Lost Art Press

Author: Lost Art Press

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

A Tour of Lost Art Press’ Kentucky Office

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At least once a month, a reader or vendor asks for a tour of our publishing facilities.

“We’d love to see your printing presses and meet your designers and editors.”

So it is fun to explain that Lost Art Press is just two guys with laptops who work from their homes. All our books are in a warehouse now (whew), but we still just build and write from our couches.

To satisfy requests for a tour, however, here is a brief video tour of my shop and office in Fort Mitchell, Ky. John Hoffman, my partner, has a similar setup in his home in Indiana.

While we certainly could afford offices and employees, we are committed to publishing books with almost no overhead so we can return more money to our authors. And so here is a look at where I work almost every day.

As Westley said in “The Princess Bride:” “Get used to disappointment.”

— Christopher Schwarz

OK, One More Unusual Square

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Lest you think that the Indian square dug up by Suzanne Ellison this week (see it here) is an anomaly, check out this excellent illustration dug up by Jeff Burks. Yes, we now have dueling researchers (cue the harpsichord rendition of the soundtrack to “Deliverance”).

indian_detailThis gorgeous image is from the British Library and circa 1825. In addition to the square, which appears to be a hybrid form of a miter square and a Melencholia-type square, we also have a curious image of his saw.

The saw looks much like an Egyptian saw that is on its way to Japan to become a backless Kataba. Or perhaps it is Dutch-ish? If you zoom in you can see clearly that the saw is designed to cut on the pull stroke, like an Egyptian saw.

— Christopher Schwarz

The Earliest Account of a ‘Board Stretcher’

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After growing up in the Presbyterian church, I became fascinated in college by the Gnostic Gospels – a collection of writings from the 2nd to 4th centuries about aspects of Jesus’ life that aren’t included in Bible we used in Sunday school.

So I was particularly intrigued when Jeff Burks passed me this passage from The Infancy Gospel of Thomas. (Read the full text here.) It was one I hadn’t read in college. This one was translated by M.R. James and appears in the popular “The Apocryphal New Testament” (Clarendon Press, 1924).

It is, quite frankly, the earliest account we have of the mythical board stretcher. Here’s the text:

XIII. 1 Now his father was a carpenter and made at that time ploughs and yokes. And there was required of him a bed by a certain rich man, that he should make it for him. And whereas one beam, that which is called the shifting one was too short and Joseph knew not what to do, the young child Jesus said to his father Joseph: Lay down the two pieces of wood and make them even at the end next unto thee (MSS. at the middle part). And Joseph did as the young child said unto him. And Jesus stood at the other end and took hold upon the shorter beam and stretched it and made it equal with the other. And his father Joseph saw it and marvelled: and he embraced the young child and kissed him, saying: Happy am I for that God hath given me this young child.

The image is from “Canonical histories and apocryphal legends relating to the New Testament represented in drawings with a Latin text.” Edited by Antonio Maria Ceriani, 1873.

— Christopher Schwarz

First Review of ‘Campaign Furniture’

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Norman Reid of Wood News Online just reviewed “Campaign Furniture” for the latest issue. Here is a short excerpt of the review:

“…(W)hile I was tempted to pass up this book, I’m very glad I didn’t. I came to like it a lot. It is, as we’ve come to expect from Schwarz, informative, clear and entertainingly written. The book is well-illustrated throughout with photos that convey the essence of critical construction steps. It is hard bound and printed on high quality paper, something that’s usual for books from Lost Art Press, which makes this one a definite keeper.”

You can read the full review here. The entire issue of Wood News Online can be read here.

— Christopher Schwarz

Video: Lay Out the Seat for the Folding Stool

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Several readers have reported difficulty laying out the leather seat for the folding stool in the book “Campaign Furniture.” My method for laying it out is unsophisticated. The recipe includes:

1. My butt
2. A stick
3. A nail
4. A can of mushroom soup.

The video shows how I did it. I hope it helps.

— Christopher Schwarz