Estonian Chests, American Peasants, Adjectivial Thoughts & More!

View this email in your browser Mental Trips to Wales & Estonia (& Some American Peasantry) A quick look at all the stuff Lost Art Press published during the last seven days. We've a new book on the way to the printer, and a new cover for Chris's "American Peasant" – and we're all busy with projects. Chris is teaching a chair class (quelle surprise), Kale is working on one of their apprenticeship chairs and I'm about to dive in on a blanket chest build for the January Colonial Williamsburg Conference. And of course, we're writing/editing/making hammers/signing books and more! Lost Art Press Blog New Cover for 'American Peasant' – Plus A New Book The second printing of "American Peasant" (now back in stock) features a detail of a peasant cupboard Chris drew for the book. Plus, we sent "Good Eye" – the latest from Jim Tolpin and George Walker – to press! LAP Open Wire, Nov. 16, 2024 There are 100 questions and answers on all things woodworking (OK – chairs predominate) from Saturday's Open Wire. (The next one is on Dec. 14.) Building Chests – from 'Woodworking in Estonia' "Of older products of woodwork, the coffin and chest merit special mention, since already in feudal times a variety of methods were being employed for joining their sides, legs and the lid." Read more about the process in this excerpt. The American Peasant Substack Meet Arthur Lewis: Luthier, Chairmaker, Gardener In our recent visit to Wales, Chris Williams introduced Chris Schwarz to Arthur Lewis – a fascinating person who can do just about anything with his hands. (For paid subscribers, with a free preview) Earlywood: It's OK (Good Even!) When They Hate Your Work Dugout chairs: a vernacular form that sprouts from a simple idea – Even a rotting tree has a use. (Free for everyone) The Anarchist's Compass No. 3 "The smartest people I've met aren't doctors, engineers or lawyers. They're farmers, furniture makers and (of course) warehouse managers." (For paid subscribers, with a free preview) Adjectives are for A-holes "Can a Methodist make Shaker furniture? Can a Seattle woodworker make Tidewater furniture? Can a 21st-century woodworker make Federal furniture?" (For paid subscribers, with a free preview) The Anarchist's Apprentice Substack Permission Granted "'I think what seeing these chairs in person for first time did was give me permission.' "He didn't have to elaborate; I knew exactly what he meant." (For paid subscribers, with a free preview) Never Sponsored Substack 2 Luxury Drill/Countersink Thingys Chris compares the Festool Centrotec Countersink Drill Bit, 3.5mm Pilot (492523) and the Amana Carbide Countersink Bit (55294) – after some sub-stellar Snappy experiences. (For paid subscribers, with a free preview) On Instagram This Week Gotta keep those stick chair feet warm… Visit Lost Art Press Copyright (C) 2024 Lost Art Press. All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the Lost Art Press blog. Welcome! We try our best to make this a good experience for both of us... Our mailing address is: Lost Art Press 407 Madison Ave Covington, KY 41011-1519 USA Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

LAP Open Wire & LAP Holiday Open House

View this email in your browser LAP Open Wire Nov. 16, 2024 & LAP Holiday Open House Nov. 23, 2024 Open Wire: Nov. 16 Chris and I will be at our computers all day tomorrow (that's a lie), ready to answer your woodworking questions (that part is not a lie). You know how this goes: On Saturday morning, we will put up a blog post, asking for your questions. Post your (succinct) question(s) in the entry's comments field, and we shall do our best to answer. Comments will close at around 5 p.m. Eastern. (The final Open Wire for 2024 will be December 14.) Open House: Nov. 23 Join us at Lost Art Press for our 2024 Holiday Open House & Chair Show, Saturday, November 23, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. We will have available at the storefront our full line of books and tools, of course – plus blemished books and tools at up to 50 percent off. (And we will be happy to sign any LAP books, old or new.) We are also putting on a chair show throughout the day that will mostly show Chris's chairmaking arc (and influences) over a 21-year span. There will be an original John Brown Cardigan chair, a Chris Williams' four-stick Welsh stick chair, plus an original Welsh antique Chris bought from chairmaker John Porritt. And, we'll have some chairs made by Chris and Kale, and a Dutch tool chest made by me, to sell. These will be priced less than for what we typically offer our builds online … because we will not have to ship them. (And yes, the tool chest will be blue.) Plus, we have a special guest – Rudy Everts, of Chair Chat fame! (And Wally will be on hand to accept your pets and treats.) And a heads up: This will be the last Open House at the 837 Willard St., Covington, Ky., location – we'll be in the Anthe Building for the next one! – Fitz Follow Us Copyright (C) 2024 Lost Art Press. All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the Lost Art Press blog. Welcome! We try our best to make this a good experience for both of us... Our mailing address is: Lost Art Press 407 Madison Ave Covington, KY 41011-1519 USA Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

Stick Chairs (of course), Hanging Drawers, Anthe Changes & More!

