Lost Art Press

Category: Techniques

Lost Art Press: A Statement of Ethics

Posted on by Lost Art Press

I do not accept free or discounted tools. I purchased every tool in my chest and have marked it with my shop mark. I do not accept free or discounted materials – lumber, glue, finish or hardware.

On occasion, a manufacturer will send me a tool for private evaluation. If I choose to keep it and use it, I pay full retail for it. If I don’t keep it, I return it to the manufacturer or donate it to a school or student who cannot afford it.

Why am I writing this?

Every time I write a blog entry and I mention that I paid for some item, I get a few messages from readers who advise me to stop adding that caveat. They are tired of reading it. And in truth, I am weary of writing it. I don’t mean to sound sanctimonious.

But here is the truth: New people encounter my blog every day. And if they don’t know who I am, it’s easy for them to assume that I get all my tools for free. Most woodworking writers are bombarded with free tools in the hopes they will write about them. Or they are given free machines or entire batches of workshop supplies in exchange for advertising.

I do not question the ethics of other bloggers. All I know is what I was trained to do in journalism school: Take nothing from the people you write about. (And if you think I’m hardcore, you need to meet my journalist wife. She won’t even drink from the water fountain at a corporation she writes about.)

To finish up, a few more important notes: I am not an “affiliate” at any web site. I do not receive a percentage of the sale of any tool or woodworking material I write about.

I receive income from only three sources: the schools at which I teach, F+W Media Inc. (where I am a contributing editor) and from you, the Lost Art Press customer.

From this point forward, any time I review a tool or woodworking material, I will add a link to this statement of ethics. In that way, I won’t have to waste any more words on this topic, and you will not have to read them.

— Christopher Schwarz

The Most Eco-friendly Waterbase Finish I’ve Used

Posted on by Lost Art Press

Unfettered by tradition or dogma, woodworking students can have occasional flashes of brilliance. To wit: During a class last week at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking, I noticed that two of the students were using a waterbase finish I’d never seen before.

The finish didn’t add much color, but it didn’t have the blue cast than many modern waterbase finishes do. It was in fact the most “water-white” finish I’d seen. It also was thin enough to be ragged on and had very low odor. Like all waterbase finishes, it cleaned up easily with water.

Downsides: You have to use quite a number of coats before you get any significant build, it raised the grain (of course) and – similar to a linseed oil finish – it has to be renewed regularly. Very regularly.

Another downside: Despite the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS to safety nerds), several of the other students in the class were worried if the finish was food-safe. The MSDS noted traces of chlorine, giardia and (surprisingly) fluoride. So perhaps you should just stick with walnut oil or salad bowl finish to be on the safe side.

And speaking of safety, while the students were applying the finish without nitrile gloves, I think it’s always best to err on the side of caution. Use the nitrile gloves and work in a well-ventilated area. And always dispose of your rags properly.

In any case, it’s another finish you can add to your arsenal, unless you live in California, where woodworkers are worried that the legislature might ban it.

— Christopher Schwarz

A Different Drawer

Posted on by Lost Art Press

Woodworking writers love to get to the end of the story where they can simply state: Build the drawers in the usual manner and apply your favorite finish. And enjoy!

This is, by the way, a bit of laziness or secretiveness. Some writers don’t want to reveal how they really finish a piece. Finishing is still a state secret for some professionals.

As to drawers, this morning I finished up work on the drawer for a Charleston table reproduction from the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. And let me tell you this drawer was a lot of fun to construct because it is not built in the usual manner.

What’s the “usual” manner?

1. Through-dovetails at the rear of the drawer.
2. Half-blind dovetails at the front.
3. The drawer bottom slides into the drawer box from the back and rests in a groove in the sides and drawer front.

For this early 18th-century drawer, here’s what we’ve got:

1. Through-dovetails at the rear.
2. Half-blinds at the front.
3. A drawer front that is wider than the drawer sides.
4. A bottom that is nailed onto the drawer’s sides and back.
5. The bottom edge of the drawer front is rounded over, on both the inside and outside corners.

I have a theory. Wanna hear it?

The rounded-over drawer front is the same profile used on the stretchers at the bottom of the piece. Perhaps it was a conscious design decision. Or perhaps the drawer front was originally planned to be a stretcher.

In any case, I had to be wary of wood movement with this drawer. If I’d simply glued the bottom on the drawer frame the bottom would likely split or ruin the drawer frame. So here’s what I did: (Man what’s with all these lists? It’s like I work for USA Today.)

1. Glued the drawer bottom to the backside of the drawer front.
2. Glued the bottom to the drawer sides – but only for the first 4” or 5”.
3. Nailed the bottom on with 4d cut headless brads.

(Edit: Robert Lang, who measured the piece, had Megan Fitzpatrick call me to tell me I forgot a rabbet in the backside of the drawer front. And yup, I did. There is a rabbet behind the drawer front that the drawer bottom rests in. Below is Bob’s drawing of how it should look.)

The glue will keep the drawer bottom tight at the front. The nails will flex and allow the bottom to expand and contract.

I hope.

Now I just have to apply my favorite finish (green or blue?) and turn a knob.

— Christopher Schwarz

The Candy-Bottom Wuss Girl Guide to Drawboring

Posted on by Lost Art Press

I admit it: I can be a total weenie when it comes to drawboring. Unlike Peter Follansbee I am overly fearful, cautious and timid.

When Peter drawbores a joint, he uses no glue. He uses no clamps. He uses hand-tapered oak pegs. And he details it all in his forthcoming book with Jennie Alexander, “Make a Joint Stool from a Tree.”

Today I was assembling an early 18th-century-style table that has a lot of features that are similar to a 17th-century joint stool.

But this table (like the original) is in cypress. Not oak.

And I, unlike Peter, am a wuss.

The video shows how I go about the process with the crutches of glue and clamps.

— Chrissy Schwarz

P.S. The music to this video can be downloaded from the Free Music Archive.