Lost Art Press

LAP Open Wire, April 18, 2026

Posted on by fitz

Comments are now closed – thanks to everyone who joined us today, and those reading later. Join us again on June 20!

Got a woodworking question, a query about dog holes (which Kale is drilling above, for their new tail vise) or are curious to know what’s on the horizon at Lost Art Press? Today is your lucky day!

You have until 5 p.m. Eastern to pose your question in the comments section below, and we’ll respond. And it’s possible your fellow readers will have answers, too – and perhaps you’ll have an answer for someone else!

The remaining Open wire dates for 2026 are:
June 20
August 8
October 19
December 12

186 thoughts on “LAP Open Wire, April 18, 2026”

  1. Not a question about dog holes, instead about the drilling guide Kale is using – what brand is it?
    Might you do a review one day?

    2. It is a Rockler portable drill guide, and I’m sure we’ll do a review on it soon.

    3. It is Rockler’s model. Woodcraft has a very similar one (released last year) for about the same price point. Chris has never found them accurate enough, at least from his last posted thoughts on it, as for Megan…let’s see?

  2. Hi,
    How hard do you need to press on the burnisher to turn a hook on your scraper? I really leaned on it last time can feel the hook, but it doesn’t make big curly shavings in pine. Do you get any dust at all, or is it a perfect shaving? Should I buy an Arno burnisher? I have an old 2 cherries or something. Thanks

    1. I would call the pressure “firm.” Like the amount of pressure you need to use to cut a hard cheese. Too much pressure can cause “galling,” which produces a ragged edge. Feels like a burr. Cuts like crap.

      I do recommend a carbide burnisher (there are many available). The polished steel ones aren’t up to the job because scraper steel has gotten harder.

    2. Umm, firmly? Quite hard, really, with a steady deliberate push across the span. Any burnishing rod should do — it just needs to be a harder steel than the scraper.
      I’d say the most important feature of the burnisher is that it have a handle that will protect your hand from a slip. The worst workshop wound of my childhood was from burnishing a scraper with a bare rod. I slipped and sliced that lovely sharp edge deep into my thumb.

  3. First of all, best wishes to Megan for a swift recovery.
    On to a question re the Veritas spokeshaves, a microbevel question. The older spokeshaves had a primary bevel at 35 degrees (the new ones are apparently now 25 degrees). Chris’s approach is to regrind at 25 degrees then add a 35 degree microbevel. What would be the downside with the 35 degree one to making a tiny microbevel that ends up at 36-37 degrees (to avoid re-grinding)?

    1. A 1° or 2° microbevel would quickly become really wide. And as your sharpening angle approaches your bedding angle (45° in this case) it becomes harder to get the tool to cut effectively.

  6. I just received some Arkansas sharpening stones with a few used carving tools via online auction. What is Chris’s opinion of these type of sharpening stones? (Full disclosure, Chris has Arkansas roots which may influence his opinion?) The hard stones might be good for fine honing but it’s a whole new system and seems a bit olde time-y.

    1. I use Arkansas stones to maintain the odd-shaped edges of my chairmaking tools. They are slower than modern media (i.e. synthetic waterstones), but they keep their shape nicely (unlike waterstones). I prefer a more aggressive media (i.e. waterstones) to cut a new edge.

  7. Now that I’m putting winter bedding away and taking out warmer weather stuff, I’ve decided it’s time to build a blanket chest. I’ve decided on copying a Shaker 2-drawer blanket box that’s in the Shaker Museum in New York. I think I’m going to try to replicate the chrome yellow linseed oil paint.

    My question is, for all of you about the construction. I know it’s whatever I want — but the original box is nailed, and the drawers dovetailed. Part of me badly wants to dovetail the box instead.

    What would all of you choose?

    Here’s the original: https://www.shakermuseum.us/object?id=6233&limit=24&offset=0&sort=name_ref&q=Blanket

    2. The cross-grain construction of the chest (vertical sides; horizontal front) would make the dovetails weaker than nails. And the nails are really the best solution here because they will allow the front board to move with the seasons. I would stick with the original joinery.

      Side note, this is one of my favorite Shaker pieces. We have one at the Pleasant Hill community (it is from the Eastern communities). I have studied the heck out of this piece and love it so.

      1. If I went with dovetails I was going to have to deal with the cross-grain issue. But I was leaning heavily toward the original construction.

