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Flaking Out on Friday – Lost Art Press
Many scrapers make light work. Thankfully, things have calmed around here since the madness of last week's multi-day move of inventory from storage to Anthe. With all books now on site we've been able to focus our energy towards the vision for Anthe (as well as packing and shipping orders, of course). Gabe, Mark and…
Points to Know About the Screwdriver – Lost Art Press
FIG. 1. SCREWDRIVER TYPESA. is the large London pattern.B The cabinet type.C. Ratchet screwdriver.D. Electrician’s pattern.E. Plane iron screwdriver. The following is excerpted from Vol. II of “The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years: Techniques." This book is chock-full of invaluable hand-tool technique instruction and tool knowledge…including finer points about screwdrivers. I didn't know until…
More Classes with Chris (Near & Far) – Lost Art Press
I have two more classes this year that have open spots. One in Germany, and one in Indiana. I’m teaching people to build the Dutch Tool Chest in Munich July 14-16. You can register and read more about the class here. The class takes place next to Dictum’s lovely Munich showroom and is easy to…
LAP Open Wire, April 20, 2024 – Lost Art Press
Wally and I are busy today helping students turn the sticks shown above into sawbenches. But Chris is back this week, eagerly awaiting your Open Wire questions. So, please post your (succinct) woodworking questions in the comments below, and Chris will answer. You can also ask him about the massive wave of relief you might…
Tickets on Sale Now for Berea, Ky., Chairmaker Event – Lost Art Press
Randy Ogle weaving in a seagrass seat on a walnut dining chair, from "Backwoods Chairmakers," by Andy Glenn. Tickets are on sale now for the June 2 "Backwoods Chairmakers" Event in beautiful Berea, Ky. The all-day event (9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. EDT) will feature 13 Appalachian chairmakers from Andy Glenn book. We’ve asked each demonstrator to…
Tickets on Sale Friday for Berea ‘Backwood Chairmakers’ – Lost Art Press
Chair by Terry Ratliff, featured on the cover of Andy Glenn's "Backwoods Chairmakers." At 2 p.m. (Eastern time) on Friday we will open up ticket sales for our Backwoods Chairmakers event that will take place on June 2 at Berea College. Tickets will be $33 for the event. This fee covers only the honorariums for…
Make a Chair With Me in Germany – Lost Art Press
I have been invited back to Germany this summer to teach a four-day introduction to chairmaking course at Dictum’s classroom in Niederalteich, a gorgeous monastery in Bavaria. The class is in English (my German is terrible), and the location is a fantastic place to stay and learn. You can rent a room at the monastery.…
Hatchet Shape for Stock Removal – Lost Art Press
Fig. 1.32 It’s a subtle curve, but here you see how the “corners” are lifted up. This keeps the hatchet from digging in as you hew with it. The following is excerpted from Peter Follansbee's "Joiner's Work." Forget what you think about 17th-century New England furniture. It’s neither dark nor boring. Instead, it’s a riot…
See & Meet ‘Backwoods Chairmakers’ in Berea on June 2 – Lost Art Press
A ladderback by Terry Ratliff, one of the speakers at the upcoming event. Andy Glenn’s new book “Backwoods Chairmakers” has been a runaway hit – we’ve about blown through the first press run after only 3-1/2 months. Recently, Andy had the great idea to gather the chairmakers from his book at Berea College so readers…
In Praise of Stick Chairs & Cricket Tables – Lost Art Press
Tim Bowen with two lovely stick chairs. House & Garden magazine in the U.K. has a nice feature on vernacular stick chairs and cricket tables in its current issue. You can read the article here. Tim Bowen of Tim Bowen Antiques is quoted throughout. Tim and Betsan Bowen authored "The Welsh Stick Chair," a lovely…
A Free Download Now and Forever: ‘The Anarchist’s Tool Chest’ – Lost Art Press
The first edition. “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” the book that allowed me to quit my corporate job, is now available as a free pdf download, now and forever. To download it, you need only click on this link. You don’t have to register, give up your email or do any other smarmy marketing idiocy. We…
LAP Open Wire, April 13, 2024 – Lost Art Press
Roy Underhill (left) and Whitney Miller (right) both graced the Lost Art Press shop this week! Update: Comments are now closed. We've had a grand week of visitors and video shoots. Roy Underhill made a quick trip to town, then headed a little farther northwest to experience eclipse totality. And Whitney Miller, author of "Henry…
Help Needed for Woodworker Joel Paul – Lost Art Press
Woodworker and musician Joel Paul – you might know him as 13starsfarm (and formerly as punckrockshaker) on Instragram – had a devastating accident while helping a neighbor to fell a tree. Joel's injuries are severe, and his recovery will be long and expensive. If you can spare a bit, please consider a donation to the…
