True story, Word of Honor: Joseph Heller, an important and funny writer now dead, and I were at a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island. I said, “Joe, how does it make you feel to know that our host only yesterday may have made more money than your novel ‘Catch-22’ has earned in its entire history?” And Joe said, “I’ve got something he can never have.” And I said, “What on earth could that be, Joe?” And Joe said, “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.” Not bad! Rest in peace!
Due to a small miracle at our printing plant, we now have a big load of “The Woodworker’s Pocket Book” at our warehouse and ready for immediate shipment. And yes, if you order now it will arrive before Christmas.
We love this little book, and so do our customers. Since first printing it, we have had trouble keeping it in stock. It’s a great little companion for any workshop.
The sign over Chester Cornett’s shop in Elizabethtown, Ohio.
Every shop I’ve worked in had a set of built-in aphorisms – things that are said when you encounter a moment of truth at the bench or when the clamps come off. Michael Dunbar’s chair shop probably had more than 100 sayings that he and his instructors had developed. Taking a class there was like living inside Confucius’s “Analects.”
We have some at our shop. Some of these are said out loud. Some are muttered under one’s breath. Others are too private to speak.
“Let us all now drink to the success of our hopeless endeavor.”
This is a Russian dissident toast that I learned in college. I say it to myself as a little prayer any time I begin a challenging project, which is just about every time I begin a project.
“For those people and that money.”
I’ve heard this one a lot in workshops. It’s said when you botch a job and decide not to fix it. I’ve turned it on its head and say it when something goes really right, or when a piece turns out as expected. It is said as a reminder as to who is the customer.
“If you have to ask the question, then you know the answer.”
I’ve published this one before. We say it whenever someone asks “Should I fix this?” “Does this assembly need to be remade?”
“You have to build a shed-load of furniture.”
I picked this one up from David Savage (rest in peace). I say it to students whenever they despair that they’ll never improve.
“Furniture makers have been hiding mistakes from rich people for thousands of years.”
I first heard this one from furniture maker Jim Stuard. He said it whenever he made a flawless repair to a piece.
“By all means read what the experts have to say. Just don’t let it get in the way of your woodworking.”
This is a John Brown quote. And I love it. I say it whenever we do something that goes against prevailing internet/magazine/book wisdom.
“La carrière ouverte aux talents.” (The tools to him that can handle them.)
This quote, attributed to Napoleon, I never say out loud. I say it to myself on the rare occasion when I get something exactly right – a joint, a tool setup, etc.
“The things I make may be for others, but how I make them is for me.”
A quote from Tony Konovaloff, I say this when I do things the hard way instead of the easy way on a project. Or I do something that the customer will never notice.
“Sharp fixes everything.”
I say this to students when their tools are dull and they are struggling.
“Don’t make a clock out of it.”
A German workshop expression shared with me by Peter Lanz. We say this whenever someone is making something far more complicated than it should be. And for no good reason.
This three-legged comb-back chair is available for sale and immediate shipment. SOLD
The chair is based on several Welsh three-legged comb-back chairs I have inspected that have a distinctive square-shaped arm and seat. This particular iteration is set up for lounging, with back sticks that lean about 16° off vertical. The seat height is 17”, with the overall height of the chair at 39”. The seat is 16” deep x 20” wide and nicely saddled.
Three-legged chairs are common vernacular forms found all over the U.K. and Europe, but many moderns suspect they are unstable. After building and using many three-legged stick chairs, here’s the real deal: When you sit in them, they are stable. You can even tilt back on them on the rear leg (fun!).
The only time they are unstable is when you are not sitting in the chair and you try to lean on the ends of the comb, which are unsupported. That’s when the chair wants to tip.
Construction Details
The legs, sticks and comb are made from dead-straight red oak that was both rived and sawn to yield the straightest, strongest parts. The seat is poplar. And the four-piece armbow is made using slippery elm. The interlocked grain and strength of the elm is what allows the arms to curve 93° and still be strong.
The chair is $1,100 plus actual shipping via common carrier. This is a little less than usual because of the three legs. Shipping typically runs between $100 and $225 depending on where you live. Delivery within 100 miles of Cincinnati is free – or you can pick it up at our shop in Covington, Ky. If you are interested in the chair, send an email to fitz@lostartpress.com. Ask all the questions you like, but the first person to say “I’ll take it” gets it.
— Christopher Schwarz
P.S. I have four more chairs in various stages on the bench. The next one is a 16-stick comb-back.
