Here’s the news. We are closing out two of our historical reprints: Joseph Moxon’s “Mechanick Exercises” and Peter Nicholson’s “Mechanic’s Companion.” The books are now $13 each until we run out of stock. Act quickly to avoid disappointment.
I’m grumpy about this sale because I hoped to keep these two properly bound, nicely printed books in our backlist. But we don’t have enough space at our warehouse to do this. We are expecting about 12 pallets of new titles in the next two months, and I have no desire to (again) store books under my bed.
So this is your last chance to buy these two historical texts, which I consider the foundation of the craft in English-speaking countries.
These are well-made books: they are printed offset on a web press on heavy uncoated and natural paper. The signatures are sewn, glued and taped. Then the book block is fastened to the boards with a heavy paper hinge. All done here in the United States (Michigan, to be exact).
The first book ever published by Lost Art Press (left) and the revised version from a few years later.
In a nod to Christopher Schwarz’s talks this weekend at Colonial Williamsburg’s Working Wood in the 18th Century Conference, below is an excerpt from “The Art of Joinery,” the first book Lost Art Press published – itself an excerpt from Joseph Moxon’s “Mechanick Exersises,” which was the first English-language book that discussed woodworking, with modern commentary from Chris on every one of Moxon’s sections on tools and techniques.
When we published Moxon’s “Mechanick Exercises” in full, we took the excerpted version out of print – but if you want Chris’ commentary, you can still get it: “The Art of Joinery” is yours to download, free simply by clicking here (and we don’t ask for your email, first-born or phone number).
S. 10. Of chisels of several sorts. And first of formers [firmers].
Formerly called a former. The rectangular shape of the blade identifies this as a former (or firmer) chisel. Once common, these tools are now scarce in modern catalogs.
Formers [firmers] marked C 1. C 3. are of several sizes. They are called formers because they are used before the paring chisel, even as the fore plane is used before the smoothing plane. The stuff you are to work upon being first scribed {as I shall show in its proper place}, you must set the edge of the former a little without [away from] the scribed stroke with its bevel outwards, that it may break and shoulder off the chips from your work as the edge cuts it. And you must bear the helve [handle] of the former a little inwards over the stuff, [so] that the former do[es] not first cut straight down, but a little outwards [instead]. For, should you venture to cut straight down at the first, you might with a negligent or unlucky knock with the mallet, drive the edge of the former under the work and so cut, before you are aware, more off the underside than the upper side of your work, and so {perchance} spoil it. Therefore, you may make several cuttings to cut it straight down by little and little until your work is made ready for the paring chisel. When it [the former chisel] is used, the helve [handle] of it is knocked upon with a mallet to drive the edge into the stuff.
Analysis This section introduces an error in numbering. This is “Section 10,” and so is the section above.
Firmer chisels are now uncommon, but they were the standard for many years. They were rectangular in cross-section and lacked the bevels on the two long edges that are on modern garden-variety chisels.
The term that Moxon uses for them, “formers,” suggests the tools were used for forming or roughing out joinery or shapes. And then the formers were followed by the paring chisel to clean things up. Moxon also describes a fact of chiseling that bedevils every woodworker – that they don’t travel down in a straight line that follows the face (some call it the back) of the tool. Instead, they tend to undercut your joints, which is frustrating. The solution in the 17th century is the same as today: Take smaller bites. Tip the handle back a little toward the face of the chisel so the tool won’t undercut your work.
S. 11. Of the paring chisel.
Moxon’s paring chisel.
The paring chisel marked C 2. must have a very fine and smooth edge. Its office is to follow the former and to pare off and smoothen the irregularities [that] the former made.
It is not knocked upon with the mallet, but the blade is clasped upon the outside of the hindermost joints of the fore and little fingers, by the clutched inside of the middle and third fingers of the right hand. And so its edge being set upon the scribed line and the top of the helve [handle] placed against the hollow of the inside of the right shoulder. With [the workman] pressing the shoulder hard upon the handle, the edge cuts and pares away the irregularities.
This way of handling may seem a preposterous posture to manage an iron tool in, and yet the reason of the original contriver of this posture is to be approved.
For should workmen hold the blade of the paring chisel in their whole hand, they must either hold their hand pretty near the helve [handle], where they cannot well manage the tool, or they must hold it pretty near the edge, where the outside of the fingers will hide the scribed line they are to pare in[to]. But this posture all workmen are at first taught; and [their] practice doth so inure them to it, that if they would, they could not well leave it.
Finishing chisel. The paring chisel, whether old or new, is a finesse tool in the right hands. Keep it sharp and with a low bevel angle on its edge and you will be able to work magic.
Analysis The paring chisel is used to clean up the junk left behind by the former, and the way that Moxon describes it in use seems a bit unusual: The blade is woven between the fingers and pressed with the shoulder into the work. This grip gets your hand near the bevel (which increases control) but also allows you to see the scribe line you are working to (a good thing). If you try this, I think you’ll be hooked. It is an effective way to drive a paring chisel, assuming the height of your bench allows it. A bench that is too high or too low makes this motion awkward.
