A List of July 7 Price Increases

Plus chopping a chair seat and an excerpt from 'Backwoods Chairmakers'

View this email in your browser List of Price Increases for July 7, Plus how to Chop a Seat Out We have finally worked out all of the price increases that will take effect on Sunday, July 7. This blog entry is our final reminder. The price increases will also take effect with our retailers in the U.S. and elsewhere. The price increases for books are the result of increased costs of paper and cotton cloth – plus increased labor costs at the printing plants we use in Tennessee and Michigan. Here are the books that will see price increases and the new prices. By Hand & Eye: $51 (a $3 increase) Doormaking & Window-making: $34 (a $6 increase) Campaign Furniture: $51 (a $4 increase) Chairmakers Notebook: $63 (a $4 increase) The Woodworker: The Charles Hayward Years Vol. 3 Joinery: $47 (a $3 increase) Truth to Tools: $37 (an $8 increase) Making Things Work: $37 (a $7 increase) The Anarchist's Workbench: $37 (a $6 increase) Country Woodcraft: Then & Now: $54 (a $9 increase) Woodworker's Pocketbook: $23 (a $5 increase) The Stick Chair Book: $53 (a $6 increase) Shop Tails: $37 (a $7 increase) The Handcrafted Life of Dick Proenneke: $59 (a $5 increase) Karvsnitt: $44 (a $2 increase) Backwoods Chairmakers $51 (a $4 increase) The price increases for tools are more significant. Metal prices continue to go up, and we decline to switch to plastics or other inexpensive materials (in fact, we are reducing our use of plastic this year). In addition to the cost of metal going up, our price structure wasn't consistent. Some tools (such as the sliding bevel) were way underpriced for all the machining and handwork that goes into them).  Because we want to keep making tools (and develop new ones), we have to make sure that Crucible isn't robbing Lost Art Press. Here the tools and their price increases. Protractor: $66 (a $20 increase) Lump Hammer: $137 (a $36 increase) Crucible Sliding Bevel: $350 (a $140 increase) Crucible Center Squares:  Brass: $197 (a $77 increase) Steel: $113 (a $54 increase) Dovetail Templates (both the 1:4 and the 1:6 & 1:8): (both will be $70 each, a $19 increase) Crucible Type 2 Dividers: $210 (an $84 increase) Warrington Hammer: $133 (a $36 increase) Crucible Engraving Tool: $34 (a $7 increase) GoDrilla: $83 (a $25 increase) Crucible Card Scraper: $25 (a $1 increase) Crucible Planing Stop: $63 (a $12 increase) Crucible Iron Holdfast: $156 (a $12 increase) Before you give us grief in the comments, please keep in mind that all of our products are made here in the States. We pay our employees a more-than-fair wage with health insurance coverage. We could go overseas and reduce our prices (or keep the profits). But we prefer to employ our neighbors. — Christopher Schwarz Chop a Chair Seat with Chris Williams Chris Williams – who worked with John Brown for years and wrote a biography about him – is teaching a Welsh stick chair class in our shop this week. Yesterday, the students saddled their seats. Chris convinced at least a few of them to try his preferred method for rough stock removal: the adze. We caught some of it on video for your viewing pleasure and instruction. Watch the Video 'All Good Things' The following is excerpted from "Backwoods Chairmakers," by Andrew D. Glenn. Part travelogue, part profile and part how-to, "Backwoods Chairmakers" explores the tradition of the enduring Appalachian ladderback form. Glenn takes you inside the shops of more than 20 makers, with photos and personal interviews about their lives and techniques. Then, Glenn shows you how to make a post-and-rung side chair and rocking chair using the traditional techniques explored in the book. ———— "I think it was a lack of choice when I was young. This was successful enough, you just keep doing it, but you're always looking for something better. One day you just realize, 'I don't want nothing better.' That usually comes later in your life." — Randy Ogle I had mixed emotions while pulling away from Terry Ratliff's place for the last time. The day had been filled with laughter and insight, as with each time I traveled out his way. Yet in returning his photo album, I'd removed the necessity for another visit. During this project, the path between our places had grown familiar. I'd gotten better at traversing Terry's drive, and at this point I knew he'd be able to fix the Element even if I ran into trouble. And I was always interested in the chairs. Terry's were some of my favorites. As my travels came to an end, it was natural to weigh the state of affairs. I set out with a simple question in mind: Does the backwoods chairmaker still exist? I found a good deal more makers than I expected. Read the Complete Entry 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