        Any thoughts on thinning linseed oil paint to make more of a wash coat? I like the Allback, but it’s much thicker than I’d like.

  8. I’m wanting to build a trestle table. Can you recommend any books that have designs and/or construction plans? Thanks

    2. There isn’t a “Big Book of Trestle Tables” unfortunately. The Shakers built tons of them, so I’d look through those books for inspiration. As far as joinery goes, it’s all standard stuff: mortise-and-tenon (sometimes keyed; sometimes wedged). The Woodworking Magazine article that Megan references is a good place to start as far as the joinery and structure goes.

      1. Somehow this comment got detached from this response.

        I have a couple of shaker books with designs and limited construction details. Are there any good books in general on shaker furniture that might be useful? Also would there be some good examples to see in person at shaker villages or museums? I’m in central Connecticut. Thanks

        1. I’m not familiar with the eastern colonies, I’m afraid. As far as books, my favorites are:

          “The Book of Shaker Furniture” by John Kassay

          “The Encyclopedia of Shaker Furniture” by Tim Rieman and Jean Burks

        2. Christian Becksvoort has done two books on Shaker furniture that are lovely. John Shea’s “Making Authentic Shaker Furniture” has a lot of helpful details and drawings. Thomas Moser’s early book has details that helped me a lot with my first Shaker builds, since I am not close to any of the colonies to inspect items.

        3. From Connecticut, you are probably a 3 or 4 hour drive to Watervlievt (Albany, NY), Hancock Shaker Village and Fruitlands (Massachusetts), Canterbury (New Hampshire) and New Gloucester, Maine. Be ready to take LOTS of pictures – full charge for your phone or camera! Try to allow a full day for each one. That sounds like a lot of time, but it isn’t. Be ready to be enthralled!

  9. Hi Chris. I’m looking for a book on how to make a Windsor chair. Have you written a Windsor chair book? If not do you have a recommendation?
    I have watched videos and read books from other makers but there information seems unusually complicated. I have your Stick Chair Book.
    Thanks for the opportunity to ask questions.
    Dennis from Meko Woodshop.

    1. I think Peter Galbert’s book “Chairmaker’s Notebook” is still the best one out there. Windsors are more complicated than stick chairs, so there is a learning curve (and a turning curve…)

      2. Thank you. I value your opinion and will buy one of Peter’s books before I attempt to build a Windsor chair. Everyday I sit in my grandparents Windsor which is older than me @ 70 years old.

    4. There is a Lincolnshire Windsor chair build in Stickchair Journal No 3 (starts on page forty something)

  10. I have a couple of shaker books with designs and limited construction details. Are there any good books in general on shaker furniture that might be useful? Also would there be some good examples to see in person at shaker villages or museums? I’m in central Connecticut. Thanks

  11. My trusty lump hammer head and handle have tried to go their separate ways…not enough to stop using it but enough to jiggle slightly which is unsettling as one goes to whack something. Replace handle with a new one or ?

  12. I like using your house finish (blo, ms & urethane) but I don’t always go through it before it goes bad. It gets thick and seperates. Reading the shelf life on the urethane says it’s only good for 6 months after opening. If I mix up enough only to get through my project I’m okay with the mix however the original can has been opened and the clock is ticking. Do you have a method of storing it for a longer life?

    1. The reason it goes bad is that it is exposed to oxygen. You can store it in a stop-loss container. Or use Bloxygen before sealing the container.

  13. Any thoughts on Chinese “Horse Mouth pliers”? It’s a kind of planing stop you hammer into your worksurface.

  14. Can you say when “Make Fresh Milk Paint” will be offered by you as a download or made available to Lee Valley? I’d order it directly from you but i am finding cross border shipping unpredictable lately.

    1. It’s up to Lee Valley as to whether to carry it (we hope they do!). We likely won’t offer it as a download (we tend not to for shorter books).

      1. Thanks, I’ll check back with LV. I asked them when the book first came out, they said it wasn’t available to them yet.

  17. I made the “Turned Trestle Table” (p. 148 in Making Authentic Shaker Furniture) and have been happy with it. I like that the stretcher is high and out of the way. I don’t have a lathe so the posts are octagons from glued up SYP and they look good.

