Lost Art Press

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2019 Anarchist’s Gift Guide, Day 10: Berea College Brooms

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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Batting cleanup for the gift guide, I recommend you try the Shaker Braid Brooms from Berea College. Not only are these the best brooms I’ve used, but they are made by students at Berea College, one of the eight “labor colleges” in the United States. Students get free tuition and they work 10-15 hours a week to help support the college.

We own a lot of brooms and use them throughout the day to keep things tidy. The brooms from Berea feature tightly packed broom corn – and lots of it. As a result, they make a literal clean sweep. And they last through years and years of abuse.

While all the utility brooms from Berea are great, I’m partial to the Shaker Braid variant (above, left) as it features a nice bit of handwork where the broom transitions to the handle.

I know you are thinking: It’s just a broom.

It ain’t.

— Christopher Schwarz

Disclaimer: We buy all of our tools. We don’t accept advertising or sponsorships. We are not part of any affiliate program. We don’t make any money if you buy these items. We just like these tools.

Saturday: The Last Open Day Until June 2020

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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This Saturday, Dec. 14, is the last open day for the Lost Art Press storefront until June 2020. So if you have wanted to visit us, please do stop by sometime between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Our address is 837 Willard St., Covington, Kentucky 41011.

We have lots going on that day:

  • We would like to show you our clock. Ask to see the clock and we’ll take you back to the machine room. Note, you must be 21 or older to “see the clock.” We’ll also have cookies and other pastries on hand that you can eat with your glass of clock.
  • At 2 p.m., John Kuntsman will give a demonstration of how to make breadboard ends. It’s a nice presentation – and there will be a free handout for everyone who attends.
  • I have just completed another Irish Gibson chair (with a significant flaw). It is based on my research in Ireland. The chair sits well and is close to how the originals looked and sat.
  • We have blemished holdfasts and books for sale for 50 percent of retail (cash only for blems).
  • There’s a good chance we’ll get a surprise visit from one of our Lost Art Press authors (no, it’s not me).
  • Plus we’ll all be here to answer your questions about woodworking or where you should eat.

As I mentioned above, this is the last open day until June 2020. Why? I am so far behind on our publishing schedule that I am cutting back on activities such as this until I can get caught up.

This might be a bummer for you. If so, I apologize. If you are ever passing through town and would like to buy a Lost Art Press book, please visit Downbound Books in the Northside neighborhood at 4139 Apple St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45223. Downbound carries (almost) our complete line.

See you Saturday!

— Christopher Schwarz

2019 Anarchist’s Gift Guide, Day 9: Wera Tool-Check PLUS

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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I always include one tool in our gift guide that is a bit on the pricey side. This year it’s the Wera Tool-Check PLUS set, which is an incredibly well-made and handy set of sockets and drivers that will get you out of many jams.

The tooling is high-quality stuff. But what is really remarkable about the set is the way it is packaged. All the sockets and drivers are in a clever plastic holder. All of the tools fit in a tiny space that can go in the bottom of your tool chest or in a drawer. So when a problem comes up with a machine or a tool, you’ll be ready.

Yes, I have a complete (huge) set of sockets and drivers and 100 other bits of drivery in our machine room. And when we need to take the table saw or planer apart, that’s where I go. But when I need to tighten a bench bolt or encounter a weird Torx screw, I grab the Wera set and get it done and get back to work.

— Christopher Schwarz

Disclaimer: We buy all of our tools. We don’t accept advertising or sponsorships. We are not part of any affiliate program. We don’t make any money if you buy these items. We just like these tools.

2019 Anarchist’s Gift Guide, Day 8: Crubber

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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If you want to improve your workbench’s vises in an hour, just add Crubber. These thin sheets of cork and rubber add a good deal of grip to your vise’s jaws, and they also protect the workpiece.

 

After becoming a Crubber Lover, we began replacing the other options I’ve tried over the years with this great material. On many of our benches we have suede, which has survived fine, and adhesive cork sheets, which have not.

 

I prefer to use epoxy to stick my Crubber to wood and metal. Other adhesives I’ve tried have creeped a bit. (The Horror of Creeping Crubber – this stuff writes itself.)

 

It’s not bulletproof – nothing is. I’ve torn out a chunk or two of the stuff on my leg vise. But it does hold well and it takes a good beating.

 

Two sheets (5” x 9”) are only $9. Available from Benchcrafted.

 

— Christopher Schwarz

 

Disclaimer: We buy all of our tools. We don’t accept advertising or sponsorships. We are not part of any affiliate program. We don’t make any money if you buy these items. We just like these tools.