Lost Art Press

LAP Open Wire, February 28, 2026

Posted on by fitz

Got a woodworking question or a query about what’s happening at Lost Art Press? It’s your lucky day – it’s time for Open Wire!

You have until 5 p.m. Eastern to pose your question in the comments section below, and we’ll respond – hopefully with a informed and useful answer…but no promises on that front. Also, we stayed out late at a concert so we might not start answering until a wee bit late.

The remaining Open Wire dates for the year are:
April 18
June 20
August 8
October 19
December 12

Note: Comments are now closed for this session. See you in April.

269 thoughts on “LAP Open Wire, February 28, 2026”

  1. Do you prefer the metal carver vises to the hivise? Do the swiveling function make a big difference?

    1. My Hi-vise looks better, but the metal carver vise gets used much more often for my work.

    2. I do prefer the metal vise. The fact that it rotates and the jaws swivel make it near perfect. I do love the HiVise and the people who make it, but I have to give this one to the metal vises.

      1. Can you post a link to the metal vise you prefer? Is there a blog post that I can refer to for vise? is this the French reproduction of LaForge Royale?

  2. Morning. Any places in the Missouri/Kansas area to view historic Staked furniture/Stick chairs? Or maybe the midwest in general?

  3. Any advice on finding balance between providing authenticity through craft and business profitability?

    1. I’m always confused by the words “authenticity” and “traditional.” But I think I get what you are asking: How to build a business making handcrafts that can stay afloat.

      I have always done it by combining “making/selling stuff” with other things that make money. At first I made and sold stuff on the side while I had a day job. Then I made and sold stuff while teaching woodworking and writing about it on the side. Today I still do those three things, but it is a mix that changes every year.

      We need more woodwork teachers (always). And we need more quality handmade things in our lives. So I’d probably try to combine those two things with something else you know how to do that makes money.

      1. Any advice on how to go about selling stuff? Seems that the modern condition often insists on building a platform or paying rent/fees to someone else to use theirs as a preface for selling outside of the direct circles in which you operate.

        1. Access to markets. You either have to do it the hard way – build a customer base yourself. Or the expensive way – buy access via craft shows, galleries and advertising.

          If there is a third path (a trust fund?) I don’t know about it. I built my own base. And now – finally – after 23 years, I’m doing OK! But I’m slow. Other people are better at selling.

  4. In the revised version of the ATC you suggest replacing the vintage iron of a No5 with a Lie-Nielsen A2 iron. Did you have to make any adjustments to the plane to accommodate the thicker LN iron? Move the frog, file the mouth, etc? I’m assuming you kept the original chip breaker as well.

    1. I think I filed open the mouth. The chipbreaker screw just barely gets a good grip on the breaker. I didn’t modify the frog.

      If you don’t want to do any of that, get a Hock iron or Veritas PMV-11 iron, which can be thinner and easier to get working in an old Stanley.

  5. If a well jointed (long grain) glue joint is as strong as the wood, what is the purpose of the draw-bored loose tenons in glued-up chair seat?

    1. There is theory. And there are real glue-ups.

      In a lab, edge joints made in laboratory conditions are stronger than the wood. But not everyone uses enough glue, or has a perfect seam.

      So the pegged loose tenons are insurance against that. And water (if the chair is left on the porch for 20 years). I try to build a chair assuming that the glue will be compromised at some point in the far future.

  6. What does it mean when you say your business is “unkillable”? You have emphasized the lack of debt. Does unkillable mean that even if demand/revenue plummets, you won’t be forced to shutter the doors, though maybe you wouldn’t be able to pay anybody to keep it running?

    1. We own our building and our workshop and our house. If sales plummet, I could let every employee go and fulfill orders myself – just like we did at the beginning. If there aren’t a lot of orders, then it won’t take too much time to fill them everyday.

      We also have a huge amount of cash in our bank account that we have put there for a rainy day – enough to keep the business running for years.

      We started with this premise and kept it up to this day. Hope this makes sense.

  7. I’m refurbishing some maple building blocks for a local nursery school. What would you recommend as a finish. Thanks!

    1. I think leaving them unfinished would be my first choice. Second would be a soft wax like we make (raw linseed oil, beeswax and citrus solvent). That is an edible finish. Or just some beeswax if you want to keep it even simpler..

  8. I was wondering if you have ever built the 7 stick comb chair with the relaxed lounge dimensions/angles of the Irish Chair? If you have, how did it sit and did it look like the back of the chair was leaning too far back? I assume the arms would run parallel with the seat?

    1. Something that is almost ready to be assembled. There’s a good reason Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts make a lot of birdhouses.

      A three-legged stool would be great. They can shave the legs and the seat. Then knock the legs in.

      When I taught my kids woodworking (at their behest), I didn’t focus on delayed gratification. Mostly, I was trying to ignite the “I made this!” fuse.

  11. I couldn’t find the resultant angles for the legs and back sticks of the Slane chair anywhere. Can you disclose that, or is it an exercise for the class? 😉

  13. I just used India ink for the first time on ash. Love the way it looks. Wondering what I could use for a top coat. Oil? Rubio? The project is a stool. Thank you kindly for your input!

    1. We use soft wax. Though anything will do. Be sure to do a test board because one coat of India ink is rarely enough to get a deep black. I usually apply three coats.

  14. above comment was relative to the metal swivel vise thread. Also, Chris do you still use your Zona saws?

    1. I wish I did.

      Our machine shop is rebuilding their staff after a shake-up. We are just nor getting our existing tools back on track there.

      I hope this year. I love the new hammer.

  16. How do you ensure your kerfs are wide enough to receive the wedges ? I am using a tenon saw to cut the kerfs, but I am consistently having an issue where the wedges do not penetrate deep enough before they snap off, leaving a void that I have to fill. Any tips on filling these voids after the joint is glued ?

    Thank you

    1. Todd, I keep an older beater chisel in my glue up kit and use to open up the kerfs before inserting the wedges. Sometimes it takes a pretty good whack to open them.

    2. First, try using a handsaw (or band saw) instead of a tenon saw. If you are snapping wedges so much, your tenons might be too tight. Maybe loosen up a bit (I hate to ever say that but…)?

      I use hickory wedges, which are harder than every other species I use for tenons. So I usually can get a hickory wedge into anything. If a wedge snaps, I pry it out and then use a chisel to re-split the tenon. Then I drive the hickory wedge in.

