Lost Art Press

Author: Lost Art Press

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

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

New: Warning Flags for Long Loads

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These red flags attach to long lengths of lumber that extend out the back of your truck or car. The flags alert other drivers that they shouldn’t tailgate you (unless they want a mouthful of splinters). Also, a flag of some sort is required in many jurisdictions for loads that extend out the rear of a vehicle.

In the 20th century, these flags also developed as a marketing gimmick for your lumberyard, so you find many antique ones printed with a company’s name or logo.

Our warning flag is cotton – like the vintage ones – with a wire sewn into the top edge. The wire keeps the flag stiff, and a loop in the wire allows you to fasten the flag to your load with a bungee cord, twine or a staple. Our flag is made in the United States and is printed here in Covington, Kentucky. The flags are 17-1/2″ wide x 18-1/2″ tall and cost $21.

With this flag, people will see your load.

Note: This is a limited-stock item. 

When Holdfast Holes Shrink

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You can open up your holdfast holes a tad with a slightly oversized bit.

After a few years of drying, my workbench’s benchtop shrank a bit. It’s not a big deal, but the drying process also shrank my 1” holdfast holes. And with a few of the holes it became difficult to insert the holdfast’s shaft.

There are a few ways to open up the holes a bit. Reaming them out with a 1″ drill bit and “wallering a tad” works, but it can take some effort to get the middle section of the hole to size. 

A second expensive-but-precise method is to use a tool called a “bridge reamer” or “car reamer.” These construction tools have a slight taper and are used to correct misaligned holes in steel construction and the like. These cost $100 or more, which is a lot for a single task.

The third option is to buy an inexpensive 1-1/16” drill bit such as this one. Before running this drill bit into your holes, I recommend you open up the top rim of the hole with a rasp so the bit won’t tear up your benchtop’s surface.

For drilling, use a corded drill with a side handle, especially if your benchtop is made of a hard wood. Yellow pine is especially tricky because of the differences in density between the earlywood and latewood. Take your time, don’t rush and you’ll get through it.

Holdfasts work best where there is a close fit between the shaft and the hole, so don’t over-do it.

— Christopher Schwarz