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I’ve seen wrought nails made by a blacksmith. Cut nails made by a steel-gobbling machine. And wire nails snipped from enormous coils. But I don’t think I’ve seen nails that have been “stamped.”

I think “stamped” is the right word. I could be wrong.

Paul Mayon of the New English Workshop procured these nails for the two tool chest classes I’m teaching at Warwickshire College this month. Paul looked for traditional clout nails like the ones made by Tremont in the United States, but he came up empty.

These stamped nails are unusual in they look to be die-cut from a sheet of steel, like a cookie cutter. So in one important way, they are much like a cut nail: In one dimension the point of the nail has parallel sides; in the other dimension the point is wedge-shaped.

However, the nails have not been run through a “header” machine, which is like a giant hammer that “upsets” the end of the nail to create a roundish head. This head is what gives clout nails (and other headed nails) their holding power when fastening backs and bottoms to cabinets and chests.

So the heads on these nails extend out in one dimension only. Also unusual: The heads have an additional miniature head on top. I assume that this little head allows you to set the head of the nail below the surface of the wood when using a nail set that is designed for wire nails (if so, it’s a clever idea and works).

In use, these nails seem to bite properly, and the heads deform the wood at times, much like the splintering you’ll get with clout nails. I have no idea how these stamped nails will hold over the long term – perhaps an English reader can let us know in the comments section below.

— Christopher Schwarz

People often ask: “Where do you get your ideas?”

And people often ask: “Do you really like to travel so much?”

The answer to each question is wrapped up in the other question. Then dipped in batter. And deep fried. The truth is that traveling is impossibly stimulating. The world is made of wood, and if you will allow yourself to be consumed by it, it will reward you with both insight and a way of life.

For the last two days I have been immersed in the world of minister Jonathan Fisher, an 18th-century Renaissance man who traveled to the wilds of Maine in the name of God and tamed them in a way that has touched generations of people in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Thanks to woodworker Joshua Klein and Thomas Lie-Nielsen, I’ve spent the last two days examining Fisher’s tools, furniture, paintings, house, lathe, workbench and camera obscura (for starters).

I could write a few sentences about Fisher here, but they would be weak. (Here’s an all-too-brief account.) Fisher was a polymath in a way that no blogger could condense or compile. He was astonishingly industrious. He left a long legacy of tools, furniture, maps, architecture, drawings, schools, paintings and writing that all give an amazing glimpse into the early American mindset.

He was, in fact, the prototypical American. He did everything. And he tried to do it well.

During the coming weeks I hope to post photos of Fisher’s tools and work here on the blog. I think you will like what is to come. His efforts represent what many of us hope to achieve in our own lives. But when you look at Fisher’s body of work, you can say only one word.

Dang.

So stay tuned.

— Christopher Schwarz

Like a sharp knife, cutting lists are helpful when used properly but downright dangerous in the wrong hands.

Case-in-point: In the 1990s I wrote an article on building a Limbert bookcase and had an error in my cutting list. I think I had the kick piece as the wrong width. Anyway, I soon got a phone call from an angry reader. He was making a run of these bookcases to sell and had cut out all the parts to the exact sizes in the cutting list. When it came time to assemble his bookcases, he discovered my error.

He demanded that I reimburse him for the wood he wasted because of the mistake.

When someone gives me a cutting list, I consider it as accurate as a map sketched on a napkin. It will probably get me where I’m going, but only with some interpretation, flexibility and wrong turns.

If I’m going to build a run of something, then I need to develop a cutting list that will account for small variations in the construction process. It needs to be a map that will get me to my destination every time.

That is the sort of cutting list that I design when teaching classes. The school needs a cutting list with finished sizes so their employees can cut everything before the class begins. Each student needs a pile of boards that will always create the desired object.

For example, here is the cutting list I’ve developed for the Dutch tool chest class. It is different than the cutting list I published in Popular Woodworking Magazine. If you cut all these parts to the exact sizes listed below, then you will be able to build the chest, even if you make a slight flub or two.

