Made by Hand: Furniture Projects from the Unplugged Woodshop Review

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(More customer reviews)There has been an unfortunate gap in the literature on hand-tool woodworking. On the one hand, books and DVDs from authors like Garrett Hack, David Charlesworth, Chris Schwarz and Rob Cosman can give you a solid foundation in hand-tool techniques. On the other hand, there are countless articles in magazines like Fine Woodworking and Popular Woodworking describing the construction of particular projects; however, these usually rely heavily on power-tool methods. The hand-tool woodworker has to translate these instructions into the vocabulary of techniques available to him. This might be second nature to an experienced woodworker, but it can be quite intimidating for beginners.
So, a book that focusses on specific projects rather than general techniques is a welcome addition to the hand-tool library. Viewed in this context, this is a great book. The projects are all quite beautiful; Fidgen is a gifted designer. They're also quite different from each other, so by working through all of them, you'll receive a fairly thorough grounding in both the forms (tables, cabinets, chests) and methods (drawers and doors, dovetailed carcasses, frame-and-panel joinery) of traditional cabinetmaking.
The book is also quite inspiring. It won't be joining the pantheon of great woodworking manifestos (see Krenov, Nakashima, Pye), but just glancing through the pages full of beautiful photographs (all of them showing top-notch workmanship) is sure to spark your enthusiasm.
I do have several complaints. As a writer, Fidgen is very much a product of the internet age. Defenders of the English language, who expect things like proper punctuation and complete sentences, can expect frequent irritation. The first section of the book, which is meant to serve as a crash course in tool selection and basic techniques, falls completely flat. Fidgen should have made a serious attempt here (which probably would have increased the size and usefulness of the book two or threefold) or simply left this section out. As it stands, it's a collection of semi-interesting stories and advice that's often vague to the point of being meaningless.
For example, on the subject of the workbench (the single most important object in a hand-tool workshop), Fidgen recounts the tale of how he ended up with two benches, then tells you to read Chris Schwarz's book on the subject. The discussions of fundamental techniques (sharpening, planing, sawing, etc.) are all completely inadequate. His bench hook and shooting board are made of plywood and MDF; in other words, they can't be made with hand tools alone. He inlays a contrasting strip of wood into *both* of his winding sticks, completely defeating the purpose of the strip.
Fidgen now runs a superb blog ([...]), and that's how you should think of this book: if you took a year's worth of blog entries and had them printed and bound, you'd have "Made By Hand." That isn't necessarily a fault. By having a talented woodworker walk you through the construction of some beautiful furniture, you're bound to learn and to be inspired. But if you want a well-organized and reasonably comprehensive text on hand-tool woodworking, you should look elsewhere.

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"Made By Hand" is the definitive book of how to build woodworking projects using hand tools. While there are a number of books on hand tools for woodworkers that provide information about hand tools and their individual uses, no one has put these tools to use on a project. In that regard, this book is unique and will fit in perfectly with the rapidly expanding category of hand-tool woodworking. The six projects and companion DVD offer excellent views of the hand tools in use, and the critical body positioning necessary.

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