The Anarchist's Tool Chest

The Anarchist’s Square Kit

Posted on November 3, 2023November 1, 2023 by Lost Art Press

The prototype square kit (unglued). The grain in the final version will run in the correct direction.

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

Books & Tools in the Works

Posted on October 30, 2023October 30, 2023 by Lost Art Press

Some cricket tables from Derek Jones’ imminent book.

Here is a quick-ish update on products we hope to have in stock before the holidays – including three I haven’t announced before.

“Cricket Tables” by Derek Jones

This book should arrive at the warehouse any day now. Is the cover cloth going to be that bright green? I hope not. But if it is, we’ll include a warning label. Retail $33.

“By Hammer in Hand” letterpress poster by Brian Stuparyk

We should receive our press proofs today. Unless something is dog-a-whumpus, these will sell starting in mid-November. We ordered 500 (probably too many). Retail $25.

“Workbook 2024”

This is something I’ve been thinking about doing for a long time. I record all the things I build in an antique “Daybook” – an old accounting ledger. I also write down design changes for my chairs, how much they sold for, the exact finish I used and where the customer lives. It is an invaluable record of my work.

You can’t buy a decent ledger shaped like this anymore, so we decided to make one. The “Workbook 2024” is a 64-page ledger printed on lovely #60 smooth and undyed paper. The pages are sewn and casebound in thick, cloth-covered boards. (We are using the same printing and bindery plant that does all our color books.) The book measures 4-1/2″ wide x 11-1/4″ tall.

The interior pages are printed with blue and red lines that help you organize your information. And, because we can’t leave well enough alone, we added a short quotation to the bottom of each entry page. Megan selected all the quotations on the left-facing pages (verso). I picked all the ones on the right-hand pages (recto).

We are only printing 1,000 of these. Then we will see if we should do this again for 2025. Retail $27. (Note: Our margin is terrible on these and we don’t think we will be able to sell them wholesale.) These will be in stock by the end of November.

The Anarchist’s A-square: A Kit

This is a fun project I have been working hard on. We are trying to create a three-piece kit of parts that you can assemble to create your own A-square (the tool shown on the cover of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest”).

The parts will be made of Baltic birch and have all the joinery and embellishments cut. You will just need to do a little fine fitting and then glue the parts together. I have made dozens of these squares for customers and friends and love them. And they are useful tool as well.

We are waiting on a prototype this week and hope to start production as soon as possible. Retail: under $50. But I don’t know enough to state a firm price.

Wooden Bookmarks

My daughter Madeline is itching to get back into the sticker business. So I created these lovely wooden bookmarks that are printed in the US on a two-ply veneer. The bookmarks are 2” x 6” and come in a variety of species. The woodcut at the top of the bookmark is from Rudy Everts. The quotation is from John Brown.

We have long been asked to make a nice bookmark. These are nice. Retail $5. Maddy will set up an SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) system this week and should start selling them next week.

— Christopher Schwarz

P.S. The Anarchist’s Gift Guide starts Nov. 10. If you want a preview of one of the items, check out today’s substack entry.

The Swedish Tool Chest

Posted on July 13, 2023July 12, 2023 by Lost Art Press

One of the tool chest forms that has been on my list to explore is the Swedish chest, which I’ve encountered a few times both in the United States and Europe. It’s similar to the Dutch tool chest, with its slanting front lid. But the Swedish one is in many ways simpler.

The chest shown here came from the family of Johan Lyrfalk, who owns Rubank Vertygs AB, a woodworking supplier in Stockholm, Sweden. Last Saturday, he brought it out for us to inspect and measure during a visit to his store.

Note how the bent hasp holds the lid open and accessible.

The chest is most likely pine and it is assembled with through-dovetails at the corners. The top and bottom are screwed to the carcase. The slanted lid is kept flat with two battens that are neatly joined to the lid with blind sliding dovetails. The steel hinges are let into the carcase and are screwed through the lid and into the battens, increasing the reach and strength of the screws.

The interior of the chest is fairly open. There are openings for three drawers (this chest had only two of them remaining). The drawers are assembled with half-blind dovetails (two dovetails per corner). One nice detail of this chest is the top edges of the drawer sides are beveled to the inside. That reduces the number of corners you will bump into when you reach for a tool.

The middle drawer. Note the bevel on the drawer side.

