file on cabinet dimensions from any of the major cabinet companies like merillat or mill's pride but in general most of the widths are in 3" increments beginning with 12" and up to 48". You can easily replace this entire book with the innovative FREE ecabinets program from thermwood.



2. I used this book and a couple of others to build some garage cabinets. I found it very useful. This made the project much easier. I modified the designs a bit, but having a starting point with cutlists was invaluable.



3. Read the title people. It's called a REFERENCE book for a reason...it's not a "how to" or instructional book...it's a reference manual for standard assembly and measurements. This book is a great reference for any kitchen or bath project. That binding makes it easy to copy and bring to an estimate. True, the basic construction is frameless...but American style cabinets are moving to either a frameless 32mm style completely or are a frameless carcass with a face frame slapped on the front of them.



4. The book is well manufacturing and will last for quite a while so you won't lose out on quality. It is glossy and well illustrated however it lacks content for anyone who has built a cabinet or two. It does contain some good points on basic cabinet construction that will be beneficial to someone just starting woodworking however if you are looking for construction details on lots of different styles this is not the book for you. The book contains a lot of the same thing with many construction sheets repeated with only minor changes to a single dimension. For example pages 20 to 27, which contain 28 separate construction sheets (one per page), have exactly the same cabinet illustration and cutting list with one minor change in width on each sheet. This pattern appears to be repeated throughout the book (e.g. pages 32-39, 44-59). However like I said it is well made and would be a good first reference but is definitely not for anyone above beginner level.



5. The book is for my husband. We had to replace the one he already had because we gave it to our son for a project and he likes it so much he wanted to keep it. Great reference.

5 comments about Oracle E-Business Suite Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management.

1. This book is very useful for the beginners as well those who want to brush up their knowledge on oracle applications release 11i.
   
   Mostly it covers all Manufacturing & Distribution modules. Financial modules are not covered in this book. I was planning to buy a book and searching for it and finally ended up in buying a very useful book.
   
   Main drawback is not much of screen captures displayed. So if you want to better understand you have to read it by sitting in front of applications screen and switching the forms as you read.
   
   Overall the book is worth having it.



2. I was part of the Oracle implementation team at our company, and I have found this book to be a useful tool for myself in the year since implementation as we continue to explore new functionalities. It is also a useful tool for the application users to learn how Oracle works. In fact, I not only purchased this book for myself, but I have purchased copies for several other people in the company. I refer to it all the time.



3. The tentative date of receipt is 27th Jan 2006 but to i haven't received the book as of today.
   
   Pls send same asap
   
   Arul



4. This book is for users of Oracle Manufacturing and has the end-user in mind Definately not for the the technical minded, site specific Installs and for those who are used to Technical Reference manuals



5. While Gerald & Co's book may look like a good introduction to Oracle's manufacturing & supply chain management modules, it will make little sense to those who have never used the system or don't have access to it. Because I had three years of hands-on experience with Oracle's E-Business Suite, the book is useful and I'm giving it a 3-star rating.
   
   Things that Gerald & Co. could have done better: more illustrations of what they write about. There are many "bells and whistles" in the software, but the book doesn't have enough "screen shots" to show you where they're located on an Oracle "form." I'm not satisfied with the case study, which they have placed in chapter 22. There are no screen shots there either.
   
   Gerald & Co. are assuming you can navigate and know a lot of the Oracle lingo. If you are new to this, don't expect to learn it from this book. The audiences for the book are intermediate and advanced users.
   
   One could also regard this as a reference book. Use it to answer problems you encounter while using the product or better understand what's going on. In this context, I'd rate it 3 stars, too.

5 comments about How to Do Everything with Your Palm Powered Device, Sixth Edition (How to Do Everything).

1. I've finally found a book that gives me help with Palm basics and addresses current generation (Palm TX) products. The single biggest thing that sold me on this book were the explanations of WI-FI and Bluetooth; why does every other Palm "how to" book assume we know the ins and outs of the new technologies - if those technologies are included at all? The Troubleshooting Tips are succinct and well-documented. Also, Dave Johnson has a good sense of humor which adds value to any technical presentation for me.



2. I think this is a great book.
   
   Just recently got to the point in my life where I need to get and use a PDA and decided to buy this book to go along with it. As someone "new" to this, it was exactly what I needed to hit the ground running with using my new Palm gizmo. I found it extremely well written and easy to read.
   