Price Increase (Boo!), Scholarship Class (Yay!) and a Class in London

Act now before prices go up July 7

View this email in your browser Price Hike July 7, New Scholarship Class, A London Chest Class and… Like every company, Lost Art Press has been buffeted by the increased costs of raw materials during the last three years. We have tried to keep our prices steady, but it's just not possible anymore. On July 7, we will increase retail prices on the following books and tools. The price increases on the books will range from $3 to $10. The increases on the tools will be a lot more. Steel and brass prices have been significant. If you have been meaning to buy any of these products, you can save some money by making your purchase before July 7. Here are the products that will increase in price: Books By Hand & Eye Doormaking & Window-making Campaign Furniture Chairmakers Notebook The Woodworker: The Charles Hayward Years Vol. 3 Joinery Truth to Tools Making Things Work  The Anarchist's Workbench Country Woodcraft: Then & Now Woodworker's Pocketbook The Stick Chair Book Shop Tails The Handcrafted Life of Dick Proenneke Karvsnitt Backwoods Chairmakers Crucible Tools Bevel Monkey  Protractor Lump Hammer Crucible Sliding Bevel Crucible Center Squares Dovetail Templates (both the 1:4 and the 1:6 & 1:8) Crucible Type 2 Dividers Warrington Hammer Crucible Engraving Tool GoDrilla Crucible Card Scraper Crucible Planing Stop Crucible Iron Holdfast — Christopher Schwarz Visit the LAP Store Chairmaker's Toolbox Applications Open Applications are now open for this year's full-scholarship class here at Lost Art Press. Six spots are available for six aspiring chairmakers to build a comb-back stick chair in beautiful Covington, Kentucky. The class will be held Sept. 16-20, 2024. If you aren't familiar, The Chairmaker's Toolbox is an organization founded by fellow under-represented chair nerds for under-represented chair nerds. The Chairmaker's Toolbox aim is to provide access and equity in the field of chairmaking. Are you an aspiring chairmaker who has been historically excluded from the trade? This is your class. We encourage you to apply for the chance to work alongside like-minded individuals who share a love for all things chair. Applications are due by July 12th. Apply via The Chairmaker's Toolbox website. – Kale Read more here Dutch Tool Chest Class & London Woodworking Bazaar There are still a few spots left in my Dutch Tool Chest class, Oct. 30-Nov. 1 in London, England. In the class, you'll learn some fundamental hand-tool woodworking skills (planing, sawing and chisel use, as you cut dados, rabbets, dovetails, thumbnail mouldings, chamfers and more – plus how and why to use cut nails) as you build a solid tool chest that will serve you (and your heirs) well for many years. (Note: It also makes an excellent toy chest – kids love the hidden compartment!) Plus, tickets are go on sale Sat., June 22, for the London IWF Bazaar on Fri., Nov. 1 and Sat. Nov. 2. The bazaar will feature Saturday seminars, with talks on 18th-century furniture, cricket tables, peasant furniture, Shaker furniture, saw sharpening and more, as well as the following vendors: Classic Hand Tools, Lie-Nielsen Toolwords, Lost Art Press (hey – that's us!), Bad Axe Toolworks, Ian Parker, The Windsor Workshop, Niegel Melfi/Melfi Planes, Michel Auriou, Richard Arnold, Veritas, Sean Hellman, Skelton Saws, St.John Starkie & Bryony Roberts/The Quiet Workshop, Oscar Rush/Hand Forged Edge Tools, Philip Edwards/Philly Planes, Southern Fellowship of Woodworkers, Furniture Maker's Company, Lowfat Roubo /Derek Jones, G-Sharp Tools/Gervaise Evans, Festool UK, Lamello. The courses and the bazaar are at the London Design & Engineering UTC, 15 University Way, London E16 2RD. 'The Value of Nothing: A Play in Four Acts' The following is excerpted from Nancy R. Hiller's "Making Things Work: Tales from A Cabinetmaker's Life." Standing in contrast to James Krenov's "The Impractical Cabinetmaker" from 1979, Hiller's "Making Things Work" is not about waiting for a particular plank of wood to tell you its true purpose. It is not an exhortation to fuss over each detail, no matter the personal cost. Instead, Hiller's funny and occasionally ribald story is about a cabinetmaker who was trained to work at the highest level possible and how she has dealt with the personal anxiety that occurs when the desire and drive for excellence collides with paying the monthly bills. 1. On the importance of conjunctions. A few years ago I met one of our town's most respected figures: a husband and father who has held several elected public offices and devoted his career to the cause of social justice. As we shook hands he said, "I understand that your work is very good, but not very cheap." "But?" I wondered, biting my tongue. Read the Rest 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

