I just packaged up a batch of Crucible Card Scrapers and they are en route to our warehouse tonight. We have sold out as of 8:15 this morning….
As I mentioned last week, we are consolidating the Lost Art Press and Crucible websites to make our lives (and yours) a bit simpler. We have set up a bunch of redirects to help direct the traffic to the right place, but we are sure there will be 404s and LOLs. Apologies for sending you literature on sausage making at home. It was not our intent.
Back to scrapers. This isn’t the biggest batch we’ve made, but we hope this helps satisfy the demand. Note that we have not raised the price (we resist Adam Smith’s invisible backhand).
Jögge Sundqvist, the author of “Slöjd in Wood,” was recently featured on the Swedish program Go’kväll and is shown building and painting a chair.
The program is in Swedish, but you can still learn a lot from watching the video. First, it’s great to see where Jögge works and the incredible pile of potential parts he warehouses. Also nice: The way he splits the spindles for the backrest and then carves them so they are sympathetic to the pith in the branches. And the details on how he fits his legs.
This was my fun activity yesterday – hand-stamping 1,000 envelopes for the next batch of card scrapers.
We’re working on the next batch of Crucible Card Scrapers this weekend and will have them in the store in the coming week. We ran into a production snag at the waterjet cutter, but we’ve gotten that fixed so things are moving smoothly again.
As to Lump Hammers, Brendan Gaffney is planning on assembling another big batch this week. We’re also working on a way to greatly increase our output (believe it or not it has to do with tool paths on the milling machine).
As I’ve mentioned before, we are quite grumpy when things are out of stock and are working at this every day. We greatly appreciate everyone’s patience and hope this is a short-term problem.
Website Change As a way to streamline our lives, we’re moving all the Crucible tools into the Lost Art Press store. When the move is complete, we’ll close the dedicated Crucible website and redirect all the traffic to Lost Art Press.
Consolidating the websites will save us loads of time, which is the primary reason for the switch. We’ll also save a little money by having only one website.
I am certain there will be some chatter out in the world that this consolidation is “the beginning of the end” for Crucible. I assure you, it is absolutely not. In fact, I’m planning on getting a Crucible tattoo on my forearm – my first – to match John’s. That’s how dedicated we are to growing the tool business.
During my visit to the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Ky., last week I got to examine a few interesting chairs (surprise!). This little black number from Franklin County (likely Frankfort), was one of my favorites.
Built about 1815 from poplar and other woods, the chair features simple bamboo turnings and an almost-circular seat. Some of the details I particularly like:
The feet taper like the neck of an upside-down Coke bottle. This leg shape is something I see on a lot of Kentucky post-and-rung chairs from the mountains. (Note: I’m sure this shape is also found elsewhere – I just come across it a bunch here.) Chester Cornett’s simpler chairs have a similar, but much more dramatic, curved taper.
I like the tilted armrests. So often the armrests are horizontal to the seat, which can be a bit dull. I have no idea how these feel to the body in service (too many watchful guards…).
And I adore the little black patch on the end of the worn armrests. Why is this paint not worn away? I wondered if there was some sort of dark wood plug inset into the end of the armrest. All I saw was paint. The wear pattern is unexpected – I’d expect the front to be quite worn.
Anyway, this wasn’t my favorite chair at the Speed. Perhaps another time.
We are honored and thrilled to welcome Roy Underhill to the Lost Art Press storefront on Saturday where he will sign books and willingly accept your adoration.
As you know, Roy is the host of “The Woodwright’s Shop” and runs classes at the Woodwright’s School in Pittsboro, N.C. He also is the author of a bunch of great books on hand-tool woodworking and our favorite woodworking novel, “Calvin Cobb – Radio Woodworker!”
Roy will be at the store from 10-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-5 p.m. (even legends need to eat lunch).
The rest of us (Megan, Brendan and I) will be there, too.
Our storefront is at 837 Willard St. in Covington, Ky. There is plenty of free parking within a two-block radius of the storefront. If you can’t get a space on Willard Street, try Pike or Main streets.
