While it might seem obvious to those who already use them, hand tools are often faster and more accurate than power tools. Hand tools let you take shortcuts (no jigs or test cuts) that give you an edge – particularly for one-off projects. There is no “sanding stage” where you drop everything and spend a day refining all your surfaces. With hand tools, if you’ve done things in the correct order, you’re almost ready to finish as soon as you assemble. And that is very cool.
While the first few hand skills can take some time and practice to acquire, once you learn to sharpen, flatten a board and saw to a line, new skills start to quickly build on one another other. You’ll soon realize that nothing is outside your ability – the next skill is just one little step away.
Lost Art Press was founded in 2007 to publish books that teach you these foundation hand tool skills. All our books are printed and published in the United States, with acid-free paper and sewn bindings. Below are a few of our favorite (and most popular) books to help you get started in hand tool woodworking.