New Chair Class * New Open Wire Dates

Plus a Video on the 'Backwoods Chairmakers' Event

View this email in your browser New Chair Class Plus, New Open Wire Dates Some quick administrative stuff. To try to meet demand for classes on building a stick chair, I've scheduled a class in building a Welsh-style comb-back chair at our Covington storefront for Nov. 18-22. Registration for the class will open at noon (Eastern) on June 24. You can register via this link on June 24. The classes are expensive, I know. The price includes all materials, plus continental breakfast and lunch every day. (We are serious about the food.) The class size is small – six students with one instructor and an assistant. We go to great lengths to make the week special and work hard so you go home with a finished (completely finished) chair. The other bit of news here is that we have to scale back "Open Wire" a bit for the rest of the year. Megan and I are traveling a lot in the coming months, and it's difficult to juggle our Open Wire when one of us is out of town. Here are the Open Wire dates for the rest of 2024: July 20 August 10 September 14 October 19 November 16 December 14 We will post reminders before each Open Wire date. Those are the Saturdays when both Megan and I will be in the office and ready to answer your woodworking questions. Megan and I enjoy Open Wire, but we hate to leave the other in the lurch when the other is traveling or teaching. — Christopher Schwarz More on the Class A Video of the Chairmakers Gathering We kicked off the Chairmakers' Gathering with a welcome, then a few words from Patrick Cecil, a ladderback chairmaker from Cannon County, Tennessee. Patrick shared the rhythm of his work week, from cutting parts to loading 20-30 chairs onto a truck on Fridays – then doing it again the following week. He learned from and worked alongside his grandfather Arlis Thomas. By Patrick's conservative estimate, Arlis made more than 125,000 chairs during his career! (Patrick is somewhere around 25,000.) The (threat of) rain kept us inside for much of the day. Luckily, the workshop areas within Berea College Student Craft were plenty large enough to all the events and the 200 or so attendees.   We had four stages. On the Turning Stage, chairmakers who use the lathe for their parts showed how they work. The StoryTime Stage saw chairmakers share aspects of their careers and their processes; a highlight there was Drew Langsner's slideshow of his years running Country Workshops. Wood was worked and hickory bark was shaved and peeled at the Greenwood Stage. And The Assembly Stage was for chair demonstrations, including Tom Donahey showing his full chairmaking process. Terry Ratliff and Brian Boggs shared some encouraging remarks to close our terrific day.   Now that the event is over, what sticks with me is the generosity surrounding it. Twelve chairmakers traveled to Berea (often from a distance) to share the "how" and the "why" behind their chairmaking careers. The attendees came from around the country to engage. They sat in the chairs in the Gallery and flipped them over for a close look, asked questions at all the stages and during the full-group Panel Discussion, and got autographs from the chairmakers.   Chairmaking is experiencing a moment of excitement right now within the woodworking community, and it was rewarding to see the spotlight on this experienced group of Appalachian ladderback chairmakers and their work.   – Andy Glenn, author of "Backwoods Chairmakers" Watch the Video 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

