Our shipment of “Grandpa’s Workshop” arrives tomorrow morning. As soon as I get the books under tarps, I’ll start mailing them out to readers.
Apologies to everyone for the manufacturing delays. They were out of our control, and no amount of yelling could fix them. I think you’ll be pleased with the results and find the book worth the wait.
— Christopher Schwarz
I do not accept free or discounted tools. I purchased every tool in my chest and have marked it with my shop mark. I do not accept free or discounted materials – lumber, glue, finish or hardware.
On occasion, a manufacturer will send me a tool for private evaluation. If I choose to keep it and use it, I pay full retail for it. If I don’t keep it, I return it to the manufacturer or donate it to a school or student who cannot afford it.
Why am I writing this?
Every time I write a blog entry and I mention that I paid for some item, I get a few messages from readers who advise me to stop adding that caveat. They are tired of reading it. And in truth, I am weary of writing it. I don’t mean to sound sanctimonious.
But here is the truth: New people encounter my blog every day. And if they don’t know who I am, it’s easy for them to assume that I get all my tools for free. Most woodworking writers are bombarded with free tools in the hopes they will write about them. Or they are given free machines or entire batches of workshop supplies in exchange for advertising.
I do not question the ethics of other bloggers. All I know is what I was trained to do in journalism school: Take nothing from the people you write about. (And if you think I’m hardcore, you need to meet my journalist wife. She won’t even drink from the water fountain at a corporation she writes about.)
To finish up, a few more important notes: I am not an “affiliate” at any web site. I do not receive a percentage of the sale of any tool or woodworking material I write about.
I receive income from only three sources: the schools at which I teach, F+W Media Inc. (where I am a contributing editor) and from you, the Lost Art Press customer.
From this point forward, any time I review a tool or woodworking material, I will add a link to this statement of ethics. In that way, I won’t have to waste any more words on this topic, and you will not have to read them.
— Christopher Schwarz
Crap. I forgot to show this movie to the audience at Woodworking in America. I blame jet lag, alcohol and the boll weevil.
The week before flying out to Pasadena, Calif., for the show I built a lot of sawbenches to try to cut my time down to about 30 minutes. That would allow me to work at a pace where I could talk and not have sweat coming out of my nipples as I built the sawbench.
After getting comfortable with my procedure last week, I had my shop assistant, Ty Black, build the bench as I filmed it. He had helped me figure out some of the geometry, but this film shows the first time he gave my procedure a go.
— Christopher Schwarz
Hinges are works mechanical that permit of a door to be opened, yet to remain attached at one side. Of hinges, there are three sorts; those being strap, pintle, and butt. Of these, the butt is formed of cast iron, and is the largest of the three. I like big butts and I can not lie. You other brothers can’t deny, That when a door swings out on an itty bitty hinge, And a round thing in your face, It gets sprung, You wanna pull it out rough. ‘Cause you notice that butt was stuffed Deep in the wood and it’s wearing. I’m hooked and I can’t stop staring. Oh baby, I wanna re-hang you. And take my hammer and bang you….
— Joseph Moxon
If you attended one of my sessions at Woodworking in America in Pasadena, Calif., on Saturday, this is the blog entry you are looking for. The rest of you can go about your business – or download these and be slightly confused.
Campaign Furniture: Below are two links. One is an all-too short bibliography on this style of furniture. The other is a .pdf version of my presentation.
Campaign Furniture – Further Reading
The Furniture Style With No Name: Below is my “recipe” for a six-board chest. There is a .pdf document that explains the tools required and the cutting and assembly procedure I use. The second document is a SketchUp file that shows the construction steps in a visual way. After you open the model in SketchUp, click on the different tabs at the top of its window to move through the different scenes.
Download the SketchUp file from the 3D Warehouse here.
Remember: If you build this chest using this recipe, please send me a photo and any thoughts on how the procedure could be streamlined.
— Christopher Schwarz