Lost Art Press

Category: Woodworking Classes

A Game of Ounces

Posted on by Lost Art Press

Jack planes are the most-used tool in my hands. Hands down, hands forward and hands back. I’m on my third jack plane iron since 1996. I’ve never even come close to wearing out a plane iron for a smoothing or jointer plane.

(I have eaten through some block plane blades, though I blame that on carpentry jobs and nails.)

When students ask for my recommendations for a jack plane, my first recommendation is a vintage Stanley No. 5. I have an old Type 11 from around the turn of the last century. Rosewood knob and tote. Beautiful lightweight casting. Just perfect.

But a lot of students are unwilling to take my advice. They have good reasons.

  1. They don’t have the skill or time to fix up an old plane.
  2. They are afraid that a vintage plane bought through the mail will be a POS.
  3. They don’t know enough to buy a vintage plane.
  4. They just want a tool that works without any fettling. Sharpen and go.

So here’s what I tell them: Get the Lie-Nielsen No. 62. What is sometimes called a low-angle jack or bevel-up jack. Here is my reasoning.

A jack plane should be fairly lightweight and simple to use. The Lie-Nielsen No. 62 fits that bill. It doesn’t have a frog, chipbreaker or lateral-adjustment lever. This keeps down its weight, its complexity and its price. 

So what are we talking about when we discuss the weight of jack planes? Here are the ones we have in our shop, from lightest to heaviest.

Wooden jack plane: 4 lbs. 1 oz.
Stanley No. 5: 4 lbs. 6 oz.
Lie-Nielsen No. 62: 4 lbs. 10 oz.
Veritas No. 5: 5 lbs. 4 oz.
Lie-Nielsen No. 5: 5 lbs. 8 oz.

In use the wooden jack, the Stanley and the No. 62 all feel about the same. Once the tool tops 5 lbs., I notice the increased weight.

I know some experienced woodworkers don’t like the low-angle/bevel-up planes. But I have found that beginners really take to them. Likely because they are simple to set up. (There are other makers of the No. 62-style plane, including Veritas, Wood River and a variety of offshore white-label brands. I’ve used the Veritas and can recommend its quality, but it is heavy. The other brands I don’t have any experience with. Avoid the modern Stanley No. 62. I have yet to use one that didn’t have a fatal error in its bed machining.)

So why not a wooden jack? I love wooden jacks, and there are some great makers of new jacks out there. It’s difficult to recommend a vintage wooden jack for a greenhorn woodworker because the tool might need a lot of work. Heck, it might need something only a fire can offer.

So my recommendation is based on my desire to get a student going with the minimum amount of fussing with them before class, at lunch and at night. 

And when three students show up with this plane, I know I have offended the woodworking gods somehow and must make a sacrifice to appease them.

— Christopher Schwarz

P.S. Scrub planes are too short for the jointing operations I ask of a jack, and its iron has too much curve for my taste. I’m sure that if I started in the craft with a scrub I would love it. But I didn’t. And so I don’t.

No Pine? No Problem; Linden is the Solution

Posted on by fitz
This is a pile of parts for one Anarchist’s tool chest class.

One of the most difficult things of late has been sourcing my beloved sugar pine for tool chest classes. It’s “imported” from the West Coast – and with lumber companies struggling to fill demand and the still-high cost of shipping, it has been impossible to get. I’ve heard time and again from my local supplier that “we expect some next week,” but no joy. So I had to find another solution.

I looked for Eastern white pine (another good tool chest choice that’s usually easier to get around here than sugar pine), but all I could find was #2 (at best), and usually too thick (I like a full 7/8″ for the “Anarchist’s Tool Chest” builds). Another decent option is poplar – but it’s harder to cut and chop, so it takes longer for students to work their way through the 52 dovetails that go into this chest (if you go the poplar route, 3/4″ is thick enough – no need for the additional weight). I’ll use poplar for the ATC class if that’s all I can get – but I don’t like to (though it is typically an economical choice). I want my students to have nothing but success, and that’s easier to achieve with a softer wood that has a better “mash factor” – by which I mean you can get away with squeezing a few joints together that really shouldn’t go together because they’re slightly tight, or the cuts aren’t quite straight. Everyone needs a little forgiveness now and then, and poplar has less of it to give.