And a deep dive into planing with David Savage

View this email in your browser Sale Ends Saturday Plus, Meet Saw Sharpener Matt Cianci Our final (I hope) inventory sell-off ends at midnight on Saturday. We have seven titles for sale, from 38 percent off to 54 percent off. My most recent book, "The Stick Chair Book," is one of those books and is just $29 until Saturday. The sale has cleared out the space we need to operate at our new warehouse building in downtown Covington. And it will give us the room to begin assembling our new Exeter-pattern hammers in-house. So thanks for all your help in storing our excess books at your house. The bad news here is that we will raise prices on some books and tools effective July 15. Like all households and small businesses, we have been squeezed by inflation during the last few years and have resisted raising prices in the hope that paper costs would decline. It hasn't happened. The price increase will affect 15 titles, including "Chairmaker's Notebook," "The Anarchist's Workbench" and "Country Woodcraft." I haven't yet done the math for Crucible Tools, but I feel sure prices will go up on our Warrington Hammer and Lump Hammer.  Our original handle supplier in Arkansas decided to stop giving a crap about quality. So we left them and have been using two small companies that are doing a great job for us. But the handles cost five times as much. Next week I'll post a complete list of the upcoming price increases. I wish we didn't have to do this, and we will be as transparent as possible during the process. — Christopher Schwarz What's On Sale Meet the Author: Matt Cianci Editor's note: Matt is the author of our latest book "Set & File: A Practical Guide to Saw Sharpening." In this charming profile, Matt explains how he went from heavy metal guitarist to saw filer. Matt Cianci's mom was reading a book in her living room, having just put Matt down for a nap upstairs, when she saw his 4-year-old body fly past the living room window and crash into the ground. She screamed, jumped up and threw open the door. Matt was in the bushes, a blanket tied around his neck, smiling. "Mom, I can fly!" he said. Matt laughs. "That about describes me," he says. "Always testing the limits of things. I guess you could say I'm a curious person with a vibrant imagination. I'm not a follower of the crowd." Matt was born in Evanston, Illinois, north of Chicago. His parents met in college in the 1970s, married, had a daughter in 1976, Matt in 1977, then moved to a suburb northwest of Chicago. "I have the two greatest parents in the world because they are the two people I look up to more than anyone," Matt says. "I had an exceptionally privileged upbringing, for a very simple reason. Anytime anything ever goes wrong in my life, I just have to take a moment and ask myself, 'What would my parents do?' And it's never steered me wrong." Both of Matt's parents have master's degrees. Matt's father is a biomedical engineer and his mother is a clinical social worker. When Matt was a kid, his mom stayed home, raised the kids and was (and is) a social justice warrior, says Matt, working with the greater Chicago chapter of the National Organization of Women, promoting the Equal Rights Amendment. Read the Entire Profile Here The Transformative Week Editor's Note: The following is excerpted from "The Intelligent Hand," by David Binnington Savage. It's a peek into a woodworking life that's at a level that most of us can barely imagine. The customers are wealthy and eccentric. The designs have to leap off the page. And the craftsmanship has to be utterly, utterly flawless. I am jumping now to what a student experiences during the first week at Rowden. I am doing this because it all fits together. Without the doing, the making, the faffing about in the workshop, all the drawing and waking up, there is no context for when you become a designer and a maker. It's not good enough to sit in a nice clean design office and get your sweaty minions to make for you. Making is what you do. Remember William Morris, and how he was always fiddling with making something or other. Fail to grasp this, and the maker will always be in charge of the dialogue. "No boss, that won't work – you need three fixings there." You need sufficient understanding and knowledge to argue. You need to know enough to suggest a different fixing, and to maintain the smooth identity of your design. So pick up that plane. It's on its side on the benchtop. Wait – maybe first let's have a look at what we have here. Read the Whole Story Here 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