There is little as an editor I dislike more than cutlists; I wish we could do away with them. No matter how many times and how many people check them, there are always cutlist errors. I always feel like a crap editor when readers point them out … as I should. (I offered to throw myself upon my mortise chisel this morning in shame, but thankfully, Chris dissuaded me.)
On the Pipe Box, which begins on page 63, we left out the shelf /divider between the top of the box and the drawer at the bottom. It is 3/8″ thick (though 1/4″ thick would work, too), 2-1/4″ wide and 3-1/4″ long. It is shown in the drawing though; hopefully, the cutlist omission won’t throw anyone off. (You do know to never blindly rely on cutlists…right?)
And on the Cat-ear Box, which begins on page 83, I added a x … for EXTREME CAT EARS, I guess. (I’d like to blame my cat Toby, who loves stepping on the keyboard while I’m working … but I did not work on this book at home, so I must take full and sole responsibility.)
The following is excerpted from “Doormaking & Window-Making,” and refers to frames for exterior doors. (The book instructs that interior “doors are usually hung in “jamb linings,” instead of door frames, these being fixed in the walls after the house is built.”)
A handbook on doors would hardly be complete without some reference to door frames, and in this chapter we propose to give a short description of the various kinds of frames in general use, and to show how to set out and make them.
Fig. 102 is the elevation of an ordinary frame, consisting of two posts or jambs, sill and head: a rebate is formed in the posts and head; to correspond with the thickness of the door, and the other edge is usually chamfered or beaded in some way, as shown in Figs. 103 to 105. The standard size for the scantlings used for door frames is 4-1/2 ins. by 3 ins., although in special cases these are varied as circumstances demand. The rebate should always be made so that the widest way of the stuff takes the thrust of the door, as shown in the above-mentioned drawings. Fig. 106 shows the rebate made the opposite way, as usual in some parts of the country, but this is a very faulty style, the posts yielding every time the door is slammed.
In facing up the timber, the face (or rebate) edge, should be the outside of the tree as it was grown : this can be ascertained by the grain at the end, the correct form being as in Fig. 107, incorrect as Fig. 108. Attention to this apparently unimportant matter makes all the difference to the springing of the posts, as, if formed as in Fig. 107, the wall keeps them straight and the door will not require easing; whereas if made as Fig. 108, the posts will spring into the doorway, and the door will require frequent easing to make it work freely.
Fig. 109 shows the setting out of the posts : at the sill end the two shoulders are straight across as on the right; but at the head the shoulders at the face side must be 1/2 in. longer, to fit up into the rebate, as at A, this shoulder being made to the height of the door. The above setting out applies to the section of frame as Fig. 103, where the chamfers are made on the posts only, and the head left square, as in Fig. no, or to any other section where the ornamentation is on the posts only. If the section as Fig. 104 is used, the bead is usually taken round the head, as in Fig. 111, and then both shoulders will be of an equal length, the bead being mitred at the intersection.
This also applies to Fig. 105, where an extra length must be allowed beyond the height of the door, to allow for the bead on the edge of the rebate; both this and the large chamfer running round the head, as in Fig. 112. This latter should not be mitred at the angles, but the posts should be scribed to fit the head, as in section Fig. 113. Should it be preferred to stop the chamfers, as Fig. 114, the first setting out will be the correct one.
The setting out of the head and sill is shown in Fig. 115. The mortise lines are not affected in any way by the section of the frame, provided that the tenons are kept to the square portion, the rebate coming to one side, as in the section (dotted lines), Figs. 103 to 105. Sufficient length must be left on the head and sill to allow them to project at least 1-1/2 ins. beyond the jambs, when the frame is together, and slot mortises should always be used. The projecting horns of the head and sill are cut as Fig. 116, A or B, according to the thickness of the wall they stand in, and also according to the position they occupy in the wall ; the bricks, being cut to fit the horns, hold the frame tightly.
Fig. 117 shows the upper end of a door jamb after the tenon is cut, section as Fig. 103. In some parts of the country the sills of outside door frames – that is , the frames which are fixed in the outer walls of house or building of any kind-are made wider than the jambs, and are bevelled, as Fig. 118, the bevel starting at the rebate line. This is a very good idea, the wet having a better chance of getting away; but in these days of cheapness it is too often considered that the extra work of bevelling the sill and cutting the shoulders to fit takes too long; it is, however, the proper thing to do.
The following is excerpted from “Smalls: 18 Well-designed, Easy Projects for an Afternoon in the Workshop,” which is now available! In addition to the projects, you’ll find chapters on the techniques you need to build them (which will, of course, come in handy for all sorts of projects – not just the 18 in this pocket book).
We used four types of nails in these projects: cut nails, square-shanked die-forged nails and nail-gun nails, both 18-gauge and 23-gauge.
The 18-gauge brads from a nail gun have rectangular heads, so the holes they make look a lot like traditional nail holes from cut nails – and they’re faster than cut nails or square-shanked nails, because no pilot holes are required. The 23-gauge pins leave just a tiny hole, and they don’t have much holding power – but for thin work that doesn’t have to hold much weight, they’re plenty strong.
