Lost Art Press

Our Christmas Gift to You: Henry Adams’s ‘Joints in Woodwork’

Posted on by Lost Art Press

Thanks to our customers, 2010 has been a record year for Lost Art Press. The book “The Essential Woodworker” has sold like crazy – we had to go back to press for a second printing after only four weeks. We sold out completely of our first book, “The Art of Joinery,” and overall sales have been great.

To thank you, we’d like to offer you a small downloadable gift: Henry Adams’s “Joints in Woodwork.” What, you’ve never heard of it? Well read on.

We first learned of this document years ago when reading “Spons’ Own Mechanic’s Companion.” The authors of Spons called out this Adams’s document as the definitive source on wood joinery. So we have been looking for it for a few years now.

This fall, I finally found it bound into a series of papers presented by Henry Adams, a professor of engineering at the City of London College. Most of the papers dealt with steel structures, ironwork, fireproof floors and cisterns. But there is also a paper that Adams presented to the Civil & Mechanical Engineers’ Society on March 1, 1877, called “Joints in Woodwork.”

What’s neat about these papers is that they include these huge 11″ x 15″ foldout posters relating to each topic. Then there is a 33-page paper discussing the joints. After reading Adams’s paper, it’s clear that most of the audience was concerned with carpentry first and joinery second.

So there is a lot of discussion on 19th-century house construction. But if you look past that, I think you’ll find some really good information in here. Adams’s six principles for designing any joint are excellent, and I haven’t seen those published anywhere. The discussion of the material itself is also interesting, including how the medullary rays play a role in splitting.

But the coolest part of the paper is by far the poster, which contains all manner of joints that we (and carpenters) use to build furniture. And it’s done in a nice 19th-century style. I’m going to print it out on nice paper and hang it in my shop.

Using the links below, you can download both the poster and the 33-page paper. There’s nothing to buy, or register for or what not. Just click on the links and the download will begin.

Download the “Joints in Woodwork” poster.

Alternate non-Google link: https://blog.lostartpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/joints_in_woodwork_illo2.jpg

Download the “Joints in Woodwork” paper.

Alternate non-Google link: Henry_Adams4

We hope you enjoy this little gem from 1877. Thanks again for supporting Lost Art Press.

— Christopher Schwarz

9 thoughts on “Our Christmas Gift to You: Henry Adams’s ‘Joints in Woodwork’”

  2. Thanks Chris and John, not only for the download but for all the advice and info you guys put out during the year. Merry Christmas to you both and your families and a very happy and prosperous new year.

  3. Chris,

    Thanks for the Henry Adams downloads. Thanks too, for the thoughtful, historic dimension that you and the folks at Lost Art Press are adding to modern woodworking.

    Roubo in English – fantastic!

    A readable and annotated Moxon – superb!

    Keep surprising us.

    Besides that "something" in a glass bottle or a glass, nothing complements a great day with tools and wood quite like a good, readable book. Thanks to all at Lost Art Press for the addition of highly enjoyable and readable books. Thanks also to Don Williams for the Roubo posts and to Don and Michele Pagan for the Roubo to come.

    Kent Ryan, Cincinnati

  5. Thank you, Chris. I am glad Lost Art Press had a great year. I wish you, and everyone else involved, an even better 2011. And I look forward to wonderful things, as the Roubo translation moves forward.

    Al

  6. Thank you Chris for all you do! Merry Christmas to you and your family and may next year be even better!

  7. Thanks, y’all! It’s been fun reading the blog, buying books, and trading shirts. 🙂

    Happy Holidays!

  8. Thanks guys for making this available.

    I’m glad LAP had a great year and I’m glad I played my little part in it…..some very useful, peviously hard to find information became available in nice to read print and format. Thank you for that!

    I hope the next year will be at least as good…but probably will be even better with the things that are already lined up.

  9. Chris and crew,

    Thank you for the download. I have to say that I like your business model and wish you great success. You make us feel like we are dealing with close friends. I have felt that I recieved great value from everything I have gotten from you and I can’t wait to see what’s coming up.

    Have a prosperous and Happy New Year,

    Clark

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