Lost Art Press

Now Available (for Free): ‘The Anarchist’s Workbench’

Posted on by Lost Art Press

You can now download a free pdf of “The Anarchist’s Workbench” via this link. It is a direct link. You don’t have to register for anything, submit your email or even declare you aren’t a robot. 

The file contains no DRM (digital rights management). It is not locked. And it is covered by a creative commons non-commercial license. This allows you to adapt and distribute the material in any way you like – as long as it isn’t sold.

Or, if you prefer, you can place a pre-publication order for the book from our store via this link. The book is $27 and is on its way to the printer. It should ship in late August. The 344-page 6” x 9” book will be printed on #70 matte coated paper. Its signatures will be sewn and secured with fiber tape for durability. The pages will be hardbound and covered in cotton cloth. Like all Lost Art Press books, “The Anarchist’s Workbench” is produced entirely in the United States.

Why are we giving this book away for free? You can read all about that here. You can read more about the book in the description in our store (there’s a download link there as well). You also can read more about the workbench in this earlier blog entry.

In the coming weeks, I hope to release the electronic construction drawings (in SketchUp) plus other supplementary materials. I just have to get them semi-presentable first.

If You Find Typographical Errors

Some of you are speedy and careful readers. If you do find a typographical error in the pdf, would you send a note to Megan Fitzpatrick at fitz@lostartpress.com? Though a lot of people have edited the book, there are always a few things that slip through. Thanks.

— Christopher Schwarz

66 thoughts on “Now Available (for Free): ‘The Anarchist’s Workbench’”

  1. Thank you (And i’ll be buying a paper copy as soon as Classic Hand Tools gets em in).

  4. Any idea on when it’ll be available in Canada? Or have you ironed out your arrangement with Lee Valley enough that we’re finally going to get access at the same time? 😬

    1. Hi Dan,

      I don’t know if Lee Valley will carry it – it’s up to them of course. When they do order a book they usually order it as soon as it’s available. We ship it immediately. Sometimes it takes some time for the book to enter their system. So the short answer is that everyone does what they can as soon as they can.

  6. Asked on Facebook but I’ll ask here as well…What are the chances we would see “The Anarchist’s Cookbook”?

    1. Hi Jim,

      I wish we could still do that. It was taking up a lot of my time. And when I got behind it was delaying books being shipped out.

  9. Thank you!!! Im still ordering the hard copy but it feels like christmas.

  10. I just read the part about Penguin now owning the rights to your old Workbenches book. I didn’t know that. Who owns Handplane Essentials, the Riddler?

  11. I’m reading it now, waiting for delivery of the hard copy. This is timely as I have not finished your Roubo. Working on the Chop now.

    Thank you Chris!!

    Doug

  12. I wish I was the kind of man who could be satisfied with an electronic copy, but alas, I need trees to die for my recreational pleasure. It’s just who I am. Though, I’ve seen a lithium mine, trees grow back, so I don’t feel so bad.

  13. Wonderful Chris – I just took a very quick scan but I read chapter 10 and it’s amazing. I will come back to that chapter many times I’m sure.

    Jim Stewart

  15. Chris!! Your name is epic! But also, I must say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am starting the build for my very first bench this weekend after finishing numerous products on a rickety old 2×4 frame that isn’t safe to balance a beer on. I’m so excited to have this book in my hands and I’ve already put in the pre-order so it can sit next to the other anarchist books on my shelf. You are a gentleman and a scholar. Best of wishes to you and the entire lost art press team. You guys are the best.

  17. will there be an email acknowledgment of our preorder? I think I ordered it, but was surprised by an order screen after I paid for it… my fault, I’m sure, but … did I or not?

  19. Thank you Kindly for the pdf. Just preordered the book as well.

  20. Thanks for doing this, Chris. I’ll be sure to also order a hard copy.

    What’s the symbol on the front? I know it appears throughout your shop, or at least on your stoop, but I’m not familiar with it.

  21. Thank you sir. I bought your original workbench book along with some of PW workbench articles. I appreciate this freebie, though I’ll probably end up buying the book.

  22. Thank you for this gift to the woodworking community. It will be shaping workshops for centuries to come. I scanned over the PDF, and liked what I saw so much, that I ordered a hardcopy. I hope to have CS sign it some day.

  24. Thanks for the freebie but I’ll still buy the hard copy. I like the feel of a good book and you guys do make good books. I just can’t get used to reading a book on the iPad. (Although, I don’t mind being able to enlarge the print on the PDFs. Old eyes. )

  25. I love you…err… I mean, I thank you. Yep. That’s what I meant.

  26. Thank you for the PDF! I will patiently wait and buy the hard copy at Lee Valley when it becomes available. I just picked up Honest Labour a few days ago, and I wanted to thank you for publishing it, the book is fantastic! I think every woodworker should have this book, not just for the text, but for all of the outstanding drawings that provide inspiration and many ideas for new designs.