View this email in your browser Mounting Drawers, Old Stick Chairs, Anthe Progress & More! A quick look at all the stuff Lost Art Press published during the last seven days. We are back from the U.K. and have a packed few weeks ahead! I'm busily signing copies of "Dutch Tool Chests" (thank you for that!) and prepping wood for a blanket chest build, Chris is processing wood for an upcoming chair class, Kale is working on a new chair as well as helping to get orders out, and Mark and Gabe have been helping with Anthe projects in between packing and shipping orders. But despite the two-week absence of the editorial staff, we did manage to post a few things over the past seven days – though not as much as we should, and we will soon be back on a more regular schedule. Here's what you might have missed last week: Lost Art Press Blog Three Ways to Mount Drawers Nancy Hiller offers advice on three ways to hang kitchen (and other) drawers, in this excerpt from "Kitchen Think" – wooden slides, side-mounted ball bearing slides and self-closing undermount slides. Investigating Old Stick Chairs Last week, Welsh chairmaker Chris Williams arranged for Chris and some friends to study four old stick chairs in the collection at the Carmarthenshire Museum. Only one of these chairs was currently on display, so it was a chance to see some chairs that aren't in the public eye. Progress on our New Storefront & Offices After more than a year of struggling to get our inventory under control, we did a little rearranging of things in our warehouse and figured out that we have enough open floor space to build our storefront, editorial offices and a new tool assembly area. Here's a look at the new spaces (still works in progress). Now Available: 'Dutch Tool Chests' On May 31, 2020, I (perhaps foolishly) announced that I was writing a book on Dutch tool chests. Ever since, I've been answering "when will it be done" questions. I'm so happy to say finally say that it IS done. And it is, of course, blue. The American Peasant Substack Earlywood: One Tree, Which Tree, Will You Tell Me? This one is a personal favorite, because it is both remarkably silly and true. And we had a lot of fun writing it with friends. (Free for everyone) Tattoos, Piercings & the Future of the Craft "There are times I get so turned around while traveling that I convince myself I'm on the right road, and I fool myself by saying, 'Yup, this is way.' Until – oh crap, that's the ocean – the truth is undeniable: I am 90 miles from where I intended to be. "And I am screwed." (For paid subscribers, with a free preview) The Anarchist's Apprentice Substack 90° Turns Kale and Chris worked with cold-bend hardwood for Kale's next apprenticeship chair…and took a wrong turn. (Free for everyone) Oh – There Will Also be Writing What Kale didn't know when they started working at Lost Art Press is the amount of writing that would eventually be required. We enticed them to join us with: Build chairs! Come in after rush hour! Pack orders! Talk to visitors about woodworking! Shoot and edit video! Cut dovetails! Give Wally pets and treats! I think we might have mentioned there would be the occasional blog post to write. (For paid subscribers, with a free preview) On Instagram This Week Have a look at a few pictures from England and Wales, as well as a few things closer to home. Visit Lost Art Press Copyright (C) 2024 Lost Art Press. All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the Lost Art Press blog. Welcome! We try our best to make this a good experience for both of us... Our mailing address is: Lost Art Press 407 Madison Ave Covington, KY 41011-1519 USA Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

Now Available: 'Dutch Tool Chests'

