Kelly Mehler (left) helping student Jim Ferrell during a class at his woodworking school. It’s no wonder that most of the pictures I can find of Kelly in our archive are of him helping others.
It is with grief that I report Kelly Mehler died early Sunday morning, Oct. 5, 2025. As you might know, he’d been fighting cancer for some time, but I heard from him recently when he told me he was feeling great and doing well, and working on a tool chest in his shop. So this was shocking news.
Many people knew Kelly through his eponymous school in Berea, Ky., and through his bestselling “The Table Saw Book,” magazine articles and woodworking classes and conferences.
Kelly was a great friend to Chris and me, and I think to just about everyone else who ever met him. Kelly was one of my earliest teachers, and later championed me when I started teaching. He was one of the first people to ask Chris to teach, years before (and Chris will have more to say later).
Kelly is one of the most generous and funny men I’ve ever had the honor of knowing; I’m so glad I was able to call him my friend, and so very sad that he is gone.
At the request of his family, we’re posting Kelly’s memorial service information below. All are welcome.
My class from 2024 – great fun was had by all…I hope!
The 2025 London International Woodworking Festival (IWF) is fast approaching! Classes (for which you can still register) run Oct. 20-23, then the marketplace is open to all on Friday, Oct. 24 from noon-6 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 25 from 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
While Chris and I won’t be there this year due to teaching elsewhere, we’ve already blocked off our calendars for 2026. I quite like teaching while looking out over the Thames. And I always enjoy a visit to see Hodge the Cat. And toffee.
Hodge, who is mentioned (and not kindly – Boswell did not like cats – in Boswell’s “Life of Samuel Johnson.”
Lost Art Press books and many of our Crucible tools will be there though! Classic Hand Tools, which carries pretty much our full line, will be in the marketplace, as will folks from Lie-Nielsen, Veritas, Philly Planes, Windsor Workshops, Oscar Rush, Nigel Melfi, Richard Arnold and more! “From immersive courses and expert-led workshops to inspiring talks and a bustling marketplace, the Festival is a celebration of woodworking skill, tradition, and community.” You can check out the full lineup and get more info on the London IWF website.
And we’ll see you there in 2026 – sorry to miss this year.
Several weeks ago, James Wright of “Wood by Wright” and his daughter, Melody, poked their heads in to see just what really goes on around Lost Art Press. With camera in hand, James and Melody, recorded as Chris gave the grand tour of our shop, offices, and Anthe warehouse.
You may recognize James from his popular Youtube channel where he posts daily hand tool woodworking, demonstrations and how-to videos. You can click here to see James’s channel and watch more content.
But before you do that, give the video below a watch if you wish to get an in-depth look of where we work, create and pee!
We have the books. We have the tools. We have the boxes. We are ready for Free Shipping On All Orders in October!
Whatever you order, be it a box of pencils, a bottle of glue or a handful of pocketbooks, will ship free through the end of this month.
We can do this because we have all our inventory in our own warehouse in Covington, and we have Mark and Gabe (and the rest of us as needed) to help ship that inventory without losing our pants. (We used to be charged $4 for every order, plus storage, plus boxes, plus pick fees, plus, plus, plus… Now our storage and salaries are fixed overhead costs.)
So through the end of this month (October 2025) we are offering free shipping on every product. There’s no code to type in. No coupon. When you check out, free shipping will be automatically applied.
This seven-stick comb-back is Katherine’s first apprenticeship chair, which we built together while teaching a class last week. It’s set up for lounging, with back sticks that rake 20° back and a seat tilt for lounging.
Like all stick chairs, this one bears imperfections that mark how it was made. The leg angles are not exact because they were drilled by hand and without guides. Two mortises in the hands have small cosmetic gaps around the hands when the bit wandered as I drilled. (Yes it was me. Katherine was the spotter.)
All in all, it’s an excellent chair in the way it sits and looks. But it’s not manufactured perfection.
The chair has a red elm seat that is pierced with red oak legs and sticks. We drove the legs and sticks into the seat so hard that the oak’s facets cut into the elm. This is why stick chairs last.
The arm is quartersawn sycamore. Like elm, it’s unlikely to split, but it has a little flash of ray flake in the hands. And the comb is elm – because that’s what we had at the end of the day. The wedges are straight-grained hickory, which we drove like nails to hold the chair together.
The entire chair is assembled with animal glue, which is reversible should your descendants ever need to repair it. And the chair is finished with soft wax, which we make here in Covington. Both of us have signed the chair.
The seat height is 17”, which we are happy to cut down for you before shipping. The overall height of the chair is 39-3/8”.
Half of the chair’s proceeds will go to Katherine. Being an apprentice isn’t easy.
How to Buy the Chair
I’m selling this chair for $1,800 via a random drawing. The price includes shipping and crating to anywhere in the lower 48. If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Monday, September 29. Please use the subject line: “apprentice chair.” In the email please include your:
U.S. shipping address
Daytime phone number (this is for the trucking quote only)
If you are the “winner” the chair will be shipped to your door. The price includes the crate and all shipping charges. There are no additional charges. Alternatively, the chair can be picked up at our storefront. (I’m sorry but the chair cannot be shipped outside the U.S.)
