Author: fitz

If you read the post about our upcoming classes, you know that for 2020, we’re charging a small non-refundable registration fee of $12 a day per class. You might wonder why, and if it’s worth it.

In short, it’s because the entirety of your class tuition goes to the instructor. And during the past 18 months, we’ve found that the classes require lots of glue, gallons of drinking water (and dang-good coffee), ample toilet paper, and to keep the HVAC at a comfortable level for seven people. The small registration fee will help pay for that. Plus, the class registration site costs money – so part of each fee goes to pay for it, too.

Why is the registration fee non-refundable? Again, because all the tuition goes to the instructor, we have to have some way to pay for all the administration when people drop out of classes, require help with shipping tools or need assistance with housing, meals or activities for their families. We’re happy to help, but we do need to eat.

We do our best to make sure classes here are worth the investment in money and time. Lost Art Press operates differently than most publishing companies, and the classes here are different, too. With only six students in all but a few classes, you get plenty of personal attention from the instructor (whether you want it or not!). And, you’ve the opportunity to try out a bunch of different bench styles in our working shop (handy, if you’re thinking about building one). Plus, you have access to the Covington Mechanical Library – our large collection of woodworking books (including a three-volume set of the original 18th-century “l’art du Menuisier”).

You also get to spend time in the Covington Main Strasse area, which is aces (it’s possible we’re biased). There are scads of good and inexpensive restaurants within easy walking distance, and plenty of hotels and Air BnB rentals available at shockingly low rates. And we’re right across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati, where you’ll find even more great restaurants, and plenty for your family to do while you’re in class, should they visit with you.

We love offering classes, and think you’ll have a great time here (and learn a lot, of course!) – so we hope this small fee won’t stop you from registering for a class.

— Fitz

As we’ve mentioned a few times, we’re reducing the number of classes for 2020. Despite almost every class selling out, and though we love having folks visit, we are not (sing it with me!) a school, and the many classes have cut into our shop time and editorial work (and my sanity, because I handle all the backend stuff for visiting instructors). But Christopher Schwarz and Brendan Gaffney handle their own backends <insert joke>, and I handle my own <please don’t insert joke>. So we three will be offering a smattering of educational opportunities at the Lost Art Press storefront, as well as a very few from outside instructors.

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Before you read about the January-June 2020 classes below, here’s some important information about our new ticketing policy: We have added a NON-REFUNDABLE registration fee when you sign up. These cover the ticketing system costs, and to go toward such shop and class necessaries as glue, electricity, shop rags and toilet paper (the last two of which are not interchangeable). That fee is $12 per day per student – so for two-day classes it’s $24, for a week-long class it’s $60. Again: It is NON-REFUNDABLE. So please make sure the class dates work for you before you register. (There is a cancellation policy at the bottom of each class description. For most classes, the instructor offers a full refund – minus that non-refundable fee – up to four weeks before a class.)

Also note that each class description on the ticketing site includes a link to “Where to Stay; What to Do,” a page that will help you find accommodations and learn a bit more about why your family might enjoy visiting Greater Cincinnati while you’re busy in the shop.

The classes listed below will go live on Friday, Aug. 30 at 10 a.m. You can look at our “box office” right now on the Ticket Tailor site (and from there click through to each class) – but if you click one of the “Register Now” buttons, it will trick you into thinking you can register today. You cannot. Once a class is sold out (again, tickets go on sale Aug. 30 at 10 a.m. Eastern, and a non-refundable registration fee will be collected at check-out), I will turn on the waitlist function (there is no fee to sign up for the waitlist).

Here are the classes we have planned for the first half of 2020 (note that we might add one or two more – if so, we’ll blog about it and add them to our Ticket Tailor listings).

• Intro to Staked Furniture – Design & Construction, with Christopher Schwarz, Jan. 18-19.
• Build the ‘Anarchist’s Tool Chest’ with Megan Fitzpatrick, Feb. 17-21
• The Greenwood Høj Footstool with Brendan Gaffney, Feb. 29-March 1
• Build an American Welsh Stick Chair with Christopher Schwarz, March 9-13
• 4 Corner Joints & a Dado, with Megan Fitzpatrick, March 21-22
• One-slat Ladderback Chair with Brendan Gaffney, March 27-29
• Intro to Staked Furniture – Design & Construction, with Christopher Schwarz, April 4-5
• One-slat Ladderback Chair with Brendan Gaffney, May 1-3
• Build a Sawbench with Megan Fitzpatrick, May 16-17
• Make a Post-and-rung Ladderback Chair with Brendan Gaffney, May 25-29
• Intro to Staked Furniture – Design & Construction, with Christopher Schwarz, June 6-7
• Build a Dutch Tool Chest with Megan Fitzpatrick, June 26-28

As always, if you have a question, please email me (Megan Fitzpatrick) at covingtonmechanicals@gmail.com.

— Fitz

Here’s a free PDF peek at a handful of some of the 157 hand-tool-woodworking helpers  in Robert Wearing’s “The Solution at Hand: Jigs & Fixtures to Make Benchwork Easier,” excerpted from the Marking Aids and Cramps chapters (along with the author’s introduction and the table of contents).

Lie-Nielsen Toolworks announced the fall 2019 Hand Tool Event Schedule this afternoon, and Lost Art Press is proud to be among those hosting.

The event hours are Friday, Sept. 20 from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 21 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. We’re located at 837 Willard St., in Covington, Ky., 41011. Parking is free on the street.

From the press release: “We started these events to expose more woodworkers to the improvements in quality, environment, and enjoyment that handtool work can offer,” says Lie-Nielsen founder and president Thomas Lie-Nielsen, “and over the past decade we’ve seen their popularity explode with new and experienced woodworkers alike. Incorporating traditional tools and methods can offer even die-hard machinery users ways to bring their work to the next level. The fact that our tools don’t require earplugs or respirators just adds to the appeal.

“Lie-Nielsen staff will help demystify the world of hand tool woodworking and cover topics like sharpening, tool setup and use, and joinery. Visitors are encouraged to get hands on and ask questions.”

Christopher Schwarz, Brendan Gaffney and I (along with guest demonstrators yet to be announced), will be there, too. Like the Lie-Nielsen show staff, we’re happy to demonstrate and/or help you use any of the tools, reveal our “tricks” (ask Chris about his Magic Half Pencil!), answer questions about the Lost Art Press books, and more.

— Fitz