Item        T    W        L
2     Sides         .75”     11.25”        24”
1     Bottom     .75”    11.25”         27”
1     Shelf         .75”     11.25”         26.5”*
1     Front         .75”     7.5”         27.125”*
1     Bottom lip     .75”     1.5”        27.125”*
1     Lid         .75”     16”*         28”
2     Skids         .75”     1.25”         11”
4     Back boards     .75”     7.25”        27.125”*
1     Fall-front     .75”     9”*         27.125”*
2     Panel battens .5”    1.5”         8”
1     Catch         .75”    .75”        4”
1     Lock         .25”    2”         18”*

* This dimension is slightly oversized for trimming

Note that some pieces are marked as “oversized.” These oversized pieces accommodate the most common mistakes people make when building this chest:

1. The shelf is overlong in case you make the dados in the sides too deep.

2. The bottom lip and fall-front are over-long so you can trim them to the final size of your chest.

3. The backboards are (in aggregate) wider than necessary because some people mess up the tongue-and-groove joint and need the forgiveness.

4. The lid, fall-front and front pieces of the chest are over-wide because some students muck up the 30° angle on the case’s sides. If the angle is too steep or too shallow, then these dimensions need to change.

Bottom line: Never trust a cutting list. Or, as we were taught in journalism school: “If your mother says she loves you, verify it.”

— Christopher Schwarz

P.S. The photo above shows my small Dutch chest with its new lower case. You can read more about it on my blog at Popular Woodworking Magazine here.

June 15 is the day when I take stock of everything that has happened in the last 12 months and think about what is coming in the next 12 or 120.

It’s an important date because on June 15, 2011, I left Popular Woodworking Magazine and began to work full time for Lost Art Press, which John Hoffman and I started in 2007. There’s a navel-gazing aspect to this personal exercise, and I won’t bore you with those sorts of details.

Instead, I’ll bore you with a short list of the projects on the horizon. These are projects where we have signed a contract. They will happen. But I cannot say when. So when you ask me: “When will that be out?” My answer will be: “I don’t know.”

1. “The Woodworker Magazine: 1936-1966. The Charles Hayward Era.” We have contracted with the owners of The Woodworker magazine to reprint hundreds of articles on handwork they published between 1936 and 1967, almost all of them by Charles Hayward. This project began the day we started Lost Art Press and, if all goes to plan, it will be out in time for Christmas. John Hoffman, Ty Black, Megan Fitzpatrick, Phil Hirz and I have poured hundreds of hours into this project during the last six years to collect, organize, digitize and edit this information for publication.

2. “Woodworking in Estonia.” We have signed a contract with Ants Viires to produce a new English translation of his important and rare book. The translation is underway. The earlier English translation was not authorized by Viires; it was poorly done and has horrible photos. Our version will be like all our books: worth owning.

3. “Turning Fundamentals” by Alan Lacer. When I began turning about a decade ago, I looked for a book that covered everything in a deep way: tools, sharpening, spindle and faceplate turning. I couldn’t find one that made me happy. Alan is currently writing this book. It will be a monster.

4. “The Traditional Shop” by Richard Maguire. This is another book I wanted when setting up shop. It will be a complete overview of how to set up your shop for handwork. It will dive deep into benches, sawbenches, appliances, storage, lighting and arranging things. I cannot think of anyone better to write this book.

5. “Practical Design” by Jeffrey Miller. This book will outline Miller’s process for designing furniture, from its concept to the finished piece. Jeff will be discussing the book and his approach on his blog in the coming months.

There are other books in the fetal stages, including books on American campaign furniture, Danish modern furniture, “Furniture of Necessity” and 17th-century joiner’s work. And there are projects that are much closer to publication: Roubo on furniture, H.O. Studley, Andrew Lunn’s book on saws, Peter Galbert’s chair book, Roy Underhill’s novel and “The Naked Woodworker” with Mike Siemsen to name a few.

After reading the above list, I think I should stop writing this blog entry and get back to editing. There is work to be done.

Hobo out.

— Christopher Schwarz

I recently found myself in immediate need of a couple of simple benches. So, I sat down and sketched up the quasi-Shaker-esque bench that you see here, sizing it so all of the parts could be cut from one 1″ × 12″ × 6′ and one 1″ × 3″ × 6′. I then headed down to Lowe’s for some “select pine.” While constructing the benches it occurred to me that, apart from a pencil and tape measure, I had used no hand tools of any kind. At that point, I got out a block plane to break all of the sharp edges. (I know what you’re thinking: I should have used a trim router with a chamfer bit. Maybe next time.)

So here’s to all the naysayers out there: See, it really is possible to make decent-looking stuff using only power tools.

– Steve Schafer