View this email in your browser 'Dutch Tool Chests' is Now Available to Order in Our Store This one has been a long time in coming. On May 31, 2020, I announced here that I was writing a book on Dutch tool chests. Today, November, 8, 2024, "Dutch Tool Chests" is finally in our warehouse and available to order. (Surprise! – the cover is blue.) Inside the book, you'll find in-depth instruction to help you build your own slant-lid chest, from soup (choosing the wood) to nuts (and bolts – which I suggest you use to attach the chest handles). There are plans and cutting lists for two different chest sizes, as well as for a rolling base that adds storage and convenience for moving it around the shop. I love these chests – and have built more than a few! I find them to be great additions to the workshop and for hauling tools hither and yon when I drive somewhere to teach. (And, thanks to the fun of the "hidden" bottom compartment, these also make excellent toy chests for kids!) But more valuable in the long term (if I do say so myself) than the chest are the detailed lessons on some fundamentals of hand-tool woodworking: dados, rabbets, through-dovetails and more. My intent is that in building this chest, you'll learn skills that will serve you well in all your hand-tool projects to come. The chapter on through-dovetails, for example, includes just about everything I know about cutting (and teaching) this joint. Plus, you'll find a foreword from Roy Underhill, and a gallery of chests from 43 other makers (my favorite part of the book) that shows clever interior (and a few exterior!) modifications. Unique solutions that set them apart, and can be adapted for your own tool storage needs. "Dutch Tool Chests" is 192 pages and is printed on 8-1/2" x 11" #70 matte-coated paper in Tennessee. The pages are folded into signatures, sewn, glued and reinforced with fiber-based tape to create a permanent binding. Enclosing the signatures are heavy (98-pt.) blue-fabric-covered boards. The cover and spine are adorned with a silver foil die stamp. The book is $39 and comes with a free pdf if you order it from us by December 11. And all copies ordered direct from us will have my illegible scrawl of a signature in the front of the book. (We don't know which of our retailers will carry it; I and my cats sure hope they all do! For complete information on that, click here.) Note: Orders placed today (Friday, Nov. 8), will ship on Monday, Nov. 11. – Fitz p.s. Because someone always asks: Fully loaded with my tools for any given class, my white pine chest weighs less than 50 lbs. For now, I can still get it into the back of my car by myself (though it was easier for me four years ago when I first began writing "Dutch Tool Chests"). Follow Us Copyright (C) 2024 Lost Art Press. All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the Lost Art Press blog. Welcome! We try our best to make this a good experience for both of us... Our mailing address is: Lost Art Press 407 Madison Ave Covington, KY 41011-1519 USA Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

View this email in your browser Leveling Up, New Books & Tools, & More A quick look at all the stuff Lost Art Press published during the last seven days. The editorial team is in the United Kingdom right now, so we're a bit behind on our usual post schedule (such as it is). We'll be back next week, so it will be back to normal (as much as it ever is!). Lost Art Press Blog Leveling Legs There are about five or six ways Chris knows of to level the legs of a chair, and he's tried them all. This excerpt from "The Stick Chair Book" is the one he's found easiest to teach. Updates on New Books, Reprints & Tools We got notification that "Dutch Tool Chests" (by me!) shipped on Monday. I'll be signing copies as soon as I'm back, and we'll have those in the store shortly. Plus, we're finishing up work on the latest from George Walker and Jim Tolpin, "American Peasant" will soon be back in stock, Exeter hammer parts are on the works, and more. The American Peasant Substack Black & White Furniture Finishes Chris has experimented with several techniques, including dyes and bleaches and other chemicals to make wood black and white. This entry is basically where he's ended up. (Free for everyone) The Frustrating Bias Against Strut-leg Chairs Stretcher-less stick chairs – what we call "strut-leg" chairs – have survived just fine for centuries. Some of Chris's favorite Welsh chairs lack stretchers, including the first stick chair he built in 2003. Yet, few people want to make them. (Free for everyone) 2 Questions for You The most important lesson Chris has learned from lawyers deals with clients and customers. And that is: How do you start a relationship right, then keep it on track? (Free for everyone) Earlywood: I Love Difficult Teachers This is a tricky topic to discuss. Good teaching can resemble abuse – at least from the outside. But Chris doesn't think that good teachers ever actually abuse their students. Instead, he's found that his best teachers were both scrupulously fair and uncompromising. (Free for everyone) The Anarchist's Compass No. 2 If you demand a discount… (Free for everyone) The Anarchist's Apprentice Substack Wax-On, Wax-Off It's been almost exactly one year since Chris plucked Kale from a bakery to mold them into a chair minion (Kale's words). Now, close to the anniversary of the first talk we ever had together in the bench room, Kale is in Wales: the Motherland. (For paid subscribers, with a free preview) Never Sponsored Substack Saddling Tools for Beginning Chairmakers With tools for saddling a chair seat, the problems are that (1) there are so many different kinds, and (2) some of them are hard to come by. Beginning chairmakers get especially frustrated by this – and with good reason. (For paid subscribers, with a free preview) On Instagram This Week Chris helped 12 people make Welsh stick chairs in London. And we walked around the city – a lot (though not while teaching). – Fitz Visit Lost Art Press Copyright (C) 2024 Lost Art Press. All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the Lost Art Press blog. Welcome! We try our best to make this a good experience for both of us... Our mailing address is: Lost Art Press 407 Madison Ave Covington, KY 41011-1519 USA Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe