Lost Art Press

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In the Works from Lost Art Press

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In case you think I’m sitting around eating bon-bons in my boxers all day, here’s an update: It’s actually pretzels and a thong.

Apologies for that mental image.

We are working on several upcoming publishing projects here that you might be interested in. Here’s a quick look.

• Books: I’m still editing three books and getting them in shape for the printer: Jennie Alexander and Peter Follansbee’s “Make a Joint Stool from a Tree,” Matt Bickford’s “Mouldings in Practice” and a special reprint of “Theory of Mouldings.” As of now, we are shooting for a January release date for all three.

• Updated Titles: In crazy news, we are almost sold out of the second printing of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” and will be going back to the printer for a third run in a couple weeks. In the third printing we will add Suzanne Ellison’s excellent index to the book (you can download it for free here) and we are going to change the color of the linen and debossing on the exterior. Also, we are going back to the printer for a second press run of “The Joiner & Cabinet Maker.” We will be correcting some typos, but that’s the only change planned for the second run.

• Audiobook: We are producing an audiobook version of the original text of “The Joiner & Cabinet Maker.” We should be recording that after Thanksgiving if all goes well. I cannot tell you who the voice talent is, but I can say that you know this person well.

• ePub and Kindle Versions: Robert Wearing has given us permission to produce ePub and Kindle versions of “The Essential Woodworker.” His book is being converted now and it should be up for sale in our store in about three weeks.

• My own book: When everyone else in the house is asleep I’m working on writing my next book on furniture design. I am at the stage in the book where I need to present my findings to some people and have them tell me I’m full of poo – or that I’m on to something.

And lastly, I am hoping for one more beautiful fall day so I can fire up my Karmann-Ghia and drive out to the park overlooking the city with my laptop.

— Christopher Schwarz

A Different Drawer

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Woodworking writers love to get to the end of the story where they can simply state: Build the drawers in the usual manner and apply your favorite finish. And enjoy!

This is, by the way, a bit of laziness or secretiveness. Some writers don’t want to reveal how they really finish a piece. Finishing is still a state secret for some professionals.

As to drawers, this morning I finished up work on the drawer for a Charleston table reproduction from the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. And let me tell you this drawer was a lot of fun to construct because it is not built in the usual manner.

What’s the “usual” manner?

1. Through-dovetails at the rear of the drawer.
2. Half-blind dovetails at the front.
3. The drawer bottom slides into the drawer box from the back and rests in a groove in the sides and drawer front.

For this early 18th-century drawer, here’s what we’ve got:

1. Through-dovetails at the rear.
2. Half-blinds at the front.
3. A drawer front that is wider than the drawer sides.
4. A bottom that is nailed onto the drawer’s sides and back.
5. The bottom edge of the drawer front is rounded over, on both the inside and outside corners.

I have a theory. Wanna hear it?

The rounded-over drawer front is the same profile used on the stretchers at the bottom of the piece. Perhaps it was a conscious design decision. Or perhaps the drawer front was originally planned to be a stretcher.

In any case, I had to be wary of wood movement with this drawer. If I’d simply glued the bottom on the drawer frame the bottom would likely split or ruin the drawer frame. So here’s what I did: (Man what’s with all these lists? It’s like I work for USA Today.)

1. Glued the drawer bottom to the backside of the drawer front.
2. Glued the bottom to the drawer sides – but only for the first 4” or 5”.
3. Nailed the bottom on with 4d cut headless brads.

(Edit: Robert Lang, who measured the piece, had Megan Fitzpatrick call me to tell me I forgot a rabbet in the backside of the drawer front. And yup, I did. There is a rabbet behind the drawer front that the drawer bottom rests in. Below is Bob’s drawing of how it should look.)

The glue will keep the drawer bottom tight at the front. The nails will flex and allow the bottom to expand and contract.

I hope.

Now I just have to apply my favorite finish (green or blue?) and turn a knob.

— Christopher Schwarz

More Places (the U.K.!) to Buy Lost Art Press Books

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Today I shipped off a couple hundred pounds of Lost Art Press books to Axminster, a leading woodworking supplier in the United Kingdom. The company will stock Robert Wearing’s “The Essential Woodworker” and copies of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest.”

So look for those products in the Axminster 2012 catalog and on the company’s web site in the near future.

Also, F+W Media Inc. will be carrying three Lost Art Press books: “The Essential Woodworker,” “The Joiner & Cabinet Maker” and “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest.” All three products should show up shortly in the company’s web site: ShopWoodworking.com.

I am actively working on a supplier in Greenland and Monaco. More on that as it develops.

Thanks to all our international customers for their patience. We know it’s has been a hard slog to get our products, and now that I am a hobo self-employed, we will be making more strides in this area soon.

— Christopher Schwarz

Lost Art Press Books Now in Australia

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Thanks to David Eckert, the persistent Lie-Nielsen distributor in Australia, you can now get our books on that continent.

“The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” “The Essential Woodworker” and “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker” are all available for sale now from Lie-Nielsen Australia. These are the exact same books we print here in the United States. They are made in the U.S.A., printed on acid-free paper, Smythe sewn and covered in linen.

To order them, you can visit the Lie-Nielsen Australia site at www.lie-nielsen.com.au, phone them at 08 8241 7777 or e-mail them at info@lie-nielsen.com.au.

We hope to announce a distributor (or distributors) in the United Kingdom soon.

— Christopher Schwarz

Off to Canada

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As soon as I figure out how to get my chest out of the shop and into my wife’s Honda I am headed to Waterloo, Ontario, for the opening of Lee Valley’s newest retail store.

Want details? Here’s a post about the event. There’s also lots of other excellent craftsmen demonstrating there this weekend, so do stop by if you are in the neighborhood.

Note to the U.S. Customs Agents: This photo shows that my tool chest went across the border with me on Wednesday. Just sayin’.

— Christopher Schwarz

P.S. This also means that I won’t be answering much e-mail until after I return and get through Woodworking in America. So if you have a customer emergency, e-mail John Hoffman at john@lostartpress.com.