Category: The Anarchist’s Tool Chest

When we released “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” (almost 13 years ago to this day), the goal was to create a book that looked like an odd old text that you might find on a library shelf in the basement. We chose a vintage tan cover cloth, binding process and diestamp that all fed into that look.

Unfortunately, the printer had difficulty with the manufacturing. The glue that reinforced the signatures was either spooged on or non-existant. The endsheets weren’t glued right, so some of the books were bound too tight. Others were too loose. Some books fell apart (we replaced those). All in all, it was a bit of a let-down after two years of work on the text.

After that, we spent a long time working with the press people to get results we are both happy with.

Today we are releasing the final printing of the first edition of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” and we decided to return to that original look to see if we could nail it this time. If you ever wanted to get a copy of ATC that looks like the original, this is your (last) chance.

All copies of this book that are purchased from Lost Art Press will be autographed by me.

This is the 16th printing of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” We’ve sold 45,000 copies of the book. And the last 2,000 that arrived today will mark the end of this edition.

In time, it will be replaced by a new edition that will be redesigned, printed in color and revised to reflect the changes in the marketplace and in the tools in my chest. I don’t know when this new edition will be released. Probably in 2025 or 2026 (the 15th anniversary of the book). It’s something I have been working toward for a couple years.

The chest itself will remain unchanged in the new edition. But Megan Fitzpatrick and I have devised dozens of improved methods to make the work easier. These will be in the new edition. And I might add a new coat of paint to the old boy. It has seen a lot of work.

The final tan edition is now available in our store.

— Christopher Schwarz

“The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” the book that allowed me to quit my corporate job, is now available as a free pdf download, now and forever. To download it, you need only click on this link. You don’t have to register, give up your email or do any other smarmy marketing idiocy.

We will continue to sell the printed version for people who like nice books that are designed and assembled to last lifetimes. And we are planning a revised edition of the title for the 15th anniversary of its publication. But the information itself? Free to everyone. 

This is the sixth book of mine that I have made free. The others are here:

“The Anarchist’s Design Book”
“The Anarchist’s Workbench”
“The Art of Joinery”
“Roman Workbenches”
“The Stick Chair Book”

It’s my intent to make all of my titles free in time. This book, with 45,000 copies in print in three languages, is our best-seller.

— Christopher Schwarz

After much analysis and debate, we have decided to put “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” – our bestselling book – on sale for the month of March. Until March 31, the book is $34 – that’s 34 percent off the $51 retail. Plus, all copies sold through us are signed by the author and include a nice wooden bookmark (more on that below).

We don’t do sales. So why are we doing this? During most of the pandemic, the printing plants we use were closed or operated on a skeleton crew. Paper was scarce. And other press supplies (like cover cloth) were impossible to find. So when we managed to get a book on press, we had to place a sizable order.

In 2021, we ordered a big run of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” to get us through the uncertain time. It was our 15th printing of the book. And now, we have way too many copies. So many that we cannot fit them in our warehouse in Covington, Ky. They are spread out in expensive storage lockers all over the city. 

We are near-desperate to make space so that we can fit everything into our warehouse. So we are reluctantly putting “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” on sale.

Because this book is a part of the foundation of our business, we wanted to make this event special. So all copies bought through us are signed individually by the author (me!). And we are including a nice U.S.-made wooden bookmark with each copy during the sale.

The bookmark features a quote from humorist Nick Offerman, who is a fan of the book. The first time Megan and I met Nick was in Louisville, Kentucky, at a coffee shop. When we were about to arrive, we texted Nick that he could look for me – a tall bearded fellow – and Megan – a white-haired goddess.

Nick texted back: “I’ll be brandishing an incendiary device.”

That “incendiary device” turned out to be a copy of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” which he asked me to autograph. It was the oddest moment in my life – Nick Offerman asking me to autograph a book.

The bookmarks are birch, made in Michigan and quite durable (as they are laminated).

Like all our books, “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” is made in the U.S.A. and printed on quality materials you don’t find in modern books: The pages are sewn together then glued with fiber tape. Then wrapped with heavy hardbound boards covered in cotton cloth.

This book has changed the way that thousands of people do woodwork. Many have told us they quit their corporate jobs as a result of reading it. If you’d like to read what all the fuss is about, this is an excellent opportunity. 

— Christopher Schwarz

P.S. We have notified our retailers that they are welcome to put the book on sale during March (and we have lowered their wholesale price as well). We try to be as fair as possible.

We just got our first working prototype of a kit that lets you build an Anarchist’s Square with less than an hour of work. 

I’ve made dozens of these squares since “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” came out. The square was originally a student project. Tool monger Patrick Leach said he has found many of them in the U.K. during his career, and he suspects it was part of a curriculum at a school.

When I teach students to make the square in a class, it takes two days. There are a lot of lessons involved, from sawing accurate half-laps to truing long edges to perfection to sawing perfect little beads. 

But thanks to this kit, you don’t have to do all that. 

The kit parts are made from 1/2”-thick Baltic birch. All the joinery and decorative details are already cut. All you have to do is a little cleanup with sandpaper then glue the parts together. The prototype turned out dead square with little effort. 

Then you can finish up the square however you like. You can leave it unfinished or tart it up with paint, oil or a film finish. Because it’s plywood, it’s unlikely to ever go out of square.

I am greatly looking forward to getting some of these kits in house because I don’t have any more of these squares. I sold most of them and gave away my personal one – the one I built for the book – to Anne Briggs (aka Anne of All Trades) as a gift. 

I miss having some of the squares around and using them. I had some with accessory fences that made them even more useful. So I’m sure I’ll shoot some video of making, using and modifying the square.

When? I don’t know. Soon, I hope. How much? Again, I don’t know for sure. Less than $50 I hope.

They’ll be made in Ohio and shipped out by Mark and Gabe.

— Christopher Schwarz