The drawer frame and dividers appear nailed and screwed to the chest from the outside, keeping with the aesthetics of the chest.

The interior walls of the chest are lined with tool racks. And there’s a tool rack on the lid.

How the tool rack on the lid was used was a question among the woodworkers looking at the chest. The lid is propped open by its hasp, which allows the tool rack to be handy. But you’d have to remove the tools to shut the lid. Some speculated perhaps this chest was rarely closed and used mostly in a workshop environment.

Dimensions are: 32” wide, 18-1/2” high and 19-1/2” deep. The top is 11” wide, as is the drop lid. Most of the stock for the carcase is 7/8” thick.

This chest is definitely one on my to-build list. We are always looking for tool chest classes that teach a variety of good lessons for classes (or for publication). The Anarchist’s Tool Chest is my personal favorite to work out of; but as a class, it is mostly about through-dovetails and nails. Even in a one-week class working flat out, it is difficult to get to making the lid, much less the rest of the interior bits.

The Dutch tool chest, as a class, is a more balanced experience. You get some dovetails, dados, rabbets, maybe some tongue-and-groove.

The Swedish tool chest could be a primer on through-dovetails and half-blinds, for the drawers.

I’ll have to build one to find out.

After we spent an hour poring over Johan’s tool chest, he returned it to its resting place. The next day we went to see the Vasa exhibit. And there, right next to one of the workbenches from the Vasa, was an almost-identical chest (just a little longer). Perhaps the universe is sending me a message.

— Christopher Schwarz

Video on Tool Chest Interior Build Now Available

Posted on April 12, 2023April 12, 2023 by fitz

We have a new video available for sale today: “Build Your Tool Chest Interior.” In this video, I show you how I make and install the interior structures of a full-size English tool chest (in this case, an “Anarchist’s Tool Chest“) with three sliding tills and their runners, a combination hanging tool rack/backsaw rack, a floor till for full-size hand saws, and a moulding plane till.

Customers – both domestic and international – can purchase it here.

I’ve built dozens of these chests for customers, and have in some ways have refined the techniques for making the tills, tool rack and saw till, so they’re somewhat different than what is covered in the book, “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” (the beginning of the book – “Disobey me” – gave me license…and I think my approach makes the interior just a little easier to build and fit into the chest). Plus, with the exception of the thin till runners, everything is easily reversible (in case you need to seriously rearrange your tools, or the chest gets drafted for holding blankets).

You’ll also learn how to install the hardware: ring pulls for the tills, chest handles, hinges and a “crab lock.” You’ll also see how I installs casters (very carefully!), and a few options for keeping the lid open. Oh – and to finish (or not), and why (or why not).

The video ($24) is nearly two hours long and can be streamed (after logging into your Lost Art Press account), or you can download the video and put it on any device. The video is sans DRM (digital rights management), so the files can easily be moved to any of your devices (now and in the future).

You’ll also get a PDF with construction notes, and sources for the hardware, tools and finishes I show and discuss.

– Fitz

ATC Innards Video Almost Done

Posted on March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 by fitz

It will come as no surprise to those who know me that I got distracted by other work…and that I forgot it takes me five times longer (at least) to do things with a camera pointed at me than when no one is watching. And that is why the video I promised a few weeks back on kitting out the interior of an “Anarchist’s Tool Chest” is taking a bit longer than expected. But with Wally’s help, we’re nearing the finish line. (A special thanks to its soon-to-be owner for bearing with the delays.)

The video will feature:
• installing the till runners
• a brief look at dovetailing the three tills (goodness knows if you’ve built this chest, you know how to cut dovetails!)
• fitting the till bottoms to the runners
• installing a moulding plane till at the back
• making and installing a hanging hole-y rack with slots behind it for backsaws
• making and installing a saw till for larger handsaws
• notes on finishing the interior
• tips on fitting the lid
• hardware installation, including hinges, chest lifts, ring pulls and a “crab lock”
• caster installation
• surprisingly few cats (unless we add then in post production).

Chris plans to start editing at the end of next week, and he’s fast – so it should be available soon thereafter. Below are a few pictures I snapped during the process.

Category: The Anarchist’s Tool Chest

The Anarchist’s Square Kit

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Books & Tools in the Works

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The Swedish Tool Chest

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Video on Tool Chest Interior Build Now Available

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ATC Innards Video Almost Done

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