Cut nails (made by Tremont, the only remaining maker of which we’re aware) come in a variety of types. We mostly used headless brads when we didn’t want the nail to show, and clout nails when we needed to hold on backs or bottoms (the large nail head keeps it from pulling through).
If you want to use nails as a design feature, though, reach for the square-shanked Rivierre nails. Not only do they hold better than the other nails discussed here, but they stand out thanks to their prominent, diamond-shaped heads.
Both cut nails and square-shanked nails require pilot holes. With cut nails, you can sometimes get away with no pilot hole…as long as you’re using white pine. But better safe than sorry; it doesn’t take that long to drill a hole.
Drill a pilot hole as deep as two-thirds the nail’s length; the black mark on the bit denotes the depth.
Select a bit diameter that matches the tip of the cut nail. (For the small nails used here, that’s likely to be the smallest bit in your index, which in ours is 1/16″. If that’s too big, you can buy micro bits.
For square-shanked nails, match the bit diameter to the width of the nail about a third of the way up from the bottom of the shaft. Drill pilot holes that are two-thirds the length of the nail; you want the nail itself to cut its own path for the final third of its journey – that’s where most of the holding power will result. A pilot hole that is the length of the nail will result in a weak joint. (Note: For screws, the pilot hole should match the length of the screw.)
Always make a test joint with the pilot hole in the same material, and at the same distance from the end or edge of the top board. If your pilot hole is too small, the test joint will split. Much better to find that out and make adjustments on scrap.
A final note about those pilot holes: If you’re not confident in your ability to drill straight, set up a square or ask a friend to guide you, especially on these thinner pieces of wood. It’s all too easy to drill out of square and come out the side of the work.
The cut nail on the right is inserted correctly, with the wide face in line with the grain. Insert it the other way (left) and the top board could split.
For cut nails, insert the nail into the pilot hole so that the wide side of the nail is in line with the grain; if you insert it so the wide side is across the grain, you’ll split your work. You needn’t be as careful when inserting the square-shanked nails; they can go in with either the corner or flat face in line with the grain.
On the left is a 16-ounce hammer with a faceted handle, which helps your hand know how to hold it. On the right is a 9.8-ounce hammer, with a peen that’s useful for starting small nails.
Drive the nails using a hammer. For smaller, lighter nails, we like an 8- to 10-ounce hammer, such as an Exeter hammer. Use the pointed end to set the nail, then use the striking face to sink it. For heavier, longer nails, a typical 16-ounce hammer is good. (We love vintage Plumb hammers – the faceted handles provide a comfy grip.)
While you don’t need pilot holes or hammers for air-driven 18-gauge brads or 23-gauge pins, if you don’t shoot straight, they can easily poke out the side of your work. (Sometimes they do that even if you do shoot straight. So if these nails are the belt to the suspenders of your glue, it’s OK to choose a slightly shorter nail if you run into trouble.) If you’re not confident, use a spotter or square here, too.
Hold the nail gun so that the width of the nose aligns with the grain of the top board. And note the square-shaped hole the nail makes; it looks a bit like the hole of a cut nail.
And just like it’s important to orient a cut nail properly, it helps to hold the nail gun perpendicular to the top board, so that the wide face of the nose is in line with the grain. That aligns the wider face of the nail head with the grain and cuts down on blowouts.
It needs some cleaning, paint and sprucing up. But the former picking floor of our warehouse should be a woodworking school by the end of the year.
Thanks to some tectonic shifts in our business at Lost Art Press, it looks like we will have a new woodworking school in Covington, Kentucky, that is literally in our back yard.
Last year we had to stop holding classes in our Willard Street workshop after our insurance carrier dumped us (it’s a long tale that does *not* involve anyone getting hurt. Basically, when you live above your business, things get weird).
In June, our Covington warehouse hit its maximum capacity while we had more than a dozen double-stacked pallets of books on the way. So we moved our warehouse operations a mile away to a building that was purpose-built for order fulfillment with a loading dock, a huge roll-up door and insane room for growth. We signed a seven-year lease.
As luck would have it, two of our favorite woodworkers were interested in opening an independent school. So unless our Covington building gets hit with a meteorite, it looks like their school will occupy the warehouse space attached to our storefront.
The school will be an independent business, but it will be closely aligned with Lost Art Press. Megan and I will teach there, as will a whole host of great instructors.
And our storefront and as-yet-to-be-named school will share space and facilities. Visitors to the storefront will see the school in action. Students who need a book or a tool can saunter a few steps to get what they need.
Students loved the urban atmosphere in Covington, and this new school will preserve that. The new school is even closer to Covington’s hotel district and is surrounded by hundreds of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, bookstores and places to buy freeze-dried ducklings.
Megan and I are planning new classes for 2027 at the school – classes we have never taught before. It’s all quite nice that this is working out for everyone: students, the owners of the new school and Lost Art Press. (And for Covington, too. The owners of Larry’s say they really miss all you guys, especially Scott.)
If all goes to plan, classes will begin in January 2027. We will let you know when the first class list will be released.