   Before buying this book, I read over a lot of the reviews here on Amazon, and noticed that some of them are less than positive, and I'd like to address that in light of my own experience with this book. Most of the complaints seem to fall in the area of being, "Most of this stuff I already know.....". And that is probably going to be true for most people who have been using a Palm PDA for awhile. This book mainly covers the "Basics", stuff that someone who has used one of these devices has already figured out. There might be just a few bits here or there that an experience user might find new or interesting. With a title of, "How to Do Everything with Your Palm Powered Device" - I expected the book to cover just what it did - "Everything", which to me basically means the entry level stuff, the intermediately level stuff, and a smattering of advance user stuff. As a new user, there was a lot of basic information that I needed to know, and which this book covered in detail - the bulk of the book is dedicated to doing that. As I gain more experience with using the device, I imagine that I'm going to appreciate more of the intermediate stuff as well.
   
   So my advice, if you need to know "Everything" as I did - this is the book for you. I'm guessing it knocked more than a year off my learning curve for using my new PDA. If you are familiar with the basic operation of one of these devices, there may be some stuff that you might find interesting too - but most likely not a whole book worth.



3. "How to Do Everything with Your Palm Powered Device" Sixth Edition has been a big help to me with my palm TX. After owning the palm TX for about a year I thought I knew most of it's capabilities. Boy was I wrong! When I purchased the book I quickly learned many additional things my palm could do and how to use it more efficiently. I refer to it often and would highly recommend it to all Palm users. If I lost my copy I would immediately purchase another one!



4. well written (little too much "sidenote" jokes for my taste). Explains the basics very well. I really they covered using a Palm with a Mac a little more. The authors did not cover using a palm for GTD though...



5. I've had my Palm TX for almost a year and knew I wasn't using it anywhere close to it potential. This book is a wonderful source of information that is delivered with a good sense of humor, making it an easy read. I recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about their Palm device and how to get better use out of your investment.

5 comments about High Output Management.

1. This book made its way onto the short list of books that I have picked up and read cover to cover in one sitting. Andrew Grove helped create a small memory chip manufacturer, and in the face of increased foreign competition, turned his company around to create the largest producer of computer processor chips to date. This book is a concise explanation of the methods and tactics he used to make Intel what it is.



2. Perhaps the strategies in this book work because Intel's people work very hard at implementing them, not because they are inherently better than other ideas.

   When I first started at Intel one of the things I noticed right off was how old Intel employees looked for their age (at least the ones that had been there for 7-10 years or more) compared to the other companies I had worked at over the years. I noticed women only in their early 30's who had worked there since their early 20's, for whom the rosy bloom of youth had long since departed from their cheeks. The men also looked older.

   I am not especially young-looking for my age, but I frequently get comments from Intel employees about how young I look for my age. Maybe that's because I haven't been here that long. Outside of Intel I rarely get comments like this. I may not look that young to most people for my age, but at least I don't look older than my age.

   On an even more sobering note, health researchers have found that people who look old for their age actually have shorter life expectancies, and correspondingly, people who look young for their age have longer life expectancies.

   I suspect that Intel's workaholic employees are the main reason for its success, but I wonder if they themselves understand the toll this success has exacted from them.




3. This was a good book. I was not able to apply all of the techniques, but most of it came in useful. I always liked what Andy Grove did with Intel, his visions and his capability to keep Intel on the top. It's a good book. Read it. It will take you a couple of days, but you will be a better person after you have read it...



4. I worked at Intel for over 5 years, and although this book is chock full of excellent strategies and advice for managers, I saw very little evidence that these principles were being put into use in the company during the entire time I was there, at least in my division, which was one of the bigger ones at the company.

   I will say, however, that Intel is a very odd place to work with its own unique corporate culture, some of which I would say is quite functional, but a lot of it isn't; or at least, the principles they say do work really don't, because nobody has the nerve to apply them.

   A good example of this is their principle of "risk-taking." This gets talked about more than most of the Intel cultural values. The reason is simple, although they say that it's okay to take risks, and that you won't be penalized if you fail, the reality is that no-one in their right mind ever does it if they don't have to. And it's not because your manager will give you a [rear-end]-reaming like you've never had before if your calculated risk fails and becomes a total disaster. That won't happen, because, as I said, they really do take this risk-taking principle seriously. Your boss may even commend you for having the cojones to take the risk even if your little project becomes a spectacular failure.

