Several readers have asked about the hardware-store solution to the three-way bolt needed for the three-legged folding stool. While I am working on an old-school solution, here is how to accomplish the job with about $3.50 of easy-to-source metal.
Note that this is for 1”-diameter legs. If you bump up to 1-1/8” or 1-1/4”, you will need a longer hex bolt and eye bolt.
One 5/16” x 2-1/2” hex bolt
One 1/4” x 2” eyebolt (if your store carries 5/16”, use that instead)
One 5/16” acorn nut
One 1/4” acorn nut
Two 5/16” washers
One 1/4” washer
When I use this hardware arrangement, I drill 21/64” through-holes in the legs. And I usually coat most of the threads of the eyebolt with some epoxy. This coating prevents the threads from chewing up the hole in the leg.
I’ve had this arrangement in a stool that my 13-year-old daughter has been using daily since last year. So far, so good.
“The Art of Joinery, Revised Edition” is now at the printer, so we are offering a pre-publication offer: free domestic shipping if you order before Nov. 4, 2013.
The book is $21 shipped anywhere in the United States if you order before the deadline. After that date, shipping will be $7.
“The Art of Joinery” was the first book Lost Art Press published in 2008, and it has been out of print and unavailable for several years now. During the last 12 months, we have worked diligently on the revised edition. Here is what it contains:
1. The lightly edited text of Joseph Moxon’s landmark work on joinery – the first English-language text on the topic. We took Moxon’s 17th-century verbiage and removed the long “s” characters, broke up his run-on sentences and added a few words here and there (in brackets) to help the modern reader digest the text more easily.
2. I have added modern commentary on every one of Moxon’s sections on tools and techniques. I amplified the text with photos that demonstrate many of the processes that Moxon discusses, such as processing stock by hand and cutting mortise-and-tenon joints. And I have explained the historical context behind many of Moxon’s explanations, sometimes supporting his conclusions; sometimes taking issue with them. In this revised edition, I have expanded some of my commentary and revised some assessments based on new information.
3. Each section is published with the relevant illustrations embedded in the text. In the 17th-century edition, the plates were separate from the text. We have put them together to make it easier for you to read.
4. We have also published the original plates in their entirety so you can see how the tools were arranged on the page.
5. We have included the complete and unedited original text from the 17th century. This text includes all the antiquated characters, inconsistent spellings, free-form italics and capital letters and run-on sentences. We have painstakingly reset the entire text in a 17th-century-style typeface called “Fell.”
6. And we have added an appendix of select plates from André Félibien’s “Des principes de l’architecture, de la sculpture, de la peinture…“ (1676), which pre-dated Moxon’s work and is probably the source of many of Moxon’s drawings.
“The Art of Joinery, Revised Edition” is 168 pages and – like all Lost Art Press publications – printed and bound in the United States. The book is hardbound and covered with a dark-blue cloth. The interior of the book is notched and casebound for durability. The book will have natural-colored endsheets and the book’s pages will feature a rough exterior edge, like early books.
The book is available for ordering in our store here.
We will offer an electronic version of this book, but we will not offer a leather-bound edition. The book will be available through many (if not all) of our retailers around the world.
Thank you for your patience during this long gestation period.
Today I’m building a couple of three-legged folding stools for “Campaign Furniture.” We’ve been building these all summer in classes and for fun, but I have neglected to take photos of the process – not that there is much of a process.
The great thing about these stools is they take almost no material or time. The two stools I’m building today are made from scraps left over from campaign chests, Roorkhee chairs and hides I have sitting in the basement.
All you need are three 1” x 1” x 23-1/2” sticks – perfect offcuts, really.
One of these two stools is based on a late-19th-century example shown in one of Christopher Clarke Antiques’ catalogs. These stools were quite common (they still are, really). In addition to the military, these stools were common among artists, campers, sportsmen and hunters.
The only thing keeping these stools from being a perfect weekend project is the hardware. The old three-way bolts are very hard to come by. Time to talk to a blacksmith.
Some of you might remember my “Death by Roubo” blog entry from March 2013, a grim but fascinating look at how to use your workbench for more than woodworking.
Well sometime this summer I got the idea to turn that image into a T-shirt with a slogan that was in questionable taste. So, with the help of Jeff Burks, I purchased two original copies of the April 5, 1903, edition of Le Petit Parisen, which had originally published the story and drawing. The old newspapers weren’t expensive.
Surprisingly, everyone I told the T-shirt idea to sensibly steered me away from it.
However, because I love this image so much, I took a high-resolution photo of it today and am publishing it here for you to enjoy. The detail in the drawing is quite good. Whoever drew the illustration was either familiar with workshops or simply paid good attention.
I love the little copper glue pot, the brace on the wall and the odd clamping contraption in the background.
But mostly I like the bench. Nice detail on the leg vise’s chop, sir. I salute you.
It’s OK, don’t get up.
Save the image to your hard drive, and you will be able to zoom in on this image to your heart’s content. If you don’t know how to save an image to your computer, click the link below to download the image.
