Category: The Joiner and Cabinet Maker

My favorite project from “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker” is the Schoolbox. I like its simple lines, its perfect proportions and its robust joinery. I’ve made at least 10 of them since reading, editing and publishing the book.

But what is the project good for if you aren’t going to school?

I use the original as a small tool chest for household tools. Other people have told me they use them as jewelry boxes, book boxes or a place to hide their weed.

However, David wrote to me today to tell me what he did with his Schoolbox:

I enjoyed the book, “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker.” However, I suspect that many of the readers of the book are like me, and dislike the idea of working on a project without an intended use. I could not think of a use for the schoolbox.

But I needed a new lunchbox. The construction of my lunchbox is similar to the schoolbox.  The only major differences is that it does not have a stopped dado. I cut several through-dados for removable partitions. The partition walls warped slightly after construction,
which is perfect – the spring of the boards keeps the partitions from rattling, but they are still easy to remove.

I’ve used the lunchbox for almost a year now, and it is far better than any other canvas lunch bag I’ve used. Plus, it gets a lot of compliments at the office.

The sides are all 1/2″ thick and the removable panels are 1/8″ thick. The moulding is also 1/2″ thick, but I would consider making it thinner if I were to make it again.  The inside dimensions are 10″ wide, 5-1/8″ deep, and 4-1/2″ tall. The partition dados are at (from left) 3″, 5″, 5-3/4″, but you can add more. It is handy to have more dados than partitions. The leather handle allows the box to fit into a backpack, and the stop-hinges prevent the top from opening too far.

The handle is from BrettunsVillage.Com and the hardware is from smallboxhardware.com.

We have just received stock on the CD version of “The Joiner & Cabinet Maker” read by Roy Underhill on three CDs.

The three-CD set is $27, is made in the USA (like all Lost Art Press products) and comes in a protective clamshell case. We are offering free domestic shipping on this item until Feb. 15, 2013. As mentioned above, the item is in stock and ships immediately.

Click here to see the item in our store.

“The Joiner & Cabinet Maker” is the almost-lost 1839 text that tells the fictional story of young Thomas West’s apprenticeship in a rural English workshop. Since we republished an expanded version of the book a few years ago, its pages have opened up the world of hand-tool woodworking for thousands of people.

The book’s anonymous author detailed the day-to-day workings of a hand-tool workshop in the early days of the 19th century as a way to guide children who were thinking about entering the woodworking trade.

The book begins with instructions on how to sweep the shop, tend the shop’s fire and help the other journeymen. It ends with the hero, Thomas, building a full-blown chest of drawers as a journeyman.

The original text is extremely rare and was unearthed by Joel Moskowitz, the owner of Tools for Working Wood. He brought it to the attention of Lost Art Press, and that partnership resulted in the publication of print version of “The Joiner & Cabinet Maker.”

The Lost Art Press version of this book includes the original 1839 text, a historical commentary on the trade by Moskowitz and a detailed explanation of how to build the three projects featured in “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker.”

The audiobook version of the book consists of the original text only, read by Roy Underhill. Lost Art Press was particularly pleased to get Roy to read the book for us. Not only is he a student of early trades, but Roy is also a long-time thespian, and he brought his many voice talents to the project.

As a result, the 215-minute audiobook version of “The Joiner & Cabinet Maker” is a joy to listen to once you become accustomed to the early 19th-century way of explaining things.

We also offer this audiobook as an mp3 download for $22 here.

You can order the book here for $29, or the book with an accessory data DVD here for $34.

— Christopher Schwarz

At long last I’ve found my favorite pieces of hardware for the Schoolbox in “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker.” It only took me about 10 tries.

The hardware shown in the photos is from Horton Brasses. (Yes, I paid full retail. As always.) It consists of some heart-shaped iron chest lifts (CL-5S) and a pair of iron butt hinges (HF-30).

Both pieces of hardware are worth the price. The hinges have thin leaves and give you a tight seal at the back without any swaging. And they have nice facets on the barrels and some file work on the edges of the leaves.

The lifts have a lot of the same details.

I added both to a walnut version of the Schoobox I built earlier this month at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking while teaching a class on traditional joinery. This week, I hope to finish up the project.

Perhaps with a polissoir.

— Christopher Schwarz