When traditional woodworkers wanted to improve the speed, accuracy and repeatability of their work, they developed clever jigs and fixtures such as shooting boards, a flexible straight edge and a grass­hopper gauge. But the vast majority of those aids were user-made and disappeared from sight when power tool woodworking took over in the 20th century.

The result? Beginning hand-tool woodworkers today often experience unnecessary frustration because they don't know that simple shop-made aids can vastly improve their work.

Hand Tool Jigs & Fixtures changes all that. It reintroduces traditional user-made devices, unveils others author Graham Blackburn grew up with, and expands upon those with more recent adaptations and even some manufactured items.

Most of the user-made jigs are simple to construct and use. And once you've tried them in your shop you'll quickly see they will make all the difference between frustration and success in your woodworking.