Lost Art Press

Author: Lost Art Press

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

Use a Laser for Compound-angle Drilling

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Several readers asked how to use a laser for drilling compound angles in chairmaking after I posted my love letter to green lasers.

Here it is with some important caveats: 

  1. Yes, you can use two lasers like Greg Pennington does. If you have two lasers, go for it. I have only one.
  2. I use lasers as a teaching tool or when I am drilling weirdo angles that are unfamiliar to me. Once you get the feel for drilling routine mortises you might set the laser aside. You might not. Either way is fine by me and the portion of humanity that is kind and decent.
  3. Yes, alternately you can use a mirror. Or a spotter who holds a stick or a bar clamp or straightedge. Or the Force.

So here’s the deal: When you drill an angle – any angle – you can easily see whether you are tilted too far left or right. It’s difficult, however, to see if you are tilted too far forward or backward. The laser acts as a spotter to guide you forward or backward.

The driller can see if the drill needs to be shifted left or right. (Note the laser line passing through both mortises).

To do this, position the laser 90° to where you are standing. Shoot the laser so its line intersects both mortise holes in a chair (or tilt it to the desired angle, such as 81°). Now stand in position to drill the hole. Tilt your drill left or right until you are lined up with both mortises. 

The drill bit is in the correct position when the laser shoots up the shaft of the drill bit.

Then tilt the drill forward or back until the laser line shoots up the middle of the drill bit. Drill – and keep the laser line centered on the shaft of the bit. After you drill through the arm, position the lead screw of the bit on the mortise location on the seat. Again, line up the laser. Use your fingers to keep the bit centered in the mortise in the arm. Drill the mortise in the seat.

Move on to the next hole, moving the laser so it is always 90° to your drilling position.

And that’s it.

— Christopher Schwarz

Use your fingers (and the laser) to guide the drilling into the seat.

Anarchist Gift Guide Day 7: Leatherman Skeletool

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When Leatherman released its first multi-tool, I immediately bought one. I can’t tell you how many times I have been stuck somewhere without a set of tools. The Leatherman seemed to be a great stop-gap for when you needed some makeshift pliers, or a screwdriver, knife or file.

But after using it a few times, I found it insanely uncomfortable (among its other limitations). So I threw it in a drawer and instead filled a small Klein canvas bag with essential tools and stashed it in my truck.

Fast-forward more than 25 years. I’m at the farm of my friend Narayan, and he is using one of these tools in the field. Really using it. Carrying it on his belt every day. I asked to take a look.

It was the Leatherman Skeletool, and it was nothing like my old boxy Leatherman. The handles are ergonomic, the build quality is much better and all the tools work well, if not superbly.

Gone are all the oddball tools that you won’t need unless you are fishing on an asteroid. Instead, you have heavy-duty pliers with wire cutters. There’s a good knife that locks in the open position – like a traditional locking folding knife. Plus a hex-bit chuck (a Phillips and straight driver are on board) that will take standard hex bits Leatherman’s flat bits. You can buy lots of these flat bits from Leatherman (I did).

Plus there is a carabiner that works as a bottle opener.

The Skeletool comes in three colors (I got it in green so I could easily find it). And there are some customizable options for the fancy lads. The base Skeletool is $65, made from stainless steel and is made in Portland, Ore. I’ve been using mine regularly and am so glad I gave the company a second chance.

— Christopher Schwarz

Read other entries from The Anarchist’s Gift Guide here.

Pencils Back in Stock (Plus Noodling!)

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First, Lost Art Press pencils are back in stock. Made in the USA to our specifications, these pencils are robust shop companions and come in a nicely fitted box.

Second, here’s why they’re back in stock, despite these dark days.

When I got my first taste of corporate publishing in 1996, I learned all about the print brokers in Hong Kong. These wizards managed every aspect of your book’s production and delivered a very high-quality print job – plus they did it for half the price of any domestic printer.

The only disadvantage to the system was that your book could take six months to make its way from China to your warehouse.

When we started Lost Art Press in 2007, it would have been easy to call my contacts at Regent Publishing Services Ltd. and crank up book production cheaply and quickly. But John and I decided to do everything in the USA. Why? The toolmakers we admire – especially Thomas Lie-Nielsen – manage to manufacture things here. And one morning before sunrise, I watched Thomas lead his employees in stretches and then hand out everyone’s paychecks – thanking each employee as he handed them a check. That image stuck in my craw. Or was it my gizzard?

We have nothing against the Chinese – I promise. But we feel we have a responsibility to help our neighbors. And keeping the money here in the States certainly does that.

OK, back to the pencil story. We’ve had problems getting paper and cotton cover cloth during the last 18 months. But our problems are nothing compared to other publishers. In Europe and the UK, some publishers are completely out of paper and won’t be printing again until next year.

Because we make everything here, we don’t worry about container ships lined up at ports. Sure, things are a little slower than years past, but it’s a small miracle to call up your pencil supplier, order 1,000 and see them arrive – just four weeks later.

To which I say: Thanks, neighbor.

— Christopher Schwarz

Anarchist Gift Guide Day 6: ‘Atlas of Furniture Design’

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Back in May, I served up some high praise for the “Atlas of Furniture Design,” published by the Vitra Design Museum in Germany. If you haven’t bought this book for yourself, please have your family buy it for you for the holidays. 

The “Atlas of Furniture Design” is one of those books that is going to be discussed and referred to by many future generations. Primarily, it is a glimpse at furniture design of the 20th century, though it occasionally looks further afield.

It is part reference book – you can easily look up any piece by the name of its designer. And it is – apologies for the term – outstanding bathroom reading. You can open up this book to almost any page and read a bit about an outstanding design, the people who made these pieces or the social context in which they were made.

It also is a drop-dead gorgeous book. Crisply printed. Fantastic binding. As a publisher, I am jealous and somewhat amazed they could make this book (it was a 20-year project) and sell it for only about $180 U.S. The book is available in both English and German. You can buy it directly from the museum or from a variety of other sellers.

— Christopher Schwarz

Read other entries from The Anarchist’s Gift Guide here.

Tool Chest Livestream this Saturday

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If you have questions, concerns or declarations to make about the Dutch tool chest, read on.

We have upgraded our video and audio equipment during the last six months and are ready to attempt another livestream. The host will be our own Megan Fitzpatrick. The topic will be “Dutch Tool Chests: Design, Construction & Use.”

The livestream will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 30) and go for about an hour. We are on Eastern time here in Covington, Ky. On Saturday, I will post an entry here where the livestream will be broadcast. You can also go here to watch it: https://vimeo.com/638790876.

If you can’t tune in live, we will post the video here on the blog so you can watch the question-and-answer session.

To submit a question for Megan, send her an email at fitz@lostartpress.com before 5 p.m. Friday. We’ll pick the best questions and provide the answers on the livestream. We’ll also have two or three Dutch chests here in the shop to use as props.

I hope you can join us, and I also hope we can get Bean the three-legged shop cat to make an appearance (he almost has enough screen time for a SAG card).

— Christopher Schwarz