With all the new books we’ve released in 2020 (five new titles, with two more about to go through the publishing baby-hole), I haven’t done a good job of discussing the other tools and apparel we are working on. Some will be released soon. Like, next month. Which is October, I am told.
Apparel aka Clothing
First, I’d like to mention that we have the chore coat available in all sizes. If you have been waiting for cool weather and for us to carry your size, today is your day. You can order one here. I wore mine today for the first time this fall, and it was like pulling on my second skin. Un-molting as it were.
With vests, we are switching colors this year to a nice brown moleskin from the same British factory. I’ll publish some photos when they are available. But these are being sewn and will be ready in October. Like our green vests, these are being made by hand in Cincinnati by SewValley.
The big project that designer Tom Bonamici has been working on is our workshirt (shown above). This shirt is based on an old Swedish army shirt that Tom wears when woodworking.
These shirts are made from a 5.5 oz. Japanese solid indigo chambray. Like the chore coat, we had special buttons made that are embossed with “Lost Art Press.” I suspect the shirts will be $165, and we will begin selling them by the end of October. Again, these are being made one at a time in Cincinnati by SewValley.
Also on down the line, Tom is working on our third bandanna design. We came up with some crazy ideas after a couple beers. We’ll see where they lead (which will probably be not crazy).
Crucible Tools
Until recently, most of my effort with Crucible has been keeping our current tools in stock during material shortages and labor shut-downs. We’re also moving production of the Bevel Monkey and Big Protractor to the United States from Great Britain.
Recently I found a little oxygen, and we have been working on two new tools. One I hope to release by the end of the year.
Ed Sutton of (FirstLightWorks) and I have been working on a simple calculator that will calculate sightline and resultant angles for the rake and splay of almost any chair. It’s devilishly clever and will eliminate the need for you to perform a trig function or consult a table. We hope to show you the prototype next month.
In the metalworking department, we are prototyping a cast planing stop for a workbench. This will look like a blacksmith-made stop, but it will be made from ductile iron, so it will be less expensive than a hand-forged one but function just as well.
Also, I have spent a lot of time trying to simplify installing the planing stop into a block of wood. Traditional stops require you to drill a stepped hole in two different sizes. Or to torch the shaft and burn the stop into the block of wood.
I’ve done it both ways. But I always thought there must be a simpler way to do it. The solution came to me in the shower. This planing stop will be easier to install than any other commercial stop I know of.
We are in our second round of prototyping right now. And there is a long road ahead of making the wooden pattern and/or matchplate. But it should be ready in the first half of 2021.
I’m sure you have questions about pricing and 100 other things I didn’t mention, but above is everything I can say right now.
— Christopher Schwarz
I’d still love to see some fish back pants from y’all. So hard to find a good pair!
howdy fred! pants are probably a ways down the list for us, but i highly recommend Old Town Clothing in the UK. they make a few pairs of split back trousers. the price is surprisingly reasonable, about $200. and their quality is absolutely bonkers.
If you take requests, a shirt that I can wear while woodworking in 95-105 degree heat would be nice. I’ve bought everything from cheap to expensive and I haven’t found one that works well yet.
hm, that’s a tough one… if you’re opposed to working without a shirt, try a seersucker shirt. the little fabric puckers keep the fabric off the skin a bit and helps prevent the shrink wrap effect.
in japan, the construction workers all wear lightweight jackets with internal electric fans…. they look like the michelin man but they stay nice and breezy!
Excited to hear about the planing stop. I am really starting to hate the little pop up one I got from Lee Valley(the kind you mortise in). Its more of a sawdust/chip collector and the spring always compresses at inopportune times. Which reminds me I still need to order the pinch rods setup…
Are the dividers coming back?
Not until we can find a way to make them without losing money. They are still an important project. But they are a difficult one. Sorry I don’t have good news for you today.
Lose money? Seems everything you sell has been priced appropriately and fairly! What kind of price would make the dividers worth your time?
Thank you!
We greatly underestimated the handwork required to get the dividers functioning properly. And there were far more rejects than we thought possible. We didn’t want to sell $300 dividers, which is where we would have been making a little money. So we are continuing to think.
Can’t wait for the planing stop! Should be able to fit alot of impressions on a match plate.
I have few regrets and one minor regret is the Saturday at a LAP open house when there were a couple of dividers marked down for blemishes or something only you could find cause for rejection. I had two pair in my hand and thought I’ll go eat lunch, think about it a little bit, then come back later to buy at least one pair.
Oh well…the fish & chips were good…and I’ll just continue to hope for some good news one day (soon).
the other day : “I know this might seem like a “chicken and the egg” paradox, but I was an overcooked baby. I hid in the womb” …
today : “the publishing baby-hole” …
You trying to tell us something, Chris ?
How about Make a Chair from a Tree? Any update on this book?
First half of 2021.
Is Raney still around? I haven’t heard his name in quite some time.
For those few who like to wear suspenders or carpenter style overalls, a shirt with epaulets comes in handy. If you put the suspenders under the epaulets before you fasten them, they will not fall off your shoulders. The epaulets can be used to display whatever motif you want sewn. I use old Army shirts that have epaulets.
I see a small flaw in the business model of using army uniforms for your designs. My Dad left a huge pile of clothing in my room when he finished his service with a sign- take what you want and get rid of the rest. I still use some for the carpentry and maintenance work I do. Being army the dates of manufacture are printed on the label . Two fine knit v neck wool jumpers 1968, flying suit coveralls 1984 (great to put over your work clothes when crawling in floor space), cotton collared long sleeve shirt 1969, wool collared shirt 1969. I was born in 1973. I know and respect the level of quality you guys strive for but this stuff outlasts some of the modern construction clothing I have used by about 20 times. Maybe a one to two decade lifespan would ensure a repeat sale for you at some point!
On the other hand, I love my moleskin vest (so does my wife). Only complaint is it only comes in 1 color. So a new color will most likely create a repeat customer here.
Ohhhhh, no. The last time I put on a Swedish Army shirt I had to serve a full hitch. Never again.
Have you every had requests for a “half size” lump hammer. I love my hammer and often find that a smaller version would be very useful.
I would be on board for one of those!
There are probably others out there, but if anybody is interested in an Excel file that calculates resultant and sightline angles from rake and splay, I have a spreadsheet for that. If interested, visit my blog post of May 7 at tinyshopww dot blogspot dot com, use the gadget to contact me, and I’ll e-mail it to you.
I have a question. What’s the chances the good people of Kentucky will vote Mitch McConnell out of office?
Love the coat but what about the three button shirt in the emailing?
Cheers!