So, on the recommendation of Jameel Abraham of Benchcrafted, I got in touch with the Amana Furniture and Clock Shop. (Amana Colonies is in Amana, Iowa – it’s where Benchcrafted holds Handworks which, by the by, is now scheduled for September 2023.) Amana cuts and kiln dries linden from the property for use in the shop’s own projects, and Jameel thought there might be some to spare some for tool chest kits. He put me in touch with Chris Ward, sales and manufacturing manager, who worked with his team to make a sample kit for me to try out earlier this year.

I was sold, and I ordered 13 more kits – seven for the class that concluded yesterday, and six for my February ATC class (to save money on shipping). I can’t make the kits for less than Amana charges (and right now I can’t even get material) – and they have better facilities and industrial-sized equipment for making the multiple large panels for many chests all at once. Plus they have more than one person to do it! And to be frank, they can produce better large panels than can I, because they have a panel clamp system and a wide-belt sander to level the seams if need be. I have K-bodies and handplanes (which work just fine – but not quickly when there are 28 panels to glue up and flatten). I did the final squaring and sizing in our shop…because I’m anal retentive. But perhaps for my next order, I’ll have their team do that, too; my back is not getting any younger.

The prepared wood arrived in crates – I’m glad it was a sunny day.

But I wasn’t completely convinced on the linden (which is also known as basswood and American lime) until we started cutting the joints. With experience now in a class setting, I actually think it is in some ways better than pine – there are no sap pockets or streaks, so saws don’t get gummy and therefore cut more smoothly for longer (no need to stop and clean them), and it’s a little less fragile on the corners. That makes sense, given that it’s slightly harder on the Janka scale (sugar pine is 380; linden is 410) – but not so much more dense that it weighs significantly more. (I meant to weigh one of the finished linden chest for comparison…but I forgot. But I did help lift four of the six into various vehicles, and I’ve lifted dozens of pine ATCs into cars and trucks over the years, and I noticed little weight difference. I’d guess maybe 5-10 additional pounds.) It also takes paint nicely – much like pine and poplar. I tested General Finishes “milk paint” on an offcut, and was pleased to find that two coats will likely be sufficient (at least in dark blue).

This is two coats of (hastily applied) Twilight (yes, blue).

My only complaint is that linden has little odor; I missed the scent of the pine. When seven people are working hard, well, a bit of natural pine air freshener is a bonus (I’ll hang a pine air freshener under every bench for the next class!). And the students did work very hard – everyone left with a chest just about ready for final cleanup (finish planing/sanding) – and they all looked great.

Nice, eh?

A Class for a Good Cause

Posted on by Lost Art Press

Registration opens tomorrow at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking (MASW) where I am teaching a weekend class in 2023 in making a staked stool.

This is a rare instance of me leaving the nest to teach. But I’m doing it for three reasons.

  1. Marc readily agreed that all proceeds from the class, including students’ tuition and my instructor fee, will go to the Roger Cliffe Memorial Foundation, which funds scholarships for woodworking education.
  2. Marc (and Kelly Mehler) were the first two schools that took a chance on me as an instructor. I was a terrible teacher at first. In fact, if you were in my first class at MASW I owe you a personal apology and probably a T-shirt. Yet Marc kept me on there for 10 more years.
  3. This is Marc’s 30th year in business, and he asked many of his past instructors to come back to teach a class. How could I say no?

The class is Oct. 14-15, 2023. All the details are on the MASW website. Hope you will consider joining us.

— Christopher Schwarz

Storefront Classes for the First Half of 2023

Posted on by Lost Art Press

Our storefront on Willard Street in Covington, Ky.

We are offering some new classes and old favorites at the Lost Art Press storefront during the first half of 2023. All these classes take place in our bench room at our Covington, Ky., location.

