“(W)ork badly made is always too expensive.”
— A.-J. Roubo, “l’Art du menuisier”
I’m finishing up the editing on “To Make as Perfectly as Possible: Roubo on Furniture.” On Wednesday it goes back tot he translation team to review our edits. Then to the printer. We are shooting for a November 2016 release of the standard edition. (Details on a deluxe edition to come.)
The vast majority of the headaches I’ve suffered in my life have been caused by one thing: editing.
Though it might seem like fun – sitting down and reading hundreds of pages of writing about woodworking – I assure you it’s a lot like working. So I am grateful to the men and women who showed up last Saturday to help us edit “To Make as Perfectly as Possible: Roubo on Furniture.”
The amateur editors found lots of typos and even a few mistakes made by Monsieur Roubo in the original text. We ate donuts, drank cream soda (thanks Eric!), ate pizza and drank beer. All these things help the editing process, but they still can’t mask the fact that it’s a slog.
As a result of their efforts we are on time with getting this book to the printer in September and in your hands in November.
We asked everyone who helped out to write down his or her name. Some people did; some people are clearly hiding something from the authorities. Here are the editors:
Jared Wilcox
David Pruett
Greg Jones
Rick Stillwater
“Handsome” Chris Decker
Scott Stahl
Mike Hamilton
Rosalie Haas Pruett
Mike Ham: Hon
Matthew Conrad
Jen Neiland
Ryan Fee
Brad Daubenmire
Charles Thomas
Megan Fitzpatrick
John Hoffman
If I’ve misspelled your name, it’s only because your handwriting sucks eggs. Mine is, of course, even worse.
Thanks again everyone. I think we will do this again with future books. It really helped.
— Christopher Schwarz
As I work on the index for “Roubo on Furniture” my appreciation for Monsieur Roubo continues to grow. Through the efforts of the translation team Roubo’s voice comes through and he certainly has opinions. Between explanations of how to use tools and make chairs, tables, desks and beds for all occasions he expresses his disdain for chairmakers and exasperation with carvers. Especially the carvers.
Back in the autumn of 2014 I put together several projects to help publicize “The Book of Plates.” Many of the bits and pieces I used are from plates you will see in “Roubo on Furniture.” One project was a short story about Chris’ encounter with some unruly chairs. You can read “Cool!” here.
The next project combined the many tools drawn by Roubo with a crow. “Mine!” brought together the crow’s use of tools, ability to innovate and its well known behavior for “I want, I take.”
Other bits and pieces became the “Wingnut Ducks.” The “cattails” and the flying squadron of “bugs” are all from the plates.
Congratulations to the translation team for the extraordinary work you have done on this second volume of “To Make as Perfectly as Possible.”
Now, it is back to the index for me
–Suzanne Ellison
This Saturday we’ll be opening up the Lost Art Press storefront for business and for making a little bit of history.
We are in the final throes of editing “To Make as Perfectly as Possible: Roubo on Furniture” and are asking anyone who can rub two participles together to help. Come to the storefront (837 Willard St. Covington, KY 41011) at any time between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
We’ll give you some pages to edit and a red pen. You’ll get to read the text, look for typos and help us make this project as perfect as possible. Everyone who helps with the project will get free coffee, doughnuts, beer and pizza. And for every plate you edit we have a special Roubo postcard for you.
You are welcome to help edit the text for just one plate or even edit all day (that’s what we’ll be doing).
As per usual, we’ll also have all our books there, plus blemished books (50 percent off – cash only), T-shirts, posters and free stickers. Plus you’ll be able to check out the new Roman workbench I just completed and tinker with its workholding.
— Christopher Schwarz
Almost two years ago Chris sent me a pre-publication copy of “The Book of Plates” and gave me free reign to color, cut-out and otherwise manipulate anything I found in the plates. Yesterday I started work on the index for “Roubo on Furniture” and now get to read the descriptions of each scene, tool and work method in the plates. Most of the plates that I transformed into dioramas and collages are from the furniture book and seeing them again was a reunion with old friends.
The plates have tremendous detail but having the matching text is like have the sound turned on. Part of Plate 4 is a description of proper storage of wood and protection from the elements. Roubo provides meticulous instruction on stacking the wood and how to achieve the angled “rain diverters” at the top of each pile.
In preparation for this indexing assignment I pulled my special china pattern out of storage. I like my china pattern to match the book.
Later in the week I’ll revive the Birds of Roubo and the trash-talking Chairs of Roubo.