   The problem is in a much more serious area, unfortunately. If you fail, you'll get penalized through your performance review. (And if you're an exempt employee, all it takes is two below average performance reviews and you can be fired. They don't even have to be really poor reviews). Suppose you spend 6 months working on a risky project that fails. Now it's review time. Because you wasted so much time on this other project, you won't have very many other successful projects to brag about, compared to all the other employees who didn't have the cojones like you did to take a chance, but who now have lesser but at least successful projects they can ballyhoo during "ranking and rating," (or "ranting and raving," as it's called). Hence, you won't be able to compete in Intel's intensive and truly byzantine performance-review process, which insures that people pick safer but less potentially beneficial projects that they know they can pull off and bring in under the wire by review time.

   Another very odd thing about working there is that teamwork is valued almost over and above technical competence and originality. In fact, I would have to say Intel employees are about the most docile, uncomplaining, non-individualistic, and basically whipped employees I've ever seen. Someone should tell these guys it's okay to have a spine or a ... once in a while, instead of going through their work-life as a totally whipped, spineless eclair. Quite frankly, I'm not the most studly, macho guy in the world, myself, but these guys make me look like Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Arnold Schwarzenegger all rolled into one.

   Anyway, whether the principles and strategies in this book are actually being put into practice or not, Andy Grove is certainly a brilliant manager, and Intel is a more than unusually interesting place to work.




5. This book was referred to in a book I read called, The Microprocessor: A Biography (Silicon Valley Series). If you are more interested in what Grove did at Intel to win the microprocessor war, (who's outcome may actually be unfortunate for consumers, in that if PCs wound up with the superior Motorola 680X0 chip we might have better PCs). Do a search on "Operation CRUSH" for more on Andrew Grove.
   
   From the aforementioned book, Pg. 171
   
   "Grove refused to let even a recession force Intel to deviate from its planned trajectory. If Intel was not going to cut back from its current pace and profitability, it would have to increase its productivity instead in hopes of getting the next product generation out the door sooner and steal more market share from the equally suffering competition. Thus, in October 1981, the company announced its '125% Solution.' Simply put, every employee of Intel was expected to work two extra hours each day without pay for the next six months.
   
   At a company with sixty hour work weeks was already the norm, the 125% Solution was something of a nightmare.........."
   
   The "Microprocessor....Biography" book goes on to say that Intel may owe it's success more to the QUALITY of the scientists, engineers and technicians than the excessive work hours and that the need for such hours was questionable.
   
   Some people might be proud to work in such an environment, but I must say I am glad I was working elsewhere and I had a balanced life. I too worked on a microprocessor project internal to Singer and put in some extra hours. I carried my experience from Singer R&D to get an even better job at Bell Laboratories, still working only a moderate, non-mandatory, amount more than a 40 hour work week and only because I was enjoying what I was doing. (If your workers love what they are doing, you won't have to force them to work at their best.)
   
   I have read numerous scientific studies that have shown that it is more important for people to get enough sleep and that excessive hours are usually not productive. Further back, when I was in my 20s, I pulled a few 80 hour weeks, only to find that those of us who were working were giddy and half asleep as we worked. Many times I have gone home for a good night's sleep, only to discover that solutions to problems of the day before were solved overnight by my sleeping brain as opposed to the long nights, cranking away at a problem when nothing got solved.
   
   By the way, about ten years ago, I had heard about some of Intel's sweatshop practices, which led me to insist on AMD boards in two of my PCs instead of Intel. I am now back to an Intel Quadcore "screamer," without which it would take forever to do the graphics work I am now involved in.
   
   Whether one agrees or not with sweatshop work ethics, some customers, like myself, are sensitive to how workers are treated in the companies they do business with.

5 comments about Company Officer.

1. as text books go this read well. easy to condense with highlighted boxes with key points.



2. This is the second worst fire service text I've ever been exposed to; filled with misinformation, bad grammer, and sloppy prose. From mislabeling Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to misnaming FDNY's Squad 252, calling it Squadron 252 (I don't think the FDNY deploys any fighter planes), this book offers no practical and very little academic advice for the aspiring company officer.
   In regards to the student workbook, most workbooks usually reflect their source text in both content and syntax - not here! Several of the questions in the chapter quiz sections use language that is so radically different from the text book, it is difficult to find an answer. This inconsistency forces the student to infer an answer, which often occurs during an exam, but shouldn't be part of studying. The lack of an answer key renders the book useless.



3. A must for Fire Officers preparing for certification or testing.
   The book is layed out good. Covers many aspects of management, communication and "people skills".



4. This book is pure babble and conjecture. Chapters start off focused and end up taking you in circles while trying to explain information that has NOTHING to do with an Company Officers Job! Who let this guy publish anything? They whole book could be condensed into 50 pages, instead the author fills pages with babble and conjecture. Dont waste your money. An ifsta book would be much better than this garbage! Im pissed they made me select a single star that it doesnt deserve!



