Same monkey.
Different tools.

Meet the Head Monkey.

I am Jason Dillon—the same monkey behind 57 Monkeys. I have spent two decades building software, with an unreasonable eye for detail. It turns out that habit follows me into the workshop.

Jig-Jitsu started with jigs. Then came organizers, adapters and the other useful things I wanted while building out my shop. The name stayed. The scope did not.

Build what I need. See who else needs it.

I generally start with something I want, need and will actually use. A hose that needs support. A case full of loose parts. Two tools that seem determined not to work together.

I build it, put it to use, find the detail I missed, and make it better. Then I see whether anyone else has the same problem. Occasionally the quick fix develops its own to-do list.

That approach may broaden as Jig-Jitsu grows. For now, most of the ideas come from the tools I own, the work I do, and the things I want to improve around me.

Serious about the work. Less so about myself.

The useful part is the thing that ends up in the shop. Does it fit? Can I get a tool onto that bolt? Is this actually better, or have I just found a very elaborate way to avoid moving a hose?

The journal is where I share the build stories, including the awkward bits. Some projects will become models, plans or products. Others will remain unusually well-documented solutions to problems only I appear to have.

If your workshop has the same problem…

Tell me. Files, plans, a finished part, a version for a different tool—I would like to know what would be useful. That is how a fix for my shop might earn a place in yours.

Jig-Jitsu is a brand of 57 Monkeys. The monkey count remains aspirational.