The Lost Art Press storefront will be closed this Friday (Sept. 4) because we’ll be in Iowa at Handworks, and the following Monday (Sept. 7) so we can
a) recover from Handworks (here’s hoping Chris and I don’t once again bring home a bad case of Covid…or a not-bad case of Covid, for that matter) and
b) because it’s the Labor Day holiday
But the doors are open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. today, tomorrow and Wednesday (Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2)
– Fitz
We have all the Lost Art Press books, Crucible tools (including 150 of our new lump hammers!) and apparel ready to ship out to Handworks in Amana, Iowa for the Sept. 4-5 show, and we’re hauling ourselves out there on Sept. 3. The show runs from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and features 80 hand tool demonstrators and vendors – the largest Handworks yet! (You’ll find us in the Festhalle Barn.)
And make sure you’re in the Festhalle Barn at 10 a.m. on Saturday for Christopher Schwarz and Mike Siemsen’s presentation! Chris won’t let me reveal his topic … but it will make you both laugh and cry. And while I don’t know what Mike is planning, I have no doubt it will make you laugh; he’s hilarious.
We’ll have signed copies of Christopher’s many LAP books and my one LAP book available, and we are happy to personalize them upon request. We’ll be in our booth for pretty much for the entire show – barring bathroom breaks – so come on by whenever if you want to say hey to us. We also have two other LAP authors scheduled for book signings. Mike Pekovich, author of “Benchwork,” will be at the LAP booth from noon-1 p.m. both days to sign copies of his latest book. Nick Kroll, author of “Make Fresh Milk Paint,” will be demonstrating fresh milk paint and signing his book from 2-3 p.m. both days.
We hope to see you there!
– Fitz
Comments are now closed. If we’ve not yet answered your question, we’ll get to it soon! Join us again on October 10.
Welcome to Lost Art Press Open Wire, where until 5 p.m. Eastern, you can ask any and all woodworking questions and questions about Lost Art Press, our cats, Shakespeare (me), Late 19th/early 20th-century Russian literature (Chris), and we and your fellow readers will do our best to answer. Simply post your questions in the comments section below.
Note that there might be a lag between your questions and our answers. Chris is busy building a chair, and I am working on my kitchen renovation.
The remaining Open wire dates for 2026 are:
October 10
December 12
– Fitz
Tomorrow (Aug. 8) is Open Wire day – a chance for you to ask any and all woodworking questions and get answers from Chris and me, as well as from your fellow woodworkers.
The Open Wire post will be live here on the blog at 8 a.m. tomorrow for you to post questions in the comment section, and we will start answering…as soon as we wake up and log on. I’m sure Chris will also be busy working on a chair tomorrow, and I’ll be working on junk removal from my backyard (my ex-kitchen is stacked up under the porch roof of my garage) and making shelves for the new kitchen. So please bear with us if we don’t get to your question right away. (And if you have an answer for someone else, please do chime in!)
– Fitz
Get the information you need right at your fingertips with Lost Art Press pocket books – and right now, you can get all six for the special price of just $99. Though our pocket books are small in size – just 4″ x 6-1/2″ – each one is full of expert guidance on a given topic. Here is what comes in the complete set of six books:
“Woodworker’s Pocket Book”
Edited by the great Charles H. Hayward and first published in 1949, “Woodworker’s Pocket Book” is a guide to everything from finishing recipes to drawing ellipses to choosing the correct screw or nail.
“Workshop Wound Care”
Author, woodworker and emergency room doctor and author Jeffery Hill has seen every workshop accident in the book…in this book, to be exact. So he knows exactly the information a woodworker needs to know when it comes to injuries. And he presents information in a way that a non-medical professional can easily understand it.
“Sharpen This”
Author Christopher Schwarz cuts through the mystery and fear that surround sharpening and tells you what you need to know, in simple, easy-to-understand instruction. With the help of this book, you’ll quickly get your tools sharp and back to the fun part of woodworking: making them dull.
“Build a Chair from Bulls%$t”
With the instruction of author Christopher Schwarz, you can build a comfortable wooden stick chair using only materials and tools found at your home center. No jigs, no specialty tools and no exotic techniques. Shovel handles and stair handrails can be easily made into chair legs. The seat and headrest come from the construction lumber aisle. The spindles? Dowels. And the curved arm? Plywood.
“Make Fresh Milk Paint”
Woodworker Nick Kroll spent two years formulating and testing his recipe for fresh milk paint, which is based on historical recipes for casein paints – plus a little modern ingenuity. The paint goes on like an acrylic and dries fast – you can put on four coats in a day with no problem. Once dry, the paint has a low luster and hardens to become incredibly durable. You can then leave the paint as-is or topcoat it with wax, oil or whatever you prefer.
“Smalls”
Eighteen project plans of well-designed, easy-to-make pieces. These diminutive shelves, boxes, racks and cabinets are great gifts and use up the small bits of wood that accumulate in your workshop. Built by the staff and apprentices at Lost Art Press, this book is great for both beginners and expert woodworkers.
Like all Lost Art Press books, the pocket books are printed and bound in the United States. The text is printed on #70 matte-coated paper (acid free). The pages are gathered into signatures and then sewn together – a step few publishers bother with. The book block is then glued and reinforced with fiber tape and covered with heavy cloth-covered boards. These are permanent library-grade books – designed to last a couple centuries.