M. Hulot’s Head & Belly for Low Benches – Lost Art Press
Plate 13 from M. Hulot’s “L’Art du Tourneur Mécanicien” (1775).Plate Courtesy of John and Eleanor Kebabian Any time a picture or video shows up of Chris or me or a student using the low bench to shave spindles, I get questions about the "planing stop" against which the workpiece is held. That's the "Hulot Block"…
‘Toolshed Coloring Book’ – Lost Art Press
Lee John Phillips, an illustrator from Pembrokeshire, West Wales, is no stranger to Lost Art Press. A while back, Chris Schwarz commissioned Lee for the "Family Tree of Chairs" that was on the end sheets of "The Stick Chair Book" and a poster. As much as we love Lee's work for "The Stick Chair Book,"…
Roman Woodworking in the Ancient Huqoq Synagogue – Lost Art Press
Somehow the stunning mosaics unearthed at the Huqoq synagogue during the last 12 years have escaped my attention. Reader Richard Mahler pointed them out to me, and I have been thinking about them all week. (Why? Roman woodworking is the subject of my book “Ingenious Mechanics.”) The mosaic I have been poring over is the…
LAP Open Wire, April 6, 2024 – Lost Art Press
You know how when something goes wrong, we say "Wood hates you?" Well, this chair hates me. But I think this finish is going to work. Update: Comments are now closed. My Saturday goal is to get the final coat of paint on this chair. I just I assume it's going to need a third…
Closeout Pricing on 4 Products – Lost Art Press
We have lowered the price on four products that we are discontinuing. The complete list is here. Many of these products have stopped selling for a variety of reasons. With some products, such as the square kit, I overestimated how many we could sell. With other products, I made a dumb mistake, such as the…
Frank Klausz’s Workbench – Lost Art Press
Frank Klausz's new [in 1987] workbench is rooted in a venerable European tradition. The following is excerpted from "The Workbench Book," by Scott Landis. First published in 1987, "The Workbench Book" remains the most complete book on the most important tool in the woodworker’s shop. "The Workbench Book" is a richly illustrated guided tour of…
The Sawwright’s ‘Set & File’ is Off to Press – Lost Art Press
On Friday, we raised a celebratory toast to Matt Cianci (theSawWright.com) after sending to press "Set & File: A Practical Guide to Saw Sharpening." (Chris had a Sierra Nevada pale ale; I had an Aperol spritz.) And though it was nine years in the making, we think it is worth the wait. In an economy…
Send ’em to Coventry – Lost Art Press
With the addition of Kale Vogt to our staff at Lost Art Press, I have been pondering the meaning and implications of the word "apprenticeship." For me it is a real thing. Apprenticeship requires papers that lay out an agreement. Something like: I will do this. You will do that. And in the end, this is where…
LAP Open Wire, March 30, 2024 – Lost Art Press
Chris is exorcising a demon or a darling – TBD. Comments are now closed. Chris and I are here all day to answer your woodworking questions – in between some work at the bench, of course. You know the drill: post your (succinct) question(s) in the comments field below, and we shall do our best…
We’ve Launched 2 New Substacks – Lost Art Press
Kale assembling a chair. This week we launched two new substacks that you might want to check out. Never SponsoredFor the last 28 years I have been neck-deep in the world of woodworking tools. First as a user and reviewer of tools for Popular Woodworking Magazine. Then as a designer, maker and user of them…
For Sale: Irish Stick-back Armchair in Oak – Lost Art Press
Today I am offering for sale this low-slung armchair in red oak. This chair is completely set up for lounging, and is about as comfortable a chair as I can make (it’s comparable to the Gibson chair). The seat is low – 16-1/4” – off the ground, like old stick chairs. The seat tilts 4.5°…
Screws – Lost Art Press
The following is excerpted from our reprint of "Woodworker's Pocket Book," edited by Charles H. Hayward. I have screwing on the brain (so to speak) because I've been teaching Kale about pilot holes and clearance holes. I could have just handed this book to Kale, and it likely would have provided more clarity than did…
‘What D’ye Lack?’ – Lost Art Press
Sunday thoughts from Charles Hayward (excerpted from "Honest Labour" – a collection of essays from The Woodworker magazine). The mediaeval system of apprenticeship, by which the apprentices helped to sell—in booths which then served as shops before their master’s dwellings—the wares they had made, had one considerable advantage. It brought the maker of an article…
‘The Anarchist’s Tool Chest’ Sale Ends Soon – Lost Art Press
Signing books in our warehouse. Look at that floor space. And the window isn't blocked by inventory. Our sale of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” – our bestselling book – ends at midnight March 31. Until then, the book is $34 – 34 percent off – and comes signed by the author and a special bookmark.…
