Made By Hand

When Tom Fidgen moved his shop from his place in the country to downtown in a big city (where there was "no shop space to speak of"), he left his power tools behind and said he would "build with my hands like my grandfathers did before me..."

He spent the next year doing just that, all the while writing a book about woodworking using only hand tools. "Made By Hand" is that book, which also happens to include a 45-minute companion DVD that helps bring the book alive, even beyond the excellent photography and prose of the book itself.

He shares his personal experiences of learning and using tools, covering their history, technique and practical application, then sets about designing and building six projects: a cabinetmaker's tool chest, a dovetailed wall cabinet, a side table with tapered legs, a bookcase with mortise and tenon doors, and a modern take on a classic hunt board cabinet.

This book gently inspires the reader to slow the pace of woodworking and life, and allow time to reap the rewards of honest work done using only your hands to power your tools.

Hardcover. 160 pages. Published by Popular Woodworking Books, 2009.
ISBN 978-1-55870-895-2

Notice to residents of California: Click here to view Proposition 65 warning