Our storefront is located in the center of the city’s Main Strasse village, and we are surrounded by lots of places to eat, drink and stay – all without ever using your car. The bench room is a nice place to learn handwork. Every student gets a heavy workbench, the bench room is filled with natural light and the floors are oak, which is easy on your back. Oh, and the class size is small: a maximum of six students.

Registration for these classes opens at 10 a.m. Eastern on Sept. 26 through our Covington Mechanicals classes page (where you’ll see “Register Now” buttons on each class – but you can’t until 10 a.m. Eastern on the 26th). Classes tend to fill up fast, but there is some turnover. So we encourage you to sign up for the wait list if the class you want is full.

Here are the classes for January to June 2023. (And we may add another class or two in the weeks to come – if so, they’ll be announced here.)

Comb-back stick chair in black cherry.

Comb-back Stick Chair with Christopher Schwarz 
Jan. 16-20, 2023
Build a comb-back stick chair, an excellent introduction to the craft of chairmaking. Students will construct a comfortable chair using mostly bench tools and just a few specialty tools. Students are encouraged to customize their chair by combining different hands, arms, stretchers and combs. This class is open to anyone who can sharpen their own hand tools.

Traditional sawbench

Build a Sawbench with Megan Fitzpatrick
Jan 28-29, 2023
Build a traditional sawbench as you learn fundamental hand-tool skills including how to lay out your cuts, use handsaws, chisels, bench planes, router planes and more. Plus, you’ll learn how to properly use cut nails (without splitting the wood). Sure, you’ll get a nice sawbench out of it, but the real joy is in the new techniques you’ll pick up.

Anarchist’s tool chest

Anarchist’s Tool Chest with Megan Fitzpatrick
Feb 6-10, 2023
In five days, we are going to build traditional full-size English tool chests – a.k.a. “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” from Christopher Schwarz’s book of that title – using hand tools. If you don’t like dovetails, this is not the class for you. If you’d like to learn dovetails (while you build a sturdy chest that holds about 50 hand tools…which is to say almost all the hand tools you need to build furniture), this is absolutely the class for you – you’ll get plenty of instruction and practice.

Plus, we’ll make handsome and (almost) bomb-proof raised-panel lids, and cut the mouldings, skirts and lids by hand. And though we will have time to build only the outside of the chest, I’ll discuss how to divide up the interior for efficient work, and show you some options.

Staked backstool in ash.

Staked Backstool from the ‘Anarchist’s Design Book’ with Christopher Schwarz
Feb. 18-19, 2023
This contemporary side chair is a two-day introduction to many of the operations involved in chairmaking, including drilling compound angles, making tapered mortise-and-tenon joints and creating short sticks. This class is open to anyone who can sharpen their own hand tools.

Dutch tool chest

Dutch Tool Chest with Megan Fitzpatrick
March 3-5, 2023
This handsome tool chest is a great three-day introduction to several bedrock hand-tool joinery techniques: dovetails, dados, rabbets and more. Plus you’ll learn how to cut a fingernail moulding, raise a panel, use cut-nails and rules for carcase construction. By the end of Day 3, you’ll be able to pop all your tools in your new chest (which fits in the back of almost any car) for your drive home.

Lowback stick chair in black cherry.

Lowback Stick Chair with Christopher Schwarz
March 20-24, 2023
Build a lowback stick chair, a fairly simple chair that involves a good deal of cutting and shaping compound curves. This is a great dining chair and offers excellent lumbar support. This class is open to anyone who can sharpen their own hand tools.

Dovetailed Shaker trays

Dovetailed Shaker Tray with Megan Fitzpatrick
April 22-23, 2023
Make a classic Shaker silverware tray in this introduction to hand-cut dovetails. In this two-day class, you’ll learn: dovetail layout using dividers; how to saw to a line with a backsaw; how to wield a coping saw; how to pare and chop with chisels; how to fit dovetails;cut and fair curves and more.

