Lost Art Press

Author: Lost Art Press

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

Cutting Lists for ‘The Anarchist’s Tool Chest’ (and its Little Brother)

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I dislike making detailed cutting lists for complex projects. But I also don’t have the energy to fight about it. So let’s just pretend I didn’t write that first sentence.

Several readers have asked me for a cutting list for the tool chest featured in “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest.” And several more have asked me for plans to the smaller “Traveling Anarchist’s Tool Chest.” I’m almost done with the shell of the smaller chest – I just need to get the lid so it both looks right and doesn’t explode on you.

And so this evening while I sit in a nice Canadian motel room and wait for the inevitable moose attack, I created cutting lists for the exterior shells of both the full-size tool chest and its slightly smaller brother – all for your downloading pleasure.

Note that some of these part sizes are slightly different than those in the book. I did this so you can use 7/8” material (instead of 1”) and also so you will be able to fit the skirts and dust seals around the shell. Trust me on this. I’ve done this before.

I didn’t provide sizes for the interior parts because that would be a waste of 1s and 0s. Your chest will end up a certain size. The guts should then fit inside. A cut list will not help you.

ATC_CuttingList

— Christopher Schwarz

P.S. After you build your tool chest, don’t do what I did in the photo above. Especially by yourself. On a rainy day. With the chest fully loaded.

Off to Canada

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As soon as I figure out how to get my chest out of the shop and into my wife’s Honda I am headed to Waterloo, Ontario, for the opening of Lee Valley’s newest retail store.

Want details? Here’s a post about the event. There’s also lots of other excellent craftsmen demonstrating there this weekend, so do stop by if you are in the neighborhood.

Note to the U.S. Customs Agents: This photo shows that my tool chest went across the border with me on Wednesday. Just sayin’.

— Christopher Schwarz

P.S. This also means that I won’t be answering much e-mail until after I return and get through Woodworking in America. So if you have a customer emergency, e-mail John Hoffman at john@lostartpress.com.

Some Will Ask, ‘Why Oak?’

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Some will ask, “why oak?” Besides its great strength and durability, oak has features that make it ideally suited to working this way. It is a ring-porous hardwood, a term referring to the way oak trees grow. In the first part of the growing season, oak trees put on a band of nearly hollow, thin-walled pores. The second phase of growth features a layer of very tough, fibrous material, denser than the previous growth. This separation between “early wood” and “late wood” is one of the key identifying factors in these hardwoods, as opposed to timbers such as cherry and maple, in which the pores and fibers are evenly distributed. Another feature of oaks, and most other ring-porous hardwoods, is the prominence of the tree’s medullary rays. These are cells that radiate out from the pith, or center of the tree, toward the bark. Almost all the ring-porous hardwoods split or cleave cleanly and accurately along the medullary rays. This is the principal feature of the oaks that makes them well-suited for riving.

— from the forthcoming “Make a Joined Stool from a Tree,” by Jennie Alexander and Peter Follansbee

P.S. You can follow along all the posts about this book by clicking on the “Make a Joined Stool from a Tree” in the “Categories” section at right.

Cameras, Music and Bottle Openers

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Some days my inbox is stuffed with odd questions about what I do. And when the number of those question eclipses the “What wood should I use for my workbench?” questions, then it is time to write a blog entry.

Recently, there have been a spate of the following questions:

Question: What cameras do you use to take photos and video?

I’ve always been a Canon enthusiast. I prefer the colors that these cameras produce, and I am comfortable with the controls. For blogging, I use a Canon G10 (now the Canon G12) for both videos and still photos. It is a remarkable camera with a metal – yes, metal! – body so it can take a hit. The photos are nice enough that you can publish them in a book (it’s what I recommend that some Lost Art Press authors use).

The best accessory ever for woodworking photography is a tripod. Don’t buy a cheap one. I have a used Manfrotto – you can pick these up on Craigslist and fix them up if need be. Mine needed a lot of tightening and adjusting. A tripod allows you to use available light, small apertures and long shutter speeds. That is the sweet spot for most woodworking photography.

If you won’t buy a full-size tripod, spend $28 and buy this Manfrotto pocket support. It lives on the bottom of my Canon G10 and allows me to stabilize it in the field when I don’t have a pod. This thing is 100 percent pure unicorn magic. I have personally made at least 100 sales by demonstrating this gizmo at woodworking shows.

I have a second Canon camera, a SLR, that I use for shop photography. Until January, I was using a Canon Rebel – very entry level – with good Canon lenses. I shot all my magazine articles and books using this camera, including most of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest.”

In January, I bought a Canon 5D, a big step up that was made possible by you, the reader. Thank you. I also have an L-series Canon zoom on the 5D. Yes, that was a gloat.

I have some basic lights, but those are packed away. I always prefer to work with existing light.

Despite all the text above, I don’t obsess about equipment. In fact, I’m fairly oblivious. I’m much more concerned about composition and spend far more time studying that than reading equipment reviews.

Question: What is the music in your video?

I get this question every single day. I like Americana music, especially with a Southern flavor (duh, I’m from Arkansas). If you want to download some of the tracks I’ve used and search for other like-sounding stuff, I recommend two sites: freeplaymusic.com and freemusicarchive.org.

At freemusicarchive.org, check out the stuff from the Black Twig Pickers. That will sound familiar.

At freeplaymusic.com, check out these two collections of music:

Acoustic Guitar Vol. 4

Country Vol. 4

Question: And finally, I saw your video on rasps and want to buy the belt you are wearing. Where do I get it?

The belt I’m wearing is from Thomas Bates. Yes, that is a bottle opener. It works great. However some people freak out when you open a beer for them and you take it to your bathing suit area to do the deed.

— Christopher Schwarz