LAP Open Wire, Sat. March 23, 2024 – Lost Art Press
This picture is from 2019; no we did not haul my 400-pound Gluebo bench back to the shop. NOTE: We are having technical difficulties with Word Press's commenting system today. Our replies are not posting. Or they are posting and then disappearing. (Both Megan and I are having this trouble on separate machines.) We are…
Woodworking Profiles, All in One Place – Lost Art Press
I was chatting with Kara Gebhart Uhl about some new "Meet the Author" profiles, and realized that while we have a blog category for Nancy Hiller's "Little Acorns," we don't have an easy way to find the profiles Kara and others have written. So, I've added a new category to our drop-down menu: Profiles. There,…
‘To draw the several kinds of mouldings made by Joiners’ – Lost Art Press
Kale and I had a brief discussion of mouldings and moulding planes last week as she worked on her tool chest, and raised a square panel for one piece using a rabbet plane. And that reminded me of Peter Nicholson's discussion of moulding profiles, which I love in large part because of the mellifluous nomenclature.…
Next up for LAP – Lost Art Press
Megan is finishing Matt Cianci’s book “Set & File: A Practical Guide to Saw Sharpening,” and I’m polishing “The American Peasant.” Both books will go to the printer within the month, and then we will turn to our next publishing projects. Here’s what is coming up. Megan is (still) working on her Dutch tool chest…
Meet the Author: Andy Glenn – Lost Art Press
Andy Glenn is the author of the newly released “Backwoods Chairmakers: In Search of the Appalachian Ladderback Chairmaker.” He found more than 20 of them and earned their trust then, beautifully and authentically through words and photos, told the stories of their lives and their work, which has been handed down through generations for more…
LAP Open Wire, March 16, 2024 – Lost Art Press
Comments are now closed. We'll circle back after hours for any unanswered ones. Psssst...or pspspspsps... You. Yeah, you! You got a woodworking question? Ask in the comments below, and my amanuenses (Chris and Megan) will do their best to answer. At 5 p.m. Eastern, though, they have to stop. It is then time for treats.
Legging Up the (Kinda) Old Way – Lost Art Press
Legging up with a laser. That's new.... Every single vernacular stick chair I have studied uses cylindrical tenons. None have tapered tenons and mortises. Yet, I teach many first-timers to use the tapered joint. What gives? The tapered joint requires some special tooling, but you get a few chances to dial in the final angle.…
Dovetails: Efficient Waste Removal – Lost Art Press
3-13A. Chisel used to size tails. One-hit tails. The following is excerpted from "Shaker Inspiration" by Christian Becksvoort. Not too many woodworkers can claim five decades of business success, but Becksvoort is among them. In “Shaker Inspiration,” he shares not only his woodworking knowledge and some of his best professional techniques for producing top-quality work,…
Anthe Update: Some Good News – Lost Art Press
Our future retail space is now clear of piles of books. Our fulfillment center at the Anthe (pronounced Ann-thee) Building is now fully operational. The material lift has been repaired, the new roof is on, the skylight has been replaced, the back wall masonry has been rebuilt, and we have dehumidifiers on every floor –…
Meet Our New Assistant Editor: Kale Vogt – Lost Art Press
Kale Vogt grew up just south of Covington, in Burlington, Kentucky, in a close-knit family – mom, dad and an older brother, T.J. A self-proclaimed “art kid,” Kale was athletic, playing soccer through high school, and loved to spend time outdoors. Kale’s mom is a special needs bus aide for elementary students, and Kale’s dad served…
Open Wire: March 9, 2023 – Lost Art Press
The calm before the class. Megan is teaching a class on building a Shaker silverware tray here at the storefront this weekend, so y’all are stuck with me and Wally the cat for Open Wire. We are happy to answer your woodworking questions here on Open Wire. Simply type your question into the comment box…
Bashing out Dados by Hand – Lost Art Press
With Chris out of town this week, Megan and I determined this a perfect time to wreak havoc around the shop. And by "havoc," us nerds mean finally getting around to finishing my first Dutch tool chest. In this video, Megan demonstrates her dado cutting process using hand tools while I film. What if my…
Wooden Handles, from Robert Wearing – Lost Art Press
The following is excerpted from Robert Wearing's "The Essential Woodworker" – one of the two of our books I most frequently recommend to those getting started in hand-tool woodworking. (The other is "The Anarchist's Tool Chest.") "The Essential Woodworker" is filled with more than 500 hand-drawn illustrations by Wearing that explain every operation in a…