Lost Art Press

Author: Lost Art Press

Publisher of woodworking books and videos specializing in hand tool techniques.

Back in Stock: Scrapers & 2 Books

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We just received new stock of the Bowen’s book, and it was charged a tariff.

First the good news: Tariffs aren’t yet affecting Lost Art Press books. We print entirely in the United States. But some of the raw materials, including some of the papers we use, come from Canada. We follow the issue closely, and our books might not see any price increases.

The bad news: metal prices are on the rise because of the tariffs. And the only book we import, “The Welsh Stick Chair: A Visual Record” by Tim and Betsan Bowen was just walloped by a tariff. We had to raise the price significantly. 

This is a great book, and I hope we can carry it going forward. But no promises.

We just got the first batch of Crucible Curved Card Scrapers in from the machine shop. These have been out of stock for far too long. I bought the steel before all the tariffs went into effect, so the price is the same ($25). I have no idea what will happen to the price with the next batch (some steel components have doubled in price in the last month).

So buy them now while they are this price.

Finally, we have also restocked on “Doormaking and Window-Making.” There is no price change for this Michigan-printed book.

— Christopher Schwarz

For Sale: Comb-back Stick Chair in Figured Red Elm

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This comb-back stick chair is built entirely in American red elm, with the seat, arm and comb made from figured red elm, some of the most difficult wood I have ever saddled.

The chair is raked back for lounging, reading or sitting by the fire. The chair’s features heavily shaped arms, tapered octagonal stretchers and slightly proud and burnished tenons throughout.

I’m offering it for sale via a silent auction. The highest bid includes crating and shipping the chair to your door anywhere in the lower 48 states of the U.S. With no additional fees or charges. Details on the sale are at the bottom of this entry. First, some notes about the chair.

The chair is made from red elm, which is my favorite wood for chairmaking. The wood is strong, fairly lightweight and has a difficult interlocked grain that prevents the parts from ever splitting. The chair’s sticks are shaved and left octagonal. All the tenons are cut slightly proud and burnished. All the chair’s joints are assembled with animal glue, which is reversible, and wedged with hickory wedges selected for arrow-straight grain.

The seat is tilted 6.6°, with the chair’s back tilted 28° off the seat. The seat is 16-3/4” off the floor, making it comfortable for most sitters. The chair is 38-3/4” tall overall.

The chair is finished with a soft wax finish that I make here in our workshop. It offers a low lustre and looks better the more you use the chair. The finish isn’t terribly durable, but it is easily repaired (just add more soft wax). 

Like all my chairs, I make them as best I can, but most of the work is by hand. So you will find an occasional stray tool mark or tiny imperfection. These are not left intentionally, but they are the result of hand work.

How to Buy the Chair

The chair is being sold via a silent auction. If you wish to buy the chair, send your bid via email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Wednesday, April 24. Please use the subject line: “Elm Chair.” The opening bid is $500. In the email please include your:

  • Bid
  • U.S. shipping address
  • Daytime phone number (this is for the trucking quote only)

If you are the highest bidder, the chair will be shipped to your door. The price includes the crate and all shipping charges. Alternatively, the chair can be picked up at our storefront. (I’m sorry but the chair cannot be shipped outside the U.S.)

— Christopher Schwarz

New Edition of ‘Roubo on Furniture’ (With a Special Price)

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We’ve just received 3,000 copies of our newest edition of “With All the Precision Possible: Roubo on Furniture” and are offering it for a special introductory price: $100 with free domestic shipping until April 20, 2025.

This new edition is a significant upgrade “trade” edition, which was in black-and-white and on uncoated paper. The new edition is printed in color, so you can fully appreciate the tone of the cotton paper from the 18th-century engravings. We upgraded the paper to a #100 coated matte paper, enlarged the page size, added printed end sheets and include a tear-resistant dust jacket.

Why do this? Well, I never thought our “trade” edition quite matched the gravity of the project. Don Williams, Michele Pietryka-Pagán and Philippe Lafargue spent years translating the writings of André Roubo’s “l’art du Menuisier.” It is the world’s first masterpiece of woodworking writing, and only bits and pieces were ever translated into English.

So last year we began working on a replacement for our “trade” edition. It’s arrived in our warehouse, and it is impressive.

Like all things with the Roubo project, the printing bill was massive. And so to recoup some of that money, we are offering it at a 20 percent discount with free domestic shipping until April 20, 2025. After that, it will be $125 (still a good price, I must say).

You can read more about the book here. Or watch this cheesy ad I made:

‘The Woodworker Vols. 1-4’ is Back (Plus a Special Offer)

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Well it took longer than I expected, but we now have all four volumes of “The Woodworker” back in stock and ready to ship. If you order before April 30, you can get all four volumes for $100 with free domestic shipping. That’s $39 off. Plus the free shipping.

Here’s the link to the page. The books are also available for sale individually.

These four books are the backbone of a complete education in handwork. A team of six people (including some extra helpers) worked for eight years to read, organize, scan, design and produce these four books from the articles written and edited by Charles H. Hayward.

As editor of The Woodworker magazine from 1939 to 1967, Hayward oversaw the transformation of the craft from one that was almost entirely hand-tool based to a time where machines were common, inexpensive and had displaced the handplanes, chisels and backsaws of Hayward’s training and youth.

Our massive project distilled the thousands of articles Hayward published in The Woodworker. This is information that hasn’t been seen or read in decades. No matter where you are in the craft, from a complete novice to a professional, you will find information here you cannot get anywhere else.

The books have 1,492 pages total, with thousands of hand drawings and photos. The books are printed in the USA and are designed to last decades. The sewn bindings will lay flat on your bench. The uncoated paper is easy on your eyes.

For more information on the project, including a complete list of all the articles in the books, click here.

A New Stick Chair Kit from Alexander Brothers

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Good news: Alexander Brothers is now selling a new stick chair kit for the Curved Back Armchair in “The Stick Chair Book.” The kit supplies all the parts you need in red elm (my favorite chair wood) for $295. The kit will also build the similar Irish armchair featured in Fine Woodworking magazine last year.

Alexander Brothers does a fantastic job of selecting straight grain for the sticks and legs. I trust them to pick wood for me. So if finding the wood for a stick chair has been holding you back from building one, this kit can fix that problem.

Alexander Brothers carries kits for many chairs and even Megan’s Dutch tool chest. Here’s a link to see the other kits.

— Christopher Schwarz