      Hope this helps, TODD

  17. I am building an anarchists workbench and my top will end up a little shorter (likely 78-80″). Should i hold the overhang dimension constant from the base design and just shorten the stretchers by the amount that I have reduced the benchtop length ? (Sorry for shouting my name above..)

    1. I prefer to shift the top so you have a good overhang on one end. I don’t like to reduce the base unless I absolutely have to. Hope this makes sense.

  18. When making a chair using kiln-dried elm, can you split the boards to get straight grained pieces or do you saw along the grain?

  19. Can you offer any recommendations for learning photographic composition and lighting? I’ve always appreciated the photos of your work in your writing and would like to learn this skill for my own pieces.

    1. Thank you for the nice compliment. My photography skills were obtained in a single class at a community college that was an introduction to the form. I think any beginner book or class would teach you more than I already know. I don’t shoot with expensive equipment (just my phone). And we have a couple lights, which we rarely use.

      Mostly, for me, it’s about composition. Taking a photo and looking hard at it. Then asking: How can I make it better? Then trying again. I should find a good book on photography to recommend? Anyone have a rec?

      2. Langford’s Basic Photography: The Guide for Serious Photographers by Michael Langford, Andrew Bruce, Anna Fox, and Richard Sawdon Smith is a textbook covering all the fundamentals of photography and an excellent starting point, though it’s long and can be a bit dry.

        Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson covers the exposure triangle, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, and is a great read if you’re unfamiliar with the concept.

        The Photographer’s Eye by Michael Freeman is a fantastic book on composition.

        Visually Speaking: Mastering Photography as a Visual Language by YouTuber Ted Forbes is another excellent book covering composition and the artistic side of photography.

        Light — Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua and Robin Reid is another excellent resource covering everything you could want or need to know about light.

        I also always recommend Picture This: How Pictures Work by Molly Bang. While not strictly a photography book, it covers visual storytelling in an incredibly easy to understand manner and will help improve photographic composition.

    1. I’ve done it. Works fine, as long as you don’t want to saddle it. It’s difficult to saddle and also reduces the thickness more than I like.

      For an unsaddled chair, go for it.

    1. Just like with furniture, you usually have to start near the bottom. One true strategy is to offer to assist an instructor at a school. These usually end up being tryouts for being an instructor at the school. Getting a fellowship at one of the craft schools (such as Penland or Haystack) is a great way to kick off a teaching career. You won’t make much money at the fellowship, but you’ll get to teach and to start building your name.

      Also, some instructors start out by teaching at their local Woodcraft. Or demonstrating at the local guild.

      It’s all about getting a foothold. Showing you know your stuff. And then repeat.

  22. I recently ended up with some long planks of pearwood. What would you make with that wood? Could you make a chair?

    1. I have not used pear. I would try to find its stats and see if is strong. And see if it is straight. I might try hitting it with a hammer. Try to split it.

      Most times pear is used for saw handles or small projects.

  23. If you had a chair leg with some splay and ra,e that split slightly (after a little time of use) around the spindle and the spindle then began to slip out, how would you go about fixing it? Many thanks!

    2. I’m not quite following, I’m afraid. A leg split? And one of the spindles/sticks also slipped out?

      Sorry. Could you maybe try to explain it like I’m a 5-year-old who is not that bright?

      1. Yes, the leg split along the grain, up and down the leg, next to the spindle mortise and the spindle began to slip out of the leg. Sorry I wasn’t clearer. I hope the issue is now clear.

        1. If you can replace the leg, I’d do that. If not, you could try to glue the split. Or do Full Vernacular and repair it with binding wire.

          On the spindle, do you mean the stretcher is slipping out? If so, repairing or replacing the leg should help that. Or I’m still not following.

  24. I’ve observed that 90 degree try squares have blades numbered from the stock’s reference face out to the end of the blade. But MITERED try squares seem to be numbered from the end of the blade toward the miter angle of the stock. That seems backwards to me so I’m wondering if the method of use differs in some way between them that eludes me?

  25. Good morning. I have several round cookies of pin oak and pine. 24-40” wide and 2-6” deep. What can I make from them besides firewood? It would be end grain furniture.
    I had the pleasure of visiting your store last year and meeting Katherine on my way to Bowling Green. Very cool store and I bought a few things.
    Thanks for the blog.
    Dennis of MEKO Woodshop.
    PS. I subscribed to your Substack.

    1. Put some legs on them (wooden or hairpin) and you have some good-looking tables. The big ones could even be dining tables.

      I’ve always wanted an end-grain floor in my shop, and those would be a good start (fill in the gaps with sand).

  26. Hello, I own pistol grip dovetail saws from Lie-Nielsen and Veritas, but I’d like to try a gent’s saw for dovetails. (Possibly removing the tooth set, such as Richard Maguire suggests.) The Veritas version (20tpi rip) gent’s saw has my attention. Do you have thoughts, objective or subjective, on the gent’s saw for dovetail cutting (or other joinery purposes)? Thank you.

    1. I think the one you’re used to and feels best in your hand is the best saw. A gent’s saw is a different grip of of course, so that’s something new to get used to using. I think they’re best for thinner stock because the blades are usually shorter. And the teeth are often smaller (that is, more tpi, which cuts cleanly, but more slowly than a saw with fewer teeth per inch). I’d probably buy a cheap Zona saw first and make sure you like it before buying a more expensive gent’s style. Plus, you’ll then have one to loan out to your neighbors if you buy a nice one later.

    1. You mean like hand-powered boring machines? (I don’t have any recommendations) Or drill presses?

      On drill presses, I like vintage stuff. It’s cheap and heavy and well-made. Look for old Powermatic stuff. Or if you are lucky, South Bend.

      For bits, we use the Lee Valley brad points (best in the world). Fuller bits are great. I have yet to find any Forstners that are better than OK (Freud are good.)

  28. Good morning and a big Thank You to all at LAP. Many years ago I purchase two vinegar vats from a local vinegar / cider producer. I’m guessing they were built around 1930. But towards the end of the century they were forced to upgrade to all stainless steel tanks and put the wooden ones up for bid. I ended up with 2 large 30′ x 7′ tanks. Cheap! The planks are 84″ long x 7″ wide and about 3″ thick. The support structure was white oak and the main tank was Cypress. All straight grained defect free absolutely gorgeous stuff. Although a bit smelly for a couple of years.
    I’ve resawn and used them for a number of projects over the years. Siding, flooring, large fence project and more. I have several cypress planks left and was wondering if anyone here has experience with using cypress for furniture. I don’t recall it being mentioned. I’m thinking legs and spindles and maybe arms and crest rails. Not seats as it seems to split along the grain fairly easily…but strong across grain.
    Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you.

