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Editor’s note: This book is available for immediate shipment and is $29. You can place an order through our store.

No matter what sort of handplane you use, “Making & Mastering Wood Planes” is perhaps the best guide available to understanding, tuning and using these tools at a high level.

Written by a graduate of the College of the Redwoods (now The Krenov School), “Making & Mastering Wood Planes” is ostensibly about the laminated handplanes that James Krenov made famous in the 20th century. But author David Finck decided to probe far deeper into the topic – so much so that this book is actually an excellent primer on handwork itself.

It begins with a discussion of wood as a material – both for making a plane and for working it with a plane. Then he delves into the basic tools and techniques one needs to begin making a plane and making furniture. And the reader is instructed on how to tune up a metal plane, plus how to grind and sharpen its iron before building a laminated wooden plane.

The building of planes is, of course, covered in immense detail. Even though laminated planes are simpler than traditional wooden planes, there are many fine points to understand and master. Most helpful is the section on troubleshooting a wooden plane and the steps required to get it back in perfect tune.

Finck then proceeds to discuss how to use planes to dress the edges, faces and ends of boards, plus he addresses a variety of specialty techniques – planing thin stock, shooting ends, planing large surfaces and curved edges.

Finally, Finck covers scraping, both with a cabinet scraper and scraper planes.

“Making & Mastering Wood Planes” is in its fifth printing and has sold thousands of copies worldwide. When the author considered letting it go out of print, we offered to keep it available. We also sought to upgrade the book’s mechanical characteristics. The book’s pages are sewn for durability. The paper is slightly thicker and whiter. We upgraded the binding to a hardback. And we moved production from overseas to the United States.

This book has been in our personal library for almost 20 years – we wore out our first copy. And now we are pleased to offer it to you under the Lost Art Press imprint.

— Christopher Schwarz

Both items are gone. Sorry.

With only two weeks until we move above the storefront, we are both excited and desperate to unload stuff that will simply not fit into our small apartment upstairs.

We have given a lot of stuff away to charity and family. Some stuff – prototypes mostly – are simply too unusual. So I’m going to offer them here for free pickup. The first one who says they will come get it before Aug. 1 gets it. We don’t have time to crate and ship these. Sorry. The best we can do is help you load it into your vehicle.

You can send me a message via my personal site. Don’t try to use the comments or help@lostartpress.com. Despite the email address, they can’t help you there.

Dugout Chair
This experiment was made with a huge silver maple tree. Pine seat. Deer antlers (these were shed by the deer – no deer were upset or inconvenienced or shot). The chair is 46” wide at the base, 32” deep and 48” tall. It weighs about 250 lbs.

If you are planning on establishing your own kingdom, we’ve got your bargain-basement throne.

Worktable
This was a prototype for “The Anarchist’s Design Book.” Poplar base with a white pine top. The top is finished with soap. The base is finished with milk paint with a coat of protective lacquer. Measures 48” square x 30” tall.

— Christopher Schwarz

In my early 30s, Marc Adams invited me to teach at The Marc Adams School of Woodworking, and I honestly didn’t know what to say. I was honored to be asked. But I was terrified at the prospect of teaching a bunch of strangers hand-tool woodworking.

Despite my better judgment, I said yes to Marc.

Teaching that class, and the hundred after it, gave me the confidence to be the writer, woodworker and businessman I am today. I had to stop being the shy guy listening in the corner. I had to defend the way I work and think. And I had to learn to think on my feet. And work while I’m talking. And to never get into a drinking contest with an Irish student. I am eternally grateful to Marc (and Kelly Mehler, who asked me to teach that same year).

Teaching woodworking also committed me to training future generations. And so when Megan Fitzpatrick and I sat down to decide who to ask to teach at the Lost Art Press storefront, we wanted to make sure we asked young and sometimes brand-new teachers. These were people whose work we greatly respect, but they haven’t become people you see on the rosters at woodworking schools worldwide.

That’s why we invited James McConnell to teach toolmaking and Joshua Klein to teach handplane restoration. And it’s why we have Anne Briggs and Kieran Binnie on tap to teach in the coming months.

These are people you are going to hear a lot from in the future. They are incredibly committed to the craft and work at it every day. They share what they know and seek to bring others into the craft. They have lots to share, and you might be surprised what you can learn from someone younger than you (my kids are proof of that).

Most of all, we believe in this particular crop of people after watching them for many years. If you are interested in hand-cut joinery, both of these classes are great places to start (or continue) your journey.

Build the Anarchist’s Tool Chest with Kieran Binnie: Sept. 23-27, 2019

Build a Wall Cabinet with Anne Briggs: Oct. 7-11, 2019

— Christopher Schwarz