  27. A northern thank you for this free PDF from an appreciative furniture maker in Calgary, Alberta. Looking forward to reading and absorbing at length.

  29. Dude! Thank you so much for posting this! Big fan of what you’re doing. Gonna get on that preorder pre-order for sure.
    Take ‘er easy!

  30. Thank you for all your hard work, and all your partners in crime that work with LAP bring all this great info to the community!!

    $0.02 from the peanut gallery. I just read Appendix B and two ideas I have used in the field, inspired by Ingenious Mechanix, are: use a 2×12 spanning two 5 gallon buckets, or an aluminum “work platform” to make a low bench in a pinch. For both just make sure you have a hand screw for a vise and a couple of nails/screws/clamps to improvise a planing stop, and your in business.

  32. Downloaded and read well in to the wee hours! Great that you timmes the release to my first week of vacation. Very considerate of you!

  34. Typo on pg 177 -> “with a spit top.” Presumably should be “with a split top”

  36. Thank you for your ventures into “open source”. I love PDF, and will love the book.

  37. Yay! Thank you.
    Please put ‘internal doubt & defiant retort’ on everything from t-shirts to my headstone.

  38. I spit up some coffee laughing this morning at the epoxy table joke. Thank you for making me laugh during tough times.

  39. The open source is a sign of hope in an epically changing world. Thank you. Can’t wait to get the physical book in my shop!

  40. I finished my first pass read last night (couldn’t put it down). One thing that I had trouble picturing was the spacer block nailed in and then driven out. If you have more pictures of that step, I’d love to see them on the blog.

  41. Thank you for offering your hard work free for everyone. The rarity of the approach makes it even more valuable.

  42. Read the whole book last night sitting around the fire pit while burning poplar scraps left ovEr from building your ‘final’ bench design. It is the best bench for me, having built 2 previous benches that were never quite right. Thanks for the preview, this is why most of the books I purchase are from LAP, you folks treat everyone with respect.

  44. Grrr! After reading all of your ‘glowing reviews’ and heart-felt support of Southern Yellow Pine, I started a search. Nope! Not out here on the West Coast. Nada, Zip. No Longleaf (Heart Pine) either. Maybe it’s going to be Poplar for me? Damn!

    1. Plenty of Douglas Fir, though. Loved the book’s section on pricing per pound.

    2. Chris has been saying for years that the best bench is made from the hardest, heaviest, cheapest wood available to you. Dimensional construction lumber almost always fits that bill perfectly. Where chris lives, SYP is available. In old Europe it was beech. For me Doug fir or white pine. In the end, doesn’t matter. They’ll all make a great bench.

  46. I almost always buy both the hard and digital copies when I buy books from LAP, not sure why, the only times I’ve actually read the PDFs was when waiting for the hard copy, but I just do. I was a little sad to see no free shipping on pre-order, but I got over it when I didn’t have to buy the PDF version 🙂 Thank you, for all you do Chris. I’m glad I got to meet you at the MN Woodworkers Guild fall seminar this past year. I changed for the better, hopefully.

  47. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for hacks like me.

  48. Thank you, it’s very generous of you! I am loving it so far, including some of the subtle potty jokes.

    I am a little surprised you didn’t have more to say on split tops. There a little blurb, with no very strong feelings either way. I do think a split top goes a long way towards making clamping on a Nicholson easier.

  49. I love the fact that you offered this a free download. Of course I had to buy a printed copy. Now I’m trying to figure out a way to get to your storefront so that I can ask Chris to sign my copy.

  50. First off, thanks for this book. I read it and enjoyed it. I dont think I will be building the bench in the book but who knows. It is a beautiful bench no doubt. This year I built a 12′ English joiners bench using yellow pine off the plans from Richard Maguire. I love it and I wanted to tell you about a workholding technique I stumbled on. The top ended up hanging over on the back side about 3.” I was going to cut it down with a skilsaw later but decided to leave it and see if it would be useful. It is! I drilled a couple holdfast holes in the top but nothing extravagant. One day I realized that using a vise grip clamp on that back edge I can clamp my does foot anywhere a long the bench to secure any length of board for planing quickly. I also left gaps in The top and I can clamp stuff to the bench using f-clamps that have the rivets filed off. When I got done with the thing I thought I might be done building benches it just seems to fit so well. Anyways your work has been an inspiration to me in trying to get my own setup going and again thanks for everything and happy building!

  51. Thank you for making this freely available. It was un-put-downable.

    What is it about workbenches that make them so fascinating? Is it their cross-cultural way of talking to us?

    There’s also something about the timing of your gift in this pandemicked world…

    The sheer mass of your research is astounding. I reckon most of us who greedily eat up those pages wouldn’t actually embark on such a project. Or am I wrong? Maybe you have been inspiring us in all sorts of journeys.

    Hats off, from the UK,

    Christopher

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