  18. I have a stick chair question – Do you think birch – specifically black birch – would be strong enough for chair legs and spindles? I have access to harvest birch trees which I generally use for spoon carving, but many of the trees I get are very straight grained and clear and I was wondering it would be worthwhile using for chair parts. Thank you, and keep up the good work!

      1. I know I can make a tight stick/leg joint using basswood, but (seroius question this) would you? Or would you worry about the wedged tenons compressing over time and loosening? I’ve never seen basswood used in this application … and maybe there in lies my answer.
        Asking because I’ve got lots of access to basswood. I have a plan for all the ensuing dents and dings.

    2. Black Birch has a janka hardness rating comparable to red oak, and a surprisingly high bending strength rating. It may be a good choice for legs and spindles. However there are several varieties described as “black birch”. I suggest you cut a spindle and do the strength and resiliency (sledgehammer) tests described in The Stick Chair book, pp.21-24

  19. A lot of advice about learning furniture design recommends studying existing furniture. I found the case studies on analyzing/using proportions in the various LAP books really useful (Savage, Walker and Tolpin, Varnum, …). So now I find myself poking literal holes in furniture style books trying to understand the proportions and other choices that make up a style.

    I’m wondering if you’re aware of any other “guided studies” on the building blocks that make up furniture styles, rather than pictures with a lot of historical context but no real analysis of the physical elements/choices.

  21. Hi,

    I have a couple of questions I was hoping to get your insights on.

    Is there any jig like the octagon planing cradle to make making hexagons easier with a hand plane?
    In your never sponsored post on adzes last year, there’s a picture of a jig holding the seat almost vertical, do you have any guidance on what angle to hold the seat at to try saddling a chair using an adze?

    Thanks!

  22. There is a pretty detailed build of a Shaker trestle table by Chris Becksvoort at Fine Woodworking. I’ve had that one in the back of my mind for years.

    There’s no measured drawings or plans, but the best book of Shaker furniture is “The Encyclopedia of Shaker Furniture” by Timothy Rieman and Jean Burks. Fantastic content. Wonderful. Worst binding I’ve ever seen.

  23. My two test batches of Piggly No Wiggly didn’t harden when I glued a couple strips of pine to test it. After clamping for 1/2 hour and setting overnight, it’s pliable rather than hard and the joint can be pulled apart easily. Uniodized canning salt, unflavored beef gelatin, tap water, 145F. Any advice? Thanks.

    1. You cooked it at 145°F for two hours, let it cool overnight, then cooked it again for two hours as you made it? If so, my first thought is to reduce the amount of salt by a bit, and my second is to sightly reduce the water.

      We use pig gelatin, but that shouldn’t make much difference.

  24. Seconding this request – even for the shorter books the PDFs are so much easier for international ordering.

  25. I just received American Peasant and am thoroughly enjoying it. In the section on the large coffer, there are instructions to ream the holes through the tenons on the rear side of the lid. I’m new so this is a new term for me. What does it mean to ream something, and what is the function of doing so? Tool(s) that can perform this task?
    Any NKY/Greater Cincy businesses that are good sources for wood, supplies, etc. you like supporting? I want to come to the storefront when my schedule allows but also want to support similar local businesses rather than the big boxes if I can.

    Thanks for the help. Excited to make my DTC to support my newfound appreciation for this style of working, for which I’m grateful to you all for facilitating. It feels satisfying in a way that it hasn’t before.

    1. “Reaming the holes” means to make them oval shaped. It’s done to allow the wood in the lid to move with the seasons. You can ream out the hole with a drill bit and some body English. Or use a rattail file/rasp.

      As far as local suppliers go, we use CR Muterspaw in Xenia, Ohio, for a lot of our lumber. It’s worth the drive. Frank Paxton lumber in Maderia is also good, though they are more expensive on some items. The folks at the local Rockler and Woodcraft are friendly and helpful. My favorite hardware store here is Woods in downtown Cincinnati. They have a surprisingly good selection of tools and finishes, especially.

  26. Chris, In your 2021 Pop Wood article on block planes you have some pics where you round the corners of the iron by pulling it over a diamond stone with the iron perpendicular to the stone. Do you still do that or do you use the finger pressure technique (5 strokes on the corners, 3 strokes on the middle, that kind of thing) or the grinder?

    2. I round the corners of my bench and block planes on a diamond stone, as per the story. And The finger pressure method is still valid and is what I teach with new woodworkers. (Eventually your hands just do it automatically.)