5. This edition is a much better read than edition 1, I hope the next edition takes out more of the fluff and adds more material from those delivering the fire service. If you get nothing else out of the reading, than communication is the key, it was worth the price of the book.

5 comments about Measure Twice, Cut Once: Simple Steps to Measure, Scale, Draw and Make the Perfect Cut-Every Time. (Popular Woodworking).

1. I've finally read through this book. It was what I expected and I would recommend it for people to learn layout and how to go from a drawing to the work bench. It is a general book that gives you solid principles on measurement and proportion.



2. I don't know about you, but after years of hanging around serious woodworkers, constantly tuning and improving expensive equipment, and buying measuring tools accurate enough to build a space shuttle, I've come to the conclusion that accuracy is a goal never quite achieved. And that is if you are lucky. I can't tell you the number of times I've cut four boards of 'precisely' the same length, run them through a locked down finger joint jig, and managed to produce a box that is 1/16th of an inch wider from side to side than it is from front to back. So when I found Jim Tolpin's book I grabbed it on the hope that it contained the one secret I had missed.
   
   Unfortunately, if you've spent three years woodworking you already know most of what is here. Tolpin's secret is simply the rigor of working through stages of drawing and then cutting to the drawing. Now I already use a drawing package to lay out work, so I can reel off life size diagrams that tell me everything is 1000th's. And I find it far more accurate to use the diagrams for assembly and rough measurement and fit every piece by hand. If for no other reason than the tendency of wood to change size with temperature, moisture, and the will of God. Tolpin's explanations are helpful if you don't use a design methodology at all. But if you follow his advice slavishly, you will through out more wood than you should.
   
   What I did find very useful is his final section on what to do when you really don't get it right. Several of his tricks for changing the dimensions of a piece of wood which is the wrong size at the wrong time will save you the cost of the book in one cut. These aren't necessarily easy techniques, but they are far better options than giving up. I also found the pictures of some of his more exotic measuring tools very interesting. Although it will be a long time before I spend $200 on a depth gauge. There is a good section on proportion as well. Tolpin does describe some jigs, but there aren't any plans for them. For those you will have to look elsewhere.
   
   I also wish Tolpin had spent some time on computer aided design - at least enough to show what it can do. More of us already have the equipment around, and it can save a lot of time and erasing. Still, if you are just starting out by yourself, without access to training, this is a useful volume to have on hand. It gets you past the point of thinking that creating a cabinet is a combination of magic and pure luck.



3. Tolpin delivers an excellent piece that seems designed for intermediate or seriously aspiring woodworkers. My guess is that it would scare off novices rather quickly. I think I fit into the right target audience, and I enjoyed the book enough to read it cover-to-cover in two sittings. I will not, however, follow all his advice - at least not yet in my woodworking career. He explains great techniques for the mechanics of going from idea sketches to scale drawing, to life sized drawings. Like I said, I think my level is where the book is aimed, but frankly, the artistic part of design is where I feel the weakest, and his book doesn't help a whole lot there beyond the golden ratio. I didn't expect the book to do that for me, but neither did I expect it to spend time on drafting. Since I do not yet feel comfortable with coming up with my own detailed designs, the mechanics of putting the designs on paper are not that useful to me yet. Further, if I ever get to that comfort level with design, I'm not sure I will need the drafting process to implement them.
   
   btw, the title for my review is based on the fact that Tolpin, like most, recommends that you keep measuring off of rulers (etc.) to a minimum and use story sticks and the like whenever there is more than one piece to cut to a particular length.
   
   Bottom line is that I would buy the book again, and would probably replace it if lost or destroyed. It would not be at the top of my list, however, and I would not give it as a gift to a raw novice who was just trying to see is s/he liked woodworking.



4. This book really helps to understand things so basic that many designers (architects) have forgotten all about them. Like the Golden Rectangle and the Fibanacci (sp?) progression - which result in pleasing relationships in furniture or buildings. There are many many other ideas for helping you design great looking woodworking projects - recommend it highly.



5. I confess to being a Jim Tolpin fan. He writes like he enjoys teaching and really wants the reader to understand. This book will have tips helpful to all levels of woodworking experience. While you can find the same topics covered in other books, Tolpin explains things clearly. If you follow his instructions, you can duplicate his results. This book is in my stack to be read again soon to see what I missed the first time through.