S. 12. Of the skew former.
Moxon’s skew former (left). Moxon says this isn’t used much by joiners, who fit houses with moulding, doors, windows and cabinets. It might be more useful to a cabinetmaker who would use it for dovetails. Brutes of the chisel world (right). Mortise chisels are even stouter than former chisels and are beefy so they won’t easily snap in deep mortises, which I have seen happen during the quite violent process of mortising.
The skew former marked C 4. is seldom used by joiners but for cleansing acute angles with its acute angle on its edge, where the angles of other chisels will not so well come.
Analysis This skew chisel is great for cleaning out all sorts of dovetail sockets. Though it is a “former” chisel, it is generally not struck with a mallet today, but it is driven by hand.
S. 13. Of the mortise chisel. The mortise chisel marked C 5. is a narrow chisel, but hath its blade much thicker and consequently stronger {that it may endure the heavier blows with the mallet} than other chisels have, so that in grinding it to an edge, it is ground to a very broad bevel as you may see in the figure. Its office is to cut deep, square holes, called mortises, in a piece of wood. Joiners use them in several breadths according[ly] as the breadths of their mortises may require.
Analysis The mortise chisel of the 17th century is a bit different than modern forms, but it is used the same way. The biggest difference is in the blade. The old form swells in thickness at the tip (this saves steel) and modern chisels don’t. They are thick along their entire length.
S. 14. Of the gouge.
Not for carving. A gouge like this, sometimes called a firmer gouge, will be used to remove large chips without splintering the grain, like a firmer chisel might.
The gouge marked C 6. is a chisel having a round edge for the cutting [of] such wood as is to be rounded or hollowed.
These several sorts of chisels joiners have in several sizes [so] that they may be accommodated to do several sizes of work.
Analysis This is presumably a firmer gouge, not a carving tool. These remove material in a localized area, such as removing waste from a very large tenon or breadboard end on a tabletop. You can follow this tool with finer tools if the work requires it.
I have been stuck in a little too deep on peasant furniture and have forgotten to announce this: I am presenting at Colonial Williamsburg’s 26th annual “Working Wood in the 18th Century” conference Jan. 25-28.
This year’s theme is “By the Book,” and it will focus on the relationship between the printed word and woodworking. I was asked to give a presentation on the history of woodworking books (one of my favorite topics), and I’ll also do a demonstration on using M. Hulot’s workbench for chairmaking operations.
Hulot’s bench is so ubiquitous among chairmakers that even Chester Cornett in Eastern Kentucky worked on one. And it is still used today.
Also Lost Art Press-related, Whitney B. Miller, author of “Henry Boyd’s Freedom Bed” will present a talk on Henry Boyd and the development of his life story into a children’s book.
Of course, the conference schedule is packed with demonstrations by top-notch woodworkers and carpenters, and I am excited to be able to sit in on many of the presentations. Check out the list here. I’m particularly excited to see Harold Caldwell, Mary Herbert and Shelby Christensen’s presentation on Joseph Moxon’s techniques in his section on carpentry.
In-person registration for the event closes tomorrow at midnight. So make a decision in the clutch and make the trip if you can. Register here.
If you register or already registered, please leave a comment below. If there are enough Lost Art Press readers going, perhaps we can organize a happy hour or a meet-up during the conference.
I hope to see you there. This is my first visit to Colonial Williamsburg (really!), so be gentle.
Lately I’ve been thinking that the spirit of Joseph Moxon isn’t so happy with me. Maybe Old Joe – a printer by trade – isn’t happy about being known by moderns as a vise sold at Woodcraft. Or he isn’t happy about being called out for stealing images from André Félibien.
This book was supposed to be out in February 2022. But it suffered every possible delay in the printing process. First a paper shortage. Then the printing plant was shut down due to COVID-19. Then the plant was held hostage by Russian ransomware. Then I honestly believe the pressroom forgot about the book sometime in early May.
When we finally received our printing in June, there was a significant mistake in it. Some of the pages were missing. And so, for the first time ever, we had to pulp (aka recycle) the entire print run. This was a $25,000 mistake.
We have now reprinted the book. And we are reaching out to everyone who bought the defective book to send them a free replacement. Because of all the problems above, I estimate we will break even on this project about the time my grandkids go to college (I don’t have any grandkids; my kids aren’t even married yet).
So if you want a gorgeous, not-entirely-cursed version of this very important woodworking book, order one here. I am still glad we did this book project. Moxon should always be in print. And it should be available as a durable hardcover that will last generations (20th century versions of Moxon are literally falling to pieces because of their cheap glued bindings).
Thanks for your patience with the process.
Hats Are Coming
In happier news, we have a run of so-called “dad hats” in the works that should arrive in two weeks. These are fashion-backward hats. Cotton khaki twill with an adjustable brass buckle. The embroidery is in black thread and is done here in Covington just a few blocks away.
We are also working on a special tool for Christmas. (It’s definitely not a Ouija board.)
In our reprint of Joseph Moxon’s “Mechanick Exercises,” we missed page 169 when scanning the original. We’ve updated the file and will correct it at the next press run. Click below to download a PDF of the page to print and insert into the first edition. Our apologies for the error.