  27. Thanks, I’ll check back with LV. I asked them when the book first came out, they said it wasn’t available to them yet.

  28. after much thought and contemplation …i’ve decided to completely redesign my workspace and workflow ( and attached garage i share with all manner of things i’d rather not have in my workspace). I have scott landis’s excellent workshop book…any other books on the subject you’d recommend?

    1. I don’t think Landis’s book has been met or exceeded. There are lots of titles out there that have tried. And there are good ideas and inspiration in them.

      Like designing a kitchen, workshops are about workflow and storage. The principles are simple. Executing them is a neverending PITA.

  29. I want to know what you all believe about the advantages of triple bevel sharpening ala David Charlesworth, compared to Chris’ method. I have read and watched all of David’s published works as well as Chris’ book (thanks for the free download BTW) and while I understand the mechanics of it I cannot answer why to do it. Does it save time, metal, or what?

    Thanks!

    1. I’ve done it. It has its merits – mostly that you are polishing only a tiny bit of metal, so the polishing is fast and consistent.

      The downside is that you have to reset the iron in the honing guide. Not a huge PITA. But enough of one that I don’t bother. I simply try to keep my secondary bevel small through regular grinding.

  30. Hi Chris. I’m looking for a book on how to make a Windsor chair. Have you written a Windsor chair book? If not do you have a recommendation?
    I have watched videos and read books from other makers but there information seems unusually complicated. I have your Stick Chair Book.
    Thanks for the opportunity to ask questions.
    Dennis from Meko Woodshop.

  31. In “Sharpen This,” you advocate for the Norton 3x and the diamond dressing tool on a 6” grinder. How do you feel about CBN diamond wheels? I’ve got a Tormek with the standard stone that came with it that does a good job, but it’s just so dang slow. Looking to upgrade the bench grinder for the usual grinding stuff and am of two minds. Thanks!

  32. When cutting the walls of a dado with my crosscut saw I really struggle with getting the saw cutting with that many teeth in the wood. Megan makes it look so dang easy, do I just have too much weight on the saw?

    2. I typically start with just the tip of the saw (ie 8-10 teeth), then lower more teeth into the kerf after it’s started. And very little downward pressure until I’m fully in the cut.

  33. A couple questions about measuring devices. I bought a stop rule years ago and never really used it. I recently made a couple of tables and found it perfect for marking tenons. Do you use them?
    I have a few Stanley tape measures and they all are off by a fraction of an inch. For most of what I make is isn’t enough to matter. Have you noticed this?

    1. I’ve played with the ruler stops, but I always go back to my combination squares, which do basically the same thing.

      We consider tape measures to be for rough work. So I don’t really care if they are out by 1/32″. After we mill stuff down, we usually switch to steel rules (if we have to) or story sticks/patterns.

    2. A tape measure is for rough measurements only…and always use the same one throughout a project. As far as stop rules, I’ve used one, but I prefer to set a cutting gauge to the necessary dim. I prefer cutting to a knife line than a pencil line when it matters.

  34. Thank you for the info and recommendations! One clarification – what do you mean by body English?

    Somewhat related on the English note – know of the printmaker John Pedder? His work reminds me of your carvings in AP. I have a book of his work that I might be able to bring for a show and tell at the storefront sometime if there’s any interest.

    1. Put the drill bit through the hole, spin it up. Move the drill’s body laterally (side-to-side) to open up the hole into an oval.

      And I have seen Pedder’s stuff. It does have a peasanty feel to it!

  35. I’ve been struggling with my lie Nielsen chisels feeling as if they have a big burr on them after using them for chopping operations. They are on their original grind, so I may just need to grind them back some. How far back would you grind back before I move on to me just being ham fisted using them?

    1. It sounds like decarb to me (or a batch that wasn’t heat-treated well, but that’s unlikely for a few chisels). You don’t have to grind them much to remove the weak metal. A 64th should be plenty.

  36. Kind of a dumb question on nail orientation…. Obviously splitting is a threat if you have the wedge across the grain, but generally you’re nailing a board perpendicularly to another board.

    If you orientate the nail to be the correct orientation on say a backboard, why doesn’t the nail split the case side it’s going into?

    1. Not dumb at all. Sometimes the board on the bottom does split, especially if you are near the end of the underside board. Mostly the reason the underside board doesn’t split is because you are far away from the end of the board, so the risk of splitting is greatly reduced.