    1. I’ve used cypress, but almost entirely for outdoor stuff – birdhouses, planters, benches and the like. It seems a little soft and lightweight for chairs unless it was used pretty thick.

    2. A couple of years ago, I split a dried cypress log to make the three legs for an outdoor side table. As I recall in was pretty “stringy” when I used a draw knife on it. A finely set spoke shave and block plane did better. But the fibers still wanted to peel if I hit them wrong. [Reposted from general thread.]

  29. Sounds good. I remember the Never Sponsored post singing the praises of a PMV-11 in a smoother and figured A2 might be better suited for rough work (though I’m sure the PMV would be OK for rough work).

    1. PMV-11 is outstanding steel. Good for all phases of woodworking. There is tougher stuff out there (Zen-Wu), but getting it to fit and function in our planes has been more work than I hoped.

  31. Looking at making a chair from BS, but I can’t stand plywood.

    How catastrophic would it be to make the arm bow from a 3 piece SYP bow?

    1. I think you’d have to make it thicker; plywood has the benefit of being strong because of the cross-grain layers and glue, so you can get away w/thin.

    3. I considered that as well but didn’t do it. You will have to make some adjustment for the placement of the thicker arm if you intend to use the sandwich drilling method. The instructions are for drilling 3/4″ material.

  32. Good morning! In Ingenious Mechanics, you built the Saalburg Bench with large 1-5/8″ square tenons. From the still images on the Build a Roman Workbench video it looks like you’ve switched to cylindrical tenons. Is a 1″ cylindrical tenon strong enough for this application assuming good straight grain, etc?

  33. Looking for recommendations for best books/articles/blogs/YouTube videos for staining and finishing burled walnut. I’ve got a project I need to try to match to some existing work and I’m intimidated!

    1. I’d look to the bible, “Understanding Wood Finishing” by Bob Flexner. And test test test. (But usually, walnut looks fab with oil/wax or shellac.)

  34. What’s the best way to keep the two sides of a chair seat symmetrical when saddling? Does a template help, or are you able to rely on hand and eye (assuming some practice)?

    1. Chris will likely have additional commentary, but putting a yardstick across from flat to flat then looking at the seat straight on can help you see depth differences. And your hands/fingers can feel a lot, too.

  35. How would you go about building a workbench with hand tools, and without an existing workbench? I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around how to dimension rough lumber without things like a planing stop or a tail vise, and buying S4S feels like cheating.

    2. Buying surfaced (S4S) lumber is no more cheating than having a having a lumberjack fell the tree or having a sawmill saw out your rough lumber. Thats what a community is—there’s other people to do what you’re not equipped for. Buy what you need to get the job done, then do it. Once you’ve built a bench you can do more the next time.

  36. Will wedges with a larger included angle help fill “gap-i-tosis” showing on a chair seat around the tapered mortise/tenon legs? In addition to better boring/reaming on my part of course. Thank you!

    1. Once the included angle gets above 7°, then the wedges tend to pop out when try to hit them down.

      The traditional way to try to eliminate gaps is to split the tenon with a chisel and add another thin wedge.

  37. Good morning and thanks for all you do for the craft! Also, I appreciate the quality of your books. Can you give a preview of some of the projects in the upcoming “Book of Smalls”?

    1. I don’t have a picture of all of them together, but here’s some pics from Insta:
      https://www.instagram.com/1snugthejoiner/p/DLzqloVMRT6/
      https://www.instagram.com/1snugthejoiner/p/DLnoIUqSIWa/
      https://www.instagram.com/1snugthejoiner/p/DLfeOrsshxm/
      https://www.instagram.com/1snugthejoiner/p/DKSRupAua4V/
      https://www.instagram.com/furniturebykale/p/DVJ42RdFoRP/
      https://www.instagram.com/furniturebykale/p/DLpuyjeg1hG/
      https://www.instagram.com/ktb.woodworking/p/DT3NeNpCe8t/

    2. These are all small-ish projects that can be completed in less than a day with scraps. No “fine” joinery – mostly nails. But they look really nice (if I do say so myself). I think we have about 15-18 projects done for the book. Think pipe boxes, small wall shelves or boxes for your outgoing mail, racks for wooden spoons, shelving for prized plates.

      If you follow our apprentice and journeyer on Instagram, you’ll see some examples in their feed.

      https://www.instagram.com/furniturebykale/

      https://www.instagram.com/ktb.woodworking/

  38. Understanding Exposure, by Bryan Peterson, and Digital Photography Masterclass, by Tom Ang.

  39. Morning! I made a Stick Chair Book curved card scraper this week with my hand crank bench grinder (note: wear earplugs next time 🥵). I gave it a lovely burr as you explain in the Crucible scraper videos, but I’ve precious little background with scrapers.

    Questions are: how long should a burr last you before you need to go back to the stones and burnisher? And if you’ve done it right, you get tiny maybe 3/8” ish wide super soft shavings, yeah? When scraping a flat surface.

    Thanks for all you lot do.

    1. I sounds like your shavings are good. Congrats.

      How long the hook lasts depends on how high of a polish you imparted to the edge and face – just like any sharpening. With a fine polish, I usually get a couple chairs out of the hook. People who say that hooks don’t last more than a few seconds are not polishing….

  41. @ Kale. (more encouragement than question). hello fellow Lefty! I’ve managed to keep all my hand tool usage left handed. it’s easier than ever. there are lots of great left handed plane options out there veritas, custom wooden planes etc. (i have the LH veritas skew rabbet). you can also make your own LH planes. very easy. a drawer bottom groover takes about 1 hour to make out of a scrap of 2×4 with a chisel, 1hr more to make it pretty out of hardwood. after that making a wedge arm plow isn’t that big a jump. setting up a left handed bench is also amazing! bottom line, stay true to you and be in your right mind! go lefty. if you would like to see pictures of any of my LH stuff or ideas on how to build any of it, please don’t hesitate to reach out. i can send my email to help@lap or anywhere else if you’d prefer.

  42. Hello LAP! Thanks so much for all the information you share! Question on Piggly No Wiggly glue. My bottle is not liquid, even after submerging in hot tap water- it resembles well-done Jello. What are my options to get it to flow? Submerge in hotter (boiling) water? Scoop out a portion and thin it with warm water? Also, looking forward to the book on smalls – any update ?

    1. You can use a glue pot, a slow cooker, a bottle warmer or a coffee mug warmer. 140° to 150° F is the ideal temperature; hotter than that will break down the proteins. It takes about 1/2 hour at that temp to turn the bottle liquid, but we often scoop out a small amount and put it a small glass jar or a metal condiment cup with a lid then melt just that amount, which is faster.

  44. If you make a mortice and tenon frame (without a panel sitting in a groove), would you add a haunch to the tenon or not?
    It seems that Robert Wearing suggests a haunch, but is it necessary? What’s the logic?

    Thanks for everything!

    1. More length across the tenon to prevent twisting. It also fills the groove one the end of the stiles if you’re into that kind of thing.

      They really don’t add any time or material and are easy enough to do. I don’t see a reason to not haunch.

  45. I’m reading again the newly revised stick chair book and just finish the chapter on shaping the seat. I was wondering when you glue up two pieces for the seat and use Domino’s if you’ve ever found the Domino’s while you were saddling the seat?

    1. Pretty sure he hasn’t – the seats aren’t saddled that deeply. But I have, on Dutch tool chest lids (breadboards…put the loose tenon too close to the back corner, and when I cut the 30° angle, there it was.

    1. For a small box, thin splines should be sufficient. But for a floating nightstand I’d probably Domino it, if that’s an option. So in short, yes, I agree that the glue joint alone won’t hold up in use.

    2. To add on a bit. It’s not an end-grain joint. It’s mitered grain – half end grain and half long grain. If you size the joint before assembly you’ll probably be fine. But I would add splines.

  47. What concert did you all see last night and how was it? Sit down or stand up show? I’m similarly aged and can work all day as a contractor on my feet but 2-3 hours standing at a show now wrecks my feet and legs. That said, live music is still a fantastic gift that i try to experience whenever the bands i love roll thru town.

  48. 1st time building a 7 stick chair. I had a 4″ long by 1/16″ crack develop right through the future location of the middle short stick mortise before I drilled the mortises. My solution was to fill with crack with epoxy (chair is to be painted) and drill through the epoxy/wood mortise and patch the bottom and sides with mending plates. Reasonable? Next time should I just move the mortise location?

    1. Your solution sounds sound. If you moved the mortise location, you would still have to patch the crack. So I don’t know which way I’d go. It would depend on the moon phases etc.

  49. Good morning Chris & Megan.
    I’m looking forward to tackling a Lincolnshire chair next and, so, have decided to use an adze to saddle the seat. Do you have any advice or preference regarding the grind, i.e. bevel on the outside (out-cannel) or inside (in-cannel). Peter Galbert has some thought on using a Adze in “The Chairmaker’s Notebook” and you cover it in the STJ #3 as well. But I don’t recall seeing either expressing a preference.
    Thoughts?
    Thanks and have a great day.

    2. Hey Paul,

      We’re adze babies. I use (and like) both the Jason Lonon chairmaker’s adze (out-cannel) and the Dictum adze (incannel). Both work perfectly fine for the task. The angle of attack is a little different, but you’ll get used to whatever you settle on.

  50. Hi. I know I’ve asked this before but can’t seem to find it again.

    What do you use to fill in the engravings on metal rulers, framing squares and such if the paint (?) in those grooves of the engraving have faded or worn away? Thanks!

  51. What do you use to wipe the blade when sharpening, cloth or paper towel? I am concerned that a paper towel will leave fibers on the blade impacting the sharpness. Using a cloth towel makes the towel extremely dirty and likely to be thrown away. I don’t fined a reference in the Sharpen This video about what you use.

    1. We use paper shop rags from a box, or paper towels if we’re out of shop rags, to wipe the swarf off the blade and jig wheel. I haven’t found it to impact the blade sharpness.

  52. What’s your best guess as to how John Brown made the short front sticks on the Cardigan chair blind? Just using the force and eyeballing the angle?

    1. It’s not as hard as you might think. Those angles are not compound angles. So it’s easy. Pick an angle for the rake of the sticks. Bore that angle into the arm (blind mortise here). Then show the arm to the seat. Drill the same complementary angle for the seat mortises.

  53. My step-son spent a morning of amusement once, many years ago, watching me try to split elm bolts into firewood by swinging a maul. It’s why he has such an encyclopedic knowledge of profanity today. The fiber structure of elm wood is made to confound any kind of splitting efforts.

  55. I second that notion about the Understanding Exposure book. It really makes a lot of sense the way the author explains it. I borrowed a copy to read through my local library.

  56. I have the discontinued Blue Spruce gent’s saw that didn’t click with me. If you pay the postage, I’ll send it to you to try out. If you like it, you can buy it for what I paid for it. If not, you can send it back. You can reach me through the website you get to when you click my name.

  57. I’m building a 40″ × 88″ trestle dining table with 29″ underside clearance to fit Mr. Schwarz’s armchairs, using his Popular Woodworking plans as a base. The 40″ width allows space for shared dishes during family gatherings.

    Planned modifications:

    Use sliding dovetail battens to secure/flatten the top instead of buttons or elongated screw holes.

    Lower the stretcher so it can serve as a footrest.

    Questions:

    Will lowering the stretcher reduce structural support, or should I keep the original and add a second lower stretcher?

    How far should sliding dovetail battens span? I’d prefer not to run them the full 40″ if they interfere with seating. Also, how much top overhang beyond the trestles is reasonable before stability suffers? Would buttons be the wiser choice?

    Since I’m using hand tools over several weeks, what build order best minimizes warping — top and battens first (left in place while building the base), or base first and top last?

    1. I always look to the historical record for stuff like this. Modern woodworkers tend to make things too difficult on themselves.

      Wooden buttons are more than enough to keep the top secure and flat. Sliding dovetails would be overkill.

      You can lower the stretcher for a footrest. But you’ll have to have something up under the top for the remainder of the battens.

      Top overhang: I can’t say for sure. My gut says 20″ to 24″.

      Order of operations: Make the base first. Then the top. Then attach them ASAP.

  58. The only place I can fit a sizable bench is outside, and the only SYP available in my region is Pressure Treated — which seems suitably aligned with the concept of an outdoor bench. Have you any thoughts on using PT-SYP for a bench?

    2. I’d be more inclined to use Hem-Fir or whatever is sold near you for construction, and cover it when it’s not in use. I’ve read that the newer treatment chemicals are safe…but I grew up when they were not. And the treated stuff feels weird/wet.

    3. In general, I’m not a fan of using pressure treated in places where it comes in contact with skin or food. Some people will say I’m being over-cautious, but I don’t think I am. The chemicals in pressure treated wood – even the new versions – are nasty.

      When we make outdoor furniture, we use species (like white oak or larch) that are naturally resistant.

      1. We use PT on docks all the time—doesn’t rot but frankly it weathers badly and turns splintery over the decades in the sun. So with that potential and the nasty chem concerns—not a good prospect for a benchtop, is it? But legs: ground contact is a significant issue—HemFir and even white oak fails there, so PT posts and untreated tops may be the ticket.. thanks Fitz and Chris.

  59. How did you test the open/working time of your animal protein glues? I have had good success with making paint with soy protein and next want to try making a glue that would be good for chairmaking.

    1. We define open time or “working time” as when the glue is wet and the part can be repositioned without loss to the strength of the joint. It’s a pretty obvious tipping point. And we try to test at a consistent temperature and humidity.

      The bigger test for glue is adhesion tests after the glue has cured. There are a number of industry standard tests for this. You can find them in the Wood Handbook, published by the Forest Products Lab.

      1. Further to this, is there a way to extend the open time of an existing hide glue? I made a batch that has good strength but open time of only about 30 seconds before it starts to gel. Or do I need to remake it? Guess it’s much drier here than Kentucky.

        1. Add salt. A teaspoon to 8 oz. should add a significant amount of open time. You can also experiment with adding vinegar. I haven’t had as much luck with vinegar. I wish I could get it down because it’s also an anti-microbial….

  60. Hi, I recently made Peter Galbert’s jig for drilling round mortises. It works great and I am looking for a similar jig to use with a brace and bit. Any ideas for this? Thanks, Bill

    1. Peter’s jig for drilling leg mortises should work with a brace as long as you use an extra-long auger.

      Aside from that, You could affix a piece of metal pipe to the jig with an ID that is the same dimension as your auger bit. I’ve done that. But now I’m done with most jigs.

  61. Happy Open Wire Day!

    I’m considering a Gibson chair as my first solo chair project. Could I substitute 7/8″ tapered tenons instead of the 1″ straight?
    Also, I don’t have access to a bandsaw. Do you have any advice on tackling the backrest with hand saws?
    Thanks!

    1. Tapered tenons are fine.

      On the backrest, the large curve can be made in a few ways. The convex curve on the back can be shaved with a drawkinfe. Or you can rough it out with a hatchet and finish with a drawknife.

      For the concave curve, I would kerf the waste with lots of crosscuts. Hog the waste out with a wide and heavy chisel. Then finish with a curved-botom spokeshave.

      If this sounds like a lot of work, it is. The original were cut on the band saw (I’ve seen the toolmarks).

    2. You might find some videos by rex krueger about sawing/chiselling curves in wood. You essentially make a series of straight cuts and then chisel them out, and refine the smoothness with sandpaper and rasps.

  63. Oh, thank you! Purchased. I guess I’ve just been wearing too much clothing this whole time…

  64. Would it be possible to make a greenwood chair, like a stick chair or a ladder back chair, from Easter white pine? I don’t see much use of pine in modern green woodworking but it seems that at some point in the past they did split it out to make chests and things.

    1. It would have to be pretty thick stock (think 2″ legs or posts). But sure, white pine has been used in vernacular seating. Scaling your parts based on the species/strength is covered in detail in The Stick Chair Book (a free download)

  65. Cut through the PT boards to see how deeply they are treated – the PT wood we get in California is typically not uniform throughout – the (copper?) treatment is only in the outer third.

  66. In a recent post there was a mention of a new book from Christian Becksvoort in the works. Could you share some details?

    1. We have’t completely fleshed it out yet, but in short, it’s about his working with customers to nail down design, and a collection of his drawings.

  67. Do you know anyone selling real turpentine? The young man I used to buy from got shut down as his containers were not child proof! The turpentine was the real deal! Thank you!

  68. A couple of years ago, I split a dried cypress log to make the three legs for an outdoor side table. As I recall in was pretty “stringy” when I used a draw knife on it. A finely set spoke shave and block plane did better. But the fibers still wanted to peel if I hit them wrong.

  69. Thanks for the info, but could you explain the use of the metal pipe with a bit more detail. Also, is anybody making augur bits that fit into a brace? Thanks again. Bill

    1. It’s like a doweling jig. Picture a pipe held at the angle you desire affixed to the jig. You put the auger in the pipe, turn the brace and bam.

      I built a jig like this about 20 years ago. It worked! But it is inflexible. You are bound by the angle of the pipe (unless you make that pipe adjustable…..)

  70. Are tapered tenons a lot stronger than non-tapered tenonsand are there projects where you think they are essential? Thanks, Bill

    1. I don’t really know/care which is stronger. I know both exist in the furniture record in spades and can last 200-300 years without a problem.

      Pick what you like, and you are golden. I build folk chairs, so I have (after much faffing) settled on cylindrical joints.

  71. Yes, sorry, you’re correct, the stretcher. I can’t replace the leg, so I’ll glue and clamp the split and then try to glue the stretcher into the mortise. Thank you for your infinite patience with my question!

  72. I have a Stanley No. 4 hand plane. The frog’s slanted surface is flush with the mouth’s back edge. The yoke is at its fully retracted position meaning the blade is ready to be advanced forward. The blade’s edge is not protruding yet from the sole’s surface. BUT, at this stage, the blade edge is only about 1/32″ from the mouth’s other edge meaning there is a 1/32″ opening between the mouth and the blade.

    So at this point when I go to advance the blade to get it to start protruding from the bottom of the plane , the mouth nearly closes off and there is not much clearance for the chips to clear if at all. When the blade barely barely appears that clearance is down to 1/64″ or so. And then if I advance the blade to get the blade to do real work I have practically no clearance for the chips.

    Moving the frog back wouldn’t work it seems, because then the back of the blade is only resting on that thin sliver of metal at the rear of the mouth.

    I think the distance from the chip breaker to the rectangular notch that receives the yoke’s tab is too long. Btw, the chip breaker is set very close to the blade tip, less than a 64th.

    Or the Veritas blade I have in the plane is too thick, it measures .10″

    I know it’s a lot to envision but thought I’d ask anyway. It’s been bothering me. I guess I could just replace the blade with an original and see what happens too. I just measured another older blade and it measures .08″ . Would .02″ make a difference?

    Advice?

    1. The .02 does make a difference. Regular Stanley blades are .080 and the after market blades go from .10 to thicker!
      I have the Temple Tool blade (it’s fantastic) and it’s exactly the same depth as my PMV-11 blade, and my Stanley’s suffer the same problem of not having enough clearance for the chip! You will have to file the mouth at the toe end to have enough room to make a deeper cut! Once you do it the pain is over and you can move forward in bliss and gleaming surfaces on your wood!

  73. Perfect! Thank you for talking me out of the dovetail battens, as cool as they are! On the topic of making things too difficult, I have some beautiful tiles I purchased in Granada, Spain. I thought it would be a cool idea to inset them into the table top to double as some trivets when we don’t have a tablecloth on it. Any suggestions for adhering tile to lumber that accounts for wood movement?

  74. Awhile back yall were using a cheap Amazon deburring tool for chamfering sticks and the sort.

    Could this be used as a spoke pointer for a hollow auger?

  75. Good morning! I took inspiration from your newish low assembly table to glue up a 3×5 tabletop. Used Chris’ PW “how to flatten stock by hand” video for my method. It will be attached to battens.

    2×12 Doug firs from the Depot. 3-4 weeks in the house on stickers. 12% moisture. I’m on my third attempt.

    1st one cupped after shellacking one side per day. Oops. 2nd one the tear out was so bad I hand planed it to half the thickness to fix it, added sliding dovetails to fight the cupping and decided I could do better. Top #3 I worked fast, flattened one side, scored the thickness all around, turned it over, planed to the line and wouldn’t you know its cupping as I go!

    What do you recommend I do different for #4?

    1. Are you planing it down thin? Because the core might be wet, which is causing the warping when you expose that wet stuff.

      When working with construction lumber – unless it has bee sitting around for a year or two – we try to remove the minimum. So I would assemble the top. Then skim it with a jack plane just to level the joints. Ours is NOT pretty.

  76. Thoughts on the wagon vise after using it in the shop for a while? Is it used often enough to recommend for new construction, or is the leg vise and hold fasts (anarchist workbench) preferred? Thanx!

    1. Well, I like the one on my bench…and at first I didn’t think I would. But it’s taken the place of the planing stop (that I have yet to install). And it’s handy for mouldings, rabbets and the like. So I’m a now a fan.

  77. I own copies of both Lost Art Press books Make Fresh Milk Paint by Nick Kroll and The Belligerent Finisher by John Porritt. I finished my first (and only) chair a few years ago and I finished it using John’s method in The Belligerent Finisher. I am planning on making some real milk paint soon using Nick’s recipe in his book. My question is, has anyone tried using milk paint from Nick’s book and used it in John’s finished method described in his book? I’m asking because John’s method uses commercial milk paint which we know isn’t really milk paint (more like an acrylic) and it is layered on over and under other finishes. And Nick’s real milk paint recipe is meant to be used directly over bare wood. So I think that it might not work if used in John’s finishing method. But I wondered if you had heard of anyone trying it yet, and if it was successful or not.

    1. There are commercial milk paints that are actual casein-based paint, and that is what John uses. When we say “the milk paint is really acrylic,” that refers to General Finishes Milk Paint.

    2. I did a Gibson chair with Beligerent Finishing and for the milk paint used the powdered stuff from Real Milk Paint. It worked fine

  78. Question for Meg and Chris; if you could bring any current author/woodworker into the LAP family who would it be? AND, follow up, any surprises coming in 2026?

    1. We hope to get David Fisher to write a book. Someday.

      I’m working on a book with a Japanese woodworker that will be (perhaps) polarizing and surprising and delightful.

      And I think this is the year I can afford buttock implants.

    2. I wish Michael Puryear wanted to write a book. He’s an amazing guy and thoughtful teacher.

  79. For drilling the mortises in the chair seat at the right angle, could one use a portable drill guide set at the correct angle?

  81. There’s PT and there’s Ground-Contact PT, which is longer lasting but nastier chemically. Likely that stuff is restricted in CA. In any case I’m reconsidering.. perhaps PT framing but not top..

  82. I recently bought an old vintage hand crank grinding wheel (Sharpen This was super helpful for learning how to use it).

    Unfortunately, the grinder is missing the tool rest. I’ve tried a modern tool rest from McMaster Carr but it doesn’t allow me to get a good angle when grinding. I’m not sure what I need to be looking for.

    Do you have recommendations for sourcing a tool rest that will work with a vintage grinder (so, not the lee valley one which is meant to sit in front of a modern motorized grinder). I’ve thought about making one out of wood but I’m not sure how tight the tolerances need to be.

    1. My tool rest is just a piece of steel that is bent at 90°. I really don’t want or need more.

      But there are lots of good tool rests out there. And plans for ones in wood. You’ll just have to build a station for the grinder, so it will take up space.

      That’s why I like my dirt simple tool rest.

  86. Ryan, if learning by books is a method that works for you, I’d suggest titles from Michael Freeman (such as “Photographer’s Eye”) and Bryan Peterson (“Understanding Exposure”, “Learning To See Creatively”) and the many other titles each has to offer.

  87. Chris, at the end of the Australia chair class you recommended something to put under the leg, something higher quality than the usual felt pads. Do you recall what it was? Thank you.

  88. Does any one make a countersink bit that drills the countersink , the clearance hole for the screw, and the pilot hole for that screw all at once? I used to have a set that had a fixed clearance hole but I don’t see them around anymore. They were sooooo handy.

    The countersink part was obviously fixed but the drill bit that drilled the pilot hole was removable.

    All they make nowadays is those ones that just have the countersink and the removable bit. Then you have to do I second operation drilling the clearance hole.

    What they should make is a bit that has that clearance hole part adjustable so that when, say, you are fastening two boards together, the top board that should have the clearance hole gets the clearance hole only. Thus preventing jacking. Just sayin’.

    Million dollar idea there. I’m talking to you Crucible Toolworks. 🙂 Royalty?? 🙂 You have my e-mail 🙂

    1. Fuller makes them. The bits are tapered, which allows for the clearance and the pilot. You also can transform any regular countersink screw bit by swapping out a tapered drill bit.

  92. Chris wrote an article years ago (Popular Woodworking Magazine?) about building a Roubo workbench top without having enough/any clamps and using wood screws instead. Or do I remember wrong? Asking for a poor friend.

    1. I have no idea if the article is still available. But the top was plywood laminations screwed together with glue (then the screws were removed. You can paint the benchtop or add a skirt of 2×4 material. The base was bolted together. That article was a long time ago. Maybe 2003 0r 2004.

  93. What approaches do you recommend to figure out why a chair isn’t comfortable? I made two stick chairs last year — one is basically the six stick comb-back from the original Stick Chair book and the second is based on the “Even Better Stick Chairs” post, so maybe an inch lower with a shorter back (and seven sticks). I find the seat of the first more comfortable than the second, though they seem to be pretty much identical in shaping and seat tilt. Just wondering how I figure out what to do differently for the next chair.

    1. It’s hard to say without seeing the chairs. Seat comfort is usually a combination of seat height and tilt – the shaping of the saddle is a minor player. So I’d look at those two factors.

      Second, compare the lumbar support on the two. That can affect comfort.

      Also, where the back sticks touch your back.

      Those are the three common culprits.

  94. Two references to splitting elm – makes me think of this in Oliver Wendell Holmes “The Wonderful One Hoss Shay”

    “….The hubs of logs from the “Settler’s ellum,” —
    Last of its timber, — they couldn’t sell ’em,
    Never an axe had seen their chips,
    And the wedges flew from between their lips,
    Their blunt ends frizzled like celery-tips;….”

    The most of rest of the poem – except for the moral – is a digression on the uses of wood.

  96. I put aLake Erie Toolworks iron in my Stanley #3. I filed the plane mouth. It took some fiddling back and forth but I was able to get it dialed in. I’m really happy with the old plane, new iron combo.

  97. I’m planning to build the officers campaign desk in sapele.

    I’m concerned about the top twisting – what stops this from happening? Any tips

  98. I’ve been making a lot of three legged stools and recently had someone question whether the one inch tenons were strong enough (straight grained oak and maple).
    I have no doubt they are but now I’m making some taller stools with an under carriage?
    Are one inch staked tenons still strong enough for a 32”-34” tall stool.

    I appreciate your time.

    1. If your legs are straight-grain oak (or similar) then they are totally fine for a tall stool. Add an undercarriage and you are way way in the “no problem ever” territory.

  99. Hey Todd, I think you may also want to measure how proud your tenons are protruding. Before I glue up, I dry fit legs and cut the tenons so they’re only sticking out about a quarter inch or so. That keeps the fat edge of the wedge down where it can do its job.

  100. On the practice of cleaning, oiling, [and putting away] tools after each use, which I’m establishing in my shop:

    How do you remove chips and sawdust from the teeth of handsaws? What if the wood is resinous?
    My oily rag isn’t happy touching saw teeth. Things are better if I wipe vertically, but that feels slow and fussy and still fails to coat all the surfaces of all the teeth.
    Given your, and my, intention to minimize our use of plastic, why do microfiber rags (I’ve never used one) win (for woobies) over a natural fiber?
    When cleaning and oiling a plane, do you remove the iron, chip breaker, and cap to clean and oil them separately? (I find dust and chips want to hide in the nooks and crannies.) Even with a block plane, which loses the pressure adjustment?
    Do you retract the sharp edge of the iron inside the plane for protection in storage?

    1. I use a rag that is fairly well damp from oil. It will reove almost anything from a saw. If gunk is really gunky, I squirt oil or Goo-Gone on the sawplate. I wipe horizontally. Place the saw pate on the bench. Push the rag against the teeth. Wipe in the opposite direction that the teeth cut.

      Microfiber: They hold oil better. We use rags that are made from post-consumer plastic, so I can sleep at night. Use natural fibers if you like.

      On planes, I dust out everything with a brush. Then I oil the sole and iron. And put the tool away.

      When I sharpen, I take it apart, clean out the interior, wipe oil on everything and then reassemble. I don’t break down my planes unless I sharpen. Of course, I my tools get used every day, so I sharpen every week (at least).

      I don’t retract the iron. But I don’t think it matters either way. Make yourself happy.

  101. They are both really good, the Tom Ang book is set up as a “class,” with each chapter having assignments (go out and shoot a lit street scene at night, for example.)

  102. I went to my local ReStore yesterday and they had a couple boxes full of augur bits. Now I just need to buy a brace. And probably learn how to sharpen augur bits. I’ll keep checking ReStore to see if any braces show up. (This is in reply to Bill Schultz in case WordPress separates it from the original message again.)

  103. A friend bought a Stanley #5. I followed the typing flowchart and it seems like it was built around 1900 (I forget the exact type number we came up with). I advanced the blade all the way (or so I thought) and it didn’t protrude beyond the sole at all. Then I realized that its threaded backward (and is a smaller diameter than other Stanleys I’ve seen). Is that normal?

  104. My goodness – glad I happened to check the blog – would have hated to miss open wire day. Thanks for doing this!

    So my question: I’ve been making cylindrical tenons rather than tapered, but I’ve still tapered the shoulders. I’ve had a few seats crack, however, when driving them home.

    Are the tapered shoulders acting as a wedge, causing the split? Should I make the shoulders flat and 90 degrees rather than tapered?

    1. There’s a lot going on in this question. What is the seat made out of? Oak, ash, cherry, walnut? It’s going to split if you hit the legs too hard. Tapered tenons won’t save you. If it’s made of elm or something tough, you are still probably hitting things too hard (if it is splitting the seat).

      Tapered shoulders and elm will take a beating.

      Tapered shoulders and a splitty wood will not.

      So if you are using a splitty wood, you have two options: Hit the legs with less force. Or cope the shoulders so they sit flat against the underside of the seat.

      Hope this makes sense.

      1. Thanks – I’ve definitely been using a splitty wood for the seat, so will not whack as hard and make sure the shoulders sit flat on the seat bottom.

        I guess I’ve been afraid that aiming for flat and flush shoulders would make a pivot point if I wasn’t 100% flush.

  106. When using a bevel up jack plane on a shooting board and are dedicating a specific blade to that task, what angle would you hone the blade and how much camber should it have?

  107. When installing a Crisscross Retro in ash, do you still recommend the #14 screws (as in Anarchist’s Workbench) or is tapping ash fine? I have the taps, so it’s not a big deal either way.

    Also, should the planing stop block be ash or something more compressible like pine? I can’t get SYP up here, but EWP is available, so is Doug. fir. But I have ash of the right size already if that’s advisable.

    Thanks!

    1. I don’t think ash taps well. I’d use the big screws if it were my bench.

      And the planing stop can be ash. No matter what it is, it will take a few years to get everything at equilibrium and at the right size for the stop. So plan on the stop being too tight during the first wert season.

  108. Thank you guys for answering questions. Please ignore this if it is all ready answered, I tried to search the past comments, but may have missed it.

    I am considering making a tool chest. I have looked at the plans for the Anarchist tool chest and have seen Meagan’s Dutch tool chest. I also saw that you have a video for a Swedish tool chest. Of the three of these, why would I choose one over another? Is it a size issue, skill required to make, types of tools held or another factor? I am not great at dovetails, but was thinking this could be a good project to improve on my skill. Any breakdown on why I might choose one or another would be helpful. Thanks!

    1. I work out of an English tools chest (ATC) in the shop, and it’s nice to be able to sit on it when needed. It holds more than the Dutch…but I have a lot of tools.

      For travel, I use a Dutch, as it holds plenty of what I need for any given class.

      The Dutch will teach you more techniques than the other two, and is, I think, the easiest to build. The nails on it, make the joints, a little bit more forgiving for beginners.

      But I do love the other two as well. They both have more dovetails, but the dove tales need to be a little better, because there’s no nails, holding the thing together in addition to the wood on wood joints.

  109. An excellent book about Japanese tools is “Sharpening and the Japanese Hand Plane in depth” by Dale Brotherton. Have thought of suggesting you might add this to your catalogue. Check out website japanesecarpentry.com.
    Dale often teaches at PTWS

  110. I commented and had a similar question today. My Veritas plane iron in my NO. 4 is .1″ thk and LAP and another suggested the solution was to file the mouth open. The orig plane blade was .08″ and it seems the .02″ difference makes a difference.

  111. Hide glue question. I had two bags of hide glue granules, 192 gram and 251 gram that a mouse chewed into. Fortunately they were both in a plastic tray, which contained the mess and allowed me to recover most of the glue. Would you anticipate any issues with using the mixed glue?

    1. Probably OK – but I’d test before using by making a small batch to see if it performs properly

  112. I’m doing a small run of chairs for a show in May. I have material broken down for five+ chairs. Any insight on the most sellable designs in stick chair family?

    Thanks

    1. This will sound ridiculous, and it is.

      1. The taller the chair, the better it sells.
      2. The more sticks, the better it sells.
      3. Paint doesn’t sell well. Clear finish on nice wood (cherry, walnut, elm, maple) sell better.
      4. Figured woods sell better than plain.

      Take it all to the insane and logical conclusion.

  113. I’ll be attaching a frame and panel back to a tall case piece this week, and I am overthinking the details of the process— as is my wont. Glue and screw, or just screw? How many screws total? Will the fancy countersink washers from Lee Valley make things work better, or is that merely an aesthetic choice?

    1. I’d probably nail it on, but barring that, screws with elongated holes to allow for cross-grain movement. I guess it depends on how wide the piece is, but I’d put one at each corner, and one in the middle top and middle bottom and on both sides in the middle.

    2. I would screw it (no glue) in case repairs are needed in the future. I space screws every hands-breadth (with outstretched fingers).

      Washers are aesthetic only in this instance. But nice. Make yourself happy.

  114. I understand the concept, but how do you test it and time it to get the ~20 and ~40 minute suggestion for the hide glue and fish glue? Like make a mortise and tenon and take the tenon and put it back in every 5 minutes until it will no longer budge?

    1. Nope. We put out a bead of glue and sit there with a time and a rag. We touch it every minute until it gels. That’s the open time. It will be longer when it’s inside joints and has less access to oxygen.

  115. Thanks so much for all you do–these forums are incredible!
    Any chance of doing either a 1) short video or 2) article on replacing a leg/stick/etc on a chair made with hide glue? I’d love to watch the process and I trust your expertise and ability to simplify the process so folks don’t get worried 🙂 I’ve had people ask me to repair old chairs (likely made with hide glue) but I’m hesitant to do so.

    1. Next time we have a messed up component, we’ll make a video.

      Most people don’t use enough heat (you really need a heat gun — not a hair drier or clothes iron) and they don’t wrap the joint with wet rags (to prevent scorching). It takes time for the heat to migrate to a deep joint. Be patient and careful.

  116. I’m wondering about using Fish Stick glue. I just got my first bottle, and I’m trying to keep it fresh for as long as possible. I was thinking of filling an ice cube tray with individual portions. Then, when I need to use it, I just take out a cube and reheat it. Do you think there’s anything wrong with doing this?

  119. I have a relatively inexpensive Grizzly radial drill press, which enables me to get accurate, repeatable angled mortises without moving the table out of square. It also has huge swing, so I can drill well into a piece.

  120. I recently picked up a pair of antique matched tongue and groove planes. They seem to be slightly out of alignment with one another (about a fat 32nd, with the tonguing iron seated as far to one side as it’ll go). Is the solution filing back that iron a little bit? Or is there a better/simpler fix?

    1. Likely the problem is that the wood has warped, throwing the iron to the side. Or someone has mucked with the steel at some point. Before touching the steel parts, I’d investigate the mortises for the irons. Compare them. And compare the soles with straightedges etc.

      It’s usually the wood that is awry.

  121. any experience with Trow & Holden out of Vermont? They’re aimed mostly at stonework, but the hammers at least seem likely to have cross-discipline appeal and it seems like good old timey craftsmanship.

  122. Any tips for removing old pva glue from a trestle table leg that someone else tried to repair? They loaded the broken components with glue. I want to salvage the original leg but not sure how I ca remove the glue without damaging the existing finish

  123. I remember Chris detailed a simple way to shape a tapered leg on the jointer. Can you direct me to that info? I don’t remember if it was a video or not. Thanks.

  124. Any thoughts on a good reference for building a plinth for the Jefferson bookcases? I’m having trouble visualizing how to actually make it such that it doesn’t immediately fall apart.

    1. Is it not in the article?

      Dovetail the front, back and sides. Add 1.5″ x 1.5″ glue blocks in the interior corners. These are flush to the top of the dovetailed frame. And extend below the frame. So the bookcase sits on these.

      Put the lower case on the plinth. Cut mitered moulding on three sides to hide the gap.

      Pretty standard stuff.

  125. I appreciated hearing John Brown’s thoughts on selling his work on the video Chris is restoring. The important part I took away was that Craft fairs are for impulse small purchases. The customer needs time think about a larger (chair) purchase and know that you’ll be there week after week. JB’s solution was to get his work in a gallery.

    1. John Brown doesn’t say what the gallery commission was. In this country, it is almost always 50 percent.

      So you are paying a lot for access to the gallery’s customers.

  126. This is something I struggle with. As an elementary/middle school shop teacher I think I focus too much on longer projects that require delayed gratification. I like the idea of lighting the “I made this!” fuse, thanks!

  128. Also, if you are in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, Mike’s shop is just north of there and his workbench class is great. I built mine in that class. schoolofwood.com

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