Staked sawbenches in poplar and oak.

Staked Sawbenches with Christopher Schwarz
May 13-14, 2023
During this weekend class you’ll build a pair of staked sawbenches, which are essential for any shop that uses handsaws. During the process of building your sawbenches, you’ll learn about compound-angle joinery, making tapered mortise-and-tenon joints and leveling the legs to the floor. This class is open to anyone who can sharpen their own hand tools.

Dutch Tool Chest with Megan Fitzpatrick
May 19-21, 2023
This handsome tool chest is a great three-day introduction to several bedrock hand-tool joinery techniques: dovetails, dados, rabbets and more. Plus you’ll learn how to cut a fingernail moulding, raise a panel, use cut-nails and rules for carcase construction. By the end of Day 3, you’ll be able to pop all your tools in your new chest (which fits in the back of almost any car) for your drive home.

Teach Woodworking – or Else

Posted on by Lost Art Press

If you know anything about woodworking, I think you are qualified to teach it to others. 

In my earliest days of woodworking as an adult, my friend Chris and I taught each other what we knew about woodworking, even though we each knew enough to fill up a thimble. In the early 1990s, I taught my neighbors how to make basic casework, even though I barely knew how to make basic casework.

I don’t think you need to be certified. I don’t think you need formal training. All you have to have is a little bit of knowledge and the willingness to share it with others.

During the last 15 years I’ve taught lots of people about woodworking in exchange for money. And I’ve observed a lot of woodworking teachers both good and bad. And I have picked the brains of people who are extraordinary teachers (thanks, Trevor). All in an effort to become a better teacher. 

Recently I made a list of the principles I actively follow as I teach. You might find them useful if your neighbor Ed ever asks if you could show him how to build a radiator cover.

  1. Small bites of information. When explaining a technique, every lecture is as short as possible. Usually 5-10 minutes. Never ever longer than 20 minutes. My pattern is this: Present small amounts of information. Have the students act on it. Repeat.
  2. Teach without talking. Many of the lessons are embedded in the material and are not explicit. I might put cabinetmaker’s triangles on everyone’s stock. There will be no lecture about the triangles, but students will be required to use them. Later in the class I will reference them offhand while we are working. The students then understand them through use, and they are much less likely to resist or object to the material.
  3. Never do their work for them. I strive to never touch the tools or work of my students. If they make a near-fatal error I will ask them if they want help, but I will never insist or step in. If I have to I will (with their permission) take their hands and show them how to perform an operation or repair.
  4. Avoid having lines at machines or specialty tools. There is nothing worse than the line at the abattoir. When we have one tool for the class (say, a tenon cutter) that everyone has to use, I give the rest of the class two or three things they can be doing at the bench as they wait their turn. 
  5. Draw the lesson. Demonstrate the lesson. Let them do the lesson. Sometimes information isn’t sticky enough. Or it takes a few attempts to get it in your head. To help this, I try to draw out every lesson on the board before a lecture. Then I demonstrate the lesson. Then I immediately ask them to do the operation. I also encourage them to photograph the lesson on the board to help them remember it.
  6. On praise and criticism. Praise and criticism is specific to the student’s work and always genuine. Point out what is right and wrong. Explain why. Some students will deflect both praise and criticism verbally. But they do hear it. 
  7. Stop at every bench, every day of the class. Spend time looking at their work and listening to them talk about it.
  8. Warm up before every demo. Demonstrating when you are cold is difficult. If you have to tenon four legs, tenon one before the lecture. This ensures you will have all the tools you need at the bench and get your head in the right place.
  9. Understand the goal of each student. Some students want a trophy and no more. Others want skills and don’t care about the thing they are building. Both are valid approaches.

Finally, I try to learn from my students. Even a first-day woodworker can teach me something because they are coming at it with fresh eyes. Or without preconceived notions. 

Oh, and tell stupid jokes. Make fun of your own failings. Show your flaws and shortcomings – even revel in them.

But most of all, teach.

— Christopher Schwarz