Here's a review (the first I believe) of Made by Hand by Jim Voos of San Carlos, California. Jim is a former College of the Redwoods student and these are his thoughts-
Tom Fidgen's Made by Hand is a great book to add to your shop. It is useful to both the beginning hand tool woodworker and the experienced furniture maker as well. Let me explain.
For beginners, Tom takes you through the practical reasons for setting up a hand tool shop, the basic set of hand tools you will need to be productive, as well as some of the techniques that you will need to use these new tools.
For the experienced woodworker, it presents the evolution that many of us go thru in our discovery of the craft, from using power tools in a cramped space, to the use of hand tools to add a new dimension to our work. I found many parallels between Tom's experience and my own, although I don't think it has taken Tom the 30 years it's taken me to get there.
The other thing that I found terrific was the photography of the workshop, tools & techniques that one uses in building great furniture. This is coffee table quality photography in a book that you will want to keep with you on your bench.
The best part is saved for last, and that's the projects. These are beautiful examples of projects that you will be excited to build. I was particularly taken by the Cabinetmakers' Tool Chest. This is a nice piece which can hold your "travelin" hand tools, and incorporates some nice ideas to make it even more useful. I won't give away some of the tricks added to this piece, you will have to discover it for yourself.
I don't know if this is Tom's first effort or not, but I hope he continues writing, and gives us a good book we could use to build our own boat using hand tools. This would be another reference I would love to add to my library.
Highly recommended.
Jim Voos
Jim and Jim at the College of the Redwoods