      Usually when nailing, you are near the end of the topside board. So that’s why splits are common on topside boards and why you have to be careful with a pilot and the orientation of the cut nail.

  37. Good Morning Chris & Megan. Forgive me if this question had been addressed already. I’m about to tackle a Lincolnshire chair build and note in SCJ #2 you call out 1-1/8” mortises on the seat for the chair legs. If a 1” isn’t sufficient (have an excellent 1” bit) can you recommend a source for a 1-1/8” bit ( or maybe a 1-1/4”)
    Thank You in advance and have a great day (Get well Megan!)

  38. Another option, the one I use is those Vacuvin wine savers and glass bottles. I pump the vacuum 7 times after I hear it click. This is the only method I use, hope it helps.

  39. Is this the inspiration behind the Mule Chest in ADB? Or did that come from somewhere else?

    1. this was addressed to Chris regarding the Shaker Chest discussed earlier

  40. Laundry question: can I really put used huck towels in the laundry with no consequence to the next batch of clothes? Any guidelines?

    1. I wash them at home in a load w/nothing else, and haven’t had any trouble. But we take the ones at work to the laudromat now, and pay to have them cleaned (we go through many).

    2. We wash the rags by themselves. And we use a detergent marketed for “oily stains.” Then we dry them in the dryer on low.

      Other option: A commercial laundromat will do them for you. We take a big batch over and it’s $20.

  41. Good morning and thanks for spending time doing this. Maybe a strange/pedantic question but … I think Chris has often said that he always has a #8 slotted screwdriver at the bench for adjustments. But slotted screwdrivers don’t seem to have a numbering system. So is that a screwdriver for a #8 screw, i.e., 1/4″ across? Or something else? It seems like that’s much too small for, say, the chip breaker screw, which is why I’m confused.

    1. When I get into really dense hardwoods (such as rosewoods), I use a Western backsaw (the teeth never break). or I use a Japanese saw with induction-hardened teeth (the teeth are blued by the process).

  46. I was going to ask about that also, specifically do you think it would do well in drilling the mortises for the legs of a stick chair? I do OK with the short and long sticks through the arm bow, but struggle with the legs. And I prefer the legs without stretchers so if they aren’t drilled with a consistent angle they look pretty silly! Thanks for doing this!

  47. This is for Megan, probably (speedy recovery!): I like to use linseed oil paint, and I usually use the Yachtsman brush you recommended, and throw it away. The Torrington catalog arrived yesterday and they have a lot of brushes that seem similar but are half the price. I was wondering if you had tried any, or might do a Never Sponsored investigation into them?

    1. We do use the Torrington brushes, too. And, er. I’m a lazy git and usually throw those away, as well. (They are good…and I am a bad person.)

      Also, I LOVE their “best quality” USA-made chip brushes for use at home, with testing water-based colors on my walls etc. They are so much better than the ones from the hardware store. I’ve lost maybe 5 bristles across 20 brushes.

  48. In Graham Blackburn’s “Traditional Jigs & Fixtures for Handtools” (“Jigs & Fixtures for the Hand Tool Woodworker” when published by Popular Woodworking), he shows a planing cradle for hexagons with a 120° internal angle

  49. Any current favorite notebook for workshop notes? I was a big fan of your old workbook format, it got me to log my hours more. I have since run a generic ledger through the bandsaw (page numbers on every other page is fine), but it’s not the same.

  50. Have a question regarding a response you made yesterday in “Starting to Show”. It’s tangential to that post so I’ll ask it here instead of there. It’s very general and is related to how you operate your business and may get into the weeds too much. If you’d rather not answer it here, that’s fine.
    When a customer has an issue legitimate or otherwise and is too far away to visit personally, how do you address their concerns? Does it just depend, or have you found a way to make it simple?
    Or, are your customers all satisfied with no issues. I could certainly believe they are.

    1. Of course there are problems. Usually something comes up about once a year. A chair gets damaged by a forklift. A chair was exposed to extreme weather and the seat split. One chair (an experimental three-legged one) ended up being too tippy.

      My ultimate solution. If someone is unhappy, I make them a new chair and ship it to them on my dime. Period. Even if it’s not because of something I screwed up.

  51. Greetings!
    Thanks for all this stuff.
    Q: like Megan, I spend most of my “non shop” time doing house (kitchen) renovations. I have tools all over the house. To countermeasure that, my thought is to build a mobile dutch chest (36” tall, 24”wide) with two wheels on the back, stumpy feet on the front, and a 1” handle on the top back (could also be a woobie bar). Have you ever thought of mobilizing your Dutch chest?

    1. My only exercise is going up and down the stairs to the shop… (But I usually keep a small kit of tools on whatever floor I’m working, in a wooden tool box that I can lift with one hand)

  52. Any business card holder designs you like? Son’s girlfriend is graduating in June with a business degree, I thought that could be a personal gift that’s not burdensome

  53. You recently mentioned tweaking chair tenons by adjusting your tenon cutter. Would you offer some advice on measuring/calibration tenon size after moving the blade? I really need to sharpen mine but have been reluctant to remove the blade for fear of putting it back “wrong”. Thank you.

    1. I drill a mortise in some leftover seat material (usually elm). Then I cut some sample tenons and adjust the cutter until I get ones that go in the way I want them to. In this case (where I was making the tenons a little smaller) I wanted the tenons to go in with hand pressure, not compression/hammering/kerfing.

      Then take a photo of the blade position (or measure the mouth opening). After a while you can set the tenon cutters by eye.

  54. After watching the video on using the Stanley 77 for sticks and tenons I was very intrigued, but they are hard to find.

    Could the Veritas dowel maker be used in the same format? Much easier and cheaper to get a hold of.

  55. One more thing I can think to ask the experts: I need to dial in my leg vise. In order to just get to work with it I left the screws loose on the nut back side of the leg. What I’ve been working with is once the vise makes contact with the piece, the bottom of the leg pulls in before everything snugs up top, and that top edge tends to open “away” a little. Shouldn’t it be that the top edge is always in contact?

    1. It’s difficult to say what is happening without seeing your leg vise. Does it have a parallel guide or Crisscross at the floor? That is what forces the jaw to pivot at the top.

  56. What do you recommend for a basic set of chairmakers rasps. What is your recommend brand?

  57. Chris and Megan,

    I am curious how writing for an audience affects your writeup of projects and final designs.

    For example, Chris, I know your article (articles?) on trestle table construction from the mid to late aughts doesn’t dive into breadboard end construction to keep the complexity down, though your table at home features them.

    Similarly, in the article the mortises that house the legs are made via dado stack and gluing to halves together. Is that really how YOU would do it or would you prefer a single piece with more traditional mortise making techniques?

    Kind of a vague question, I know, but overall I guess I’m wondering how often you guys find yourselves having to take a step back and remove your preferences in order to make things accessible.

    1. I can’t speak for Chris of course, but I can’t think of anything I’ve written since leaving PW (and not much while I was there, TBH) on which I didn’t write the truth about how I did something if I was specific about it. That is, I may have written “cut the curve with a bandsaw or coping saw,” and I likely used a band saw unless it was a tight curve. But my preferences and tool kit are pretty basic (no CNC, no DT jig, e.g.) so it’s unlikely a choice I’d have to make.

      And, I like to offer options since everyone has different tools and preferences, so if I were making a choice, I’d likely explain it…with lots of parentheses.

    3. I am always thinking about the audience. I know a lot of ways to do things, and I will gladly tailor the technique to the audience. (“Build a Chair from Bulls%$t” is one example.) In fact, I love restricting myself on techniques or tools or materials because I find it makes me more creative.

      At PWM, I was forbidden from writing about hand tools at first because the owners thought our readers preferred power tools. So I learned a LOT about routers. And shapers. And you-name-it-if-it-has-a-power-cord. I loved it because it was stuff I didn’t know well.

      The trestle table is an example of me limiting myself on materials. The base is made from 2x yellow pine. So there has to be some lamination. I used the dado stack because the table had some large tenons that I used the dado stack with. So I was trying to keep the tool list narrow.

      What do I prefer? It really depends on the day. If left to my own devices, with no limits on time, tools or materials here’s how I like to work: machines to process the wood to close size. Hand tools for everything else.

  59. Chris – are you at all familiar with / have you ever used alligator juniper for chairmaking? There is a slab of it near me for DIRT cheap and I had never heard of it until earlier this week, but seems like it could be good for legs and spindles.

  60. There seems to be a school of thought that one should sharpen chisels with a tertiary bevel. What does that accomplish and does it offer any improvement over just a secondary microbevel? Thank you.

  61. Any update on when the anarchist workbench video series will reach the top of your queue? thanks.

  62. Hi
    I just bought a 180 grit 1 1/4 inch wide, 8 inch CBN wheel and they are absolutely amazing!
    I’ve ground chisels and plane blades and there is almost no spark at all, and only a fine metal powder below the tool rest!
    I was worried about regular steels and cast steels clogging it, but it does not do so!
    I was also worried about vibration as I spent a lot of time balancing the old white stone wheels to minimize their vibration!
    This wheel ran absolutely true without and vibration at all!
    Have I mentioned how “absolutely” great these are? They really are!!!
    Amazon runs periodic sales on them and I got mine at $40 off, which was even better!!

  63. Not a question, but a request: can we get a blog post about the hardware / fastener cabinet on the back wall of the shop? I’ve seen brief snippets of it in videos, but I’d love to get a formal breakdown of construction methods, sizing, etc.

    Feel free to slap me on the back of the head and point me in the direction of said content if it already exists.

  65. Thanks for the excellent “Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration Desk”. It’s a wealth of detailed information, with one exception. There’s nothing about the glass inkwell. Granted, it doesn’t fit the context of a woodworking book. Still, Ed Zappen thought the inkwell important enough to commission blown glass replicas for his presentation pieces. Glassblowing differs from woodworking in essential skills and equipment; but patternmaking does not. Certainly, anyone capable of making the desk can make a pattern and silicone mold for reproducing the inkwell in cast-resin. All that’s needed is a dimensioned drawing.

    Would you consider offering for sale a PDF describing the inkwell? In view of Mr. Zappen’s meticulous research, I’d be very surprised if the information is not among his notes.

    Also, the author speculates that a square partition on the right side of the drawer may have held a pounce box. A period example of such might be included as a woodturning project to complement the desk.

  66. “Any business card holder designs you like? Son’s girlfriend is graduating in June with a business degree, I thought that could be a personal gift that’s not burdensome.”

    I make small # 1 Shaker Oval boxes, without a lid, and put in a small divider, the long dimension. The divider has a little handle in it. The # 1 is just the right size for a business card.

    It’s a quick little project. The band is 1-5/8″ wide by 15″ long by 1/16″ thick. You can boil it for a few minutes in a pot on your stove to bend. The divider is 1/4″ thick by 2-1/8″ by 4-5/8″.

  69. In the apprentice substack just released there is a three-part recipe for a finish. Would that work also for the entire workbench top? Why make the mix as opposed to opening up a can of say Osmo? Thank you.

  70. I have a love hate relationship with my router plane…. I’ve finally got the hang of not taking too big a chunk, but I always get some marring of my work piece from a chip or two when using it. Even with light cuts and pretty careful removal of debris, I still get them regularly.

    Outside of being more careful, any tips to keep crud from under the plane?

    1. It’s possible the sole is causing scarring – make sure there are no little pieces of metal sticking up (run the sole over sandpaper stuck on a flat piece of marble or glass if necessary, or use a fine file to knock down anything that’s sticking out).

      In use, make sure you don’t lift it – that is, keep firm enough pressure on both knobs that no chips can sneak under. And anytime you do lift it, brush off the worksurface (I keep a bench brush handy for this).

  71. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing the “Woodka” blend of 1:1 water and 99% isopropyl alcohol. It works wonders for easing the spokeshave work on the inside face of a chair-crest.
    Lacking a bandsaw, my initial hand-shaping of the curve on my current project was far from exact, so I had a lot of cleanup to do and the softening of the wood from the Woodka made it easier to take heavy shavings.

  72. Hi, do you happen to know any good books for traditional stair building you could recommend?

    I’m rebuilding a set of u-shaped winder stairs in an old 1930s house here in Finland. I’m specifically looking for material on traditional housed and wedged joinery in detail. Any must-read titles for that kind of structure?

    1. I’m afraid that is way out of our area of expertise. Astragal Press used to carry some old reprints on stairbuilding that you might look for on the used market. Sorry.

  73. Curves. I make curved things rarely, but when I do, I struggle. Recently, I made a curved-front nightstand – top, drawers and door have gentle 40-ish inch radius curve. It turned out great, but was miserable to make. I typically rough-cut curves on the bandsaw, then smooth exterior/interior with handplanes, spokeshaves, rasps, scraper and then sandpaper. My spokeshave game is weak sauce. I routinely experience skipping along the surface even in relatively soft cherry. Hard hard woods – forget it, skippity skip. I sharpen ever so carefully and get a gleaming, scary sharp edge yet still struggle. I experiment with attack angle, speeds, and finesse like an attentive lover but I can’t seem to get my spokeshave game on. What’s a fella to do?

    1. Try rasps?

      It could be your shaves are crap and the irons are bedded poorly? Sharp can’t fix that. Or the bed and/or sole are out? The mouth is too tight? Shaves are generally not a difficult tool to master – if the tool is decent. Off-brand shaves and modern Stanley/Records/Kunz are total garbage.

  74. Thanks for doing this Q&A Chris and Fitz! I’ll be reading through it at the end of the day, bound to learn something

  75. Some time back there was a post on cushions for stick stairs. I believe they were sourced in Eastern Europe? Just finished a chair from bull and looking for a finishing touch.

  76. HI!

    I’m at the pin-making stage of a mini-Anarchist’s Workbench. I’m using 1/2″ ash pins instead of 5/8, due to the scaled-down size (4″ top and stretchers) and shorter relish (2-1/2″ tenons instead of 3″).

    I’ve never made pins before. So far I’ve got a bunch of straight-grained ash “chunks” rived off of some rectangular offcuts – the riving has left vaguely triangular splits, still quite oversize.

    I’ve tried paring them down further with a chisel and with a small bench axe, but both approaches seem imprecise and fiddly. I have a dowel plate, for when I get close enough to intended diameter.

    Q1: Would you follow the usual pin-placement of setting these about one-pin-diameter in from the mortise shoulder (in this case, that puts the centre at 3/4″ from the edge) – or would you use a different offset?

    Q2: What’s an efficient way to make 1/2″ pins out of these triangularish split-outs?

    Thank you!

    1. They don’t have to look like dowels. They just have to do the job. If you are struggling with a chisel, try making them overlong, claming one end in a vise and shaving them with a spokeshave. Or hold the back end, press the front end against a stop and shave them with a block plane (like making a stick for a chair).

      I think your pin placement sounds fine.

  78. How to deaden the sound of mallet and chisel when making dove tales mortes ect. I have basic wood bench located very close to a house living area. Something lay on the bench top?

    1. Leather face on the mallet. And a benchtop that doesn’t act like a drum. Nicholson benches (thin top and hollow interior) seem to amplify the wham. Solid thick benchtops, not so much.

      One last tip: Saw out most of the waste so your chopping chores are minimal.

  79. Two more questions before y’all wrap up for the day:

    Firstly, recently picked up some handsaws and was wondering what, if anything, you coat the saw with. Do you just treat them the same as you would a metal hand plane?

    Secondly, do you ever think you’d take on an “apprentice” of sorts that focused more so on editing / backend work?

    1. I’ll let Chris answer the apprentice question…I just work here! But on saws, we both wipe them down after use with our woobies (oil-soaked rags) before putting them away

    2. We wipe down our saws with an oily rag, same as our planes and chisels and……

      All of the apprentices are pushed into editing/photography/substack/backend work. We are a very traditional publishing company in many ways, and there is a lot of editorial grunt work that has to be done every week. The woodwork training (about 50 percent of every day) reinforces our editorial work (does this make sense? I hope so).

      So the apprentices are really being trained for two things: making furniture and communicating about it. When/if they leave us, they’ll need both skills to sell furniture.

      So the answer is yes? Every apprentice gets training in both. And they find their place in the company.

  80. Thanks!FYI, tried the plywood arm and couldn’t keep from splitting plies. Took scrap 2x yellow pine from the seat and made a three part arm. Can’t say it’s perfect, but it worked (with some fiddling with the angles. Never made a chair before but may have the bug!

  81. I have a love hate relationship with my router plane…. I’ve finally got the hang of not taking too big a chunk, but I always get some marring of my work piece from a chip or two when using it. Even with light cuts and pretty careful removal of debris, I still get them regularly.

    Outside of being more careful, any tips to keep crud from under the plane?

  82. No question. Thank you for doing this. It’s awesome being able to ask knowledgeable folks the dumb questions we have.

    Also the fish stick glue is amazing. Just did a big glue up and it made it so much more relaxing.

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