Lost Art Press

One Good Idea. That’s All You Get

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The year that my book on workbenches came out I had a conversation with one of the editors of a competing magazine.

“Nice work,” he said about the book. “I guess you’re done.”

I must have looked confused, distressed or constipated because he continued on with his explanation.

He said something like this: Most writers in any field – be it woodworking, haberdashery or animal husbandry – get only one really good idea during their lifetimes. The rest of their lives are spent re-casting that same idea and repeating it until no one else will listen.

I was horrified.

I thought I would have perhaps two ideas in my lifetime. One on woodworking. And one on dinosaurs.

It’s been four years since that conversation. And with “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” about to go to press, that little chat is weighing heavy on my mind.

— Christopher Schwarz

The Wrong Idea About ‘The Anarchist’s Tool Chest’

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In the famous words of Westley: “Get used to disappointment.”

This week I am finishing the layout chores for “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” and we are on schedule to send it to the printer on April 15. Barring a plague of locusts, that means the book should be shipping the first week of June.

I’ve spent the last 14 months writing this book, and all I can say is that I cannot discern if it’s something worth reading or a stinking turd. I’m too close to it.

I can say that during the last couple months, I’ve given three presentations about the content of the book with mixed results. My favorite reaction to the content was at the Northeastern Woodworkers Association’s Showcase in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. It went something like this:

Him: Why would anyone want to use a tool chest when you can put your tools on the wall?

Me: A chest protects tools from dust.

Him: But having them on the wall is so much better. You can get them so much easier.

Me: But they will get dusty. Dust has salt in it, which attracts moisture.

Him: A chest is a dumb idea.

Me: OK.

Him: Really. A wall rack is better than a chest.

Me: OK.

Him: Really, a chest? Dumb.

The funny thing about the above conversation (and about a dozen more like it) is that “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” is not a book that is going to try to talk you into building a traditional tool chest. Yes, I cover the topic in great detail. I spent months studying traditional chests and have about 13 years experience using one.

Yes, there are complete plans for the chest. Yes, I really like my chest. And yes, I think that a proper tool chest is a great thing for your shop.

But I will be surprised if more than a handful of people actually build this chest. That’s because the tool chest is actually a metaphor for what this book is really about: Assembling a reasonable kit of tools so you can be a woodworker instead of a budding tool collector.

Oh, and it’s about cheese, craft beer and micro-farming.

But let’s say you just want to build a tool chest. Should you buy this book? Nah. In fact, I’ve boiled down the entire content of the book into a one-page .pdf that you can download by clicking here.

OK, now back to fixing typos.

— Christopher Schwarz

Make a Table or Stool: Part 1

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Design brief: Before commencing on any design other than a copy a design brief must be prepared. A design brief is a collection of all the data relevant to the construction and use of the article and the design is based on this information. The brief can best be produced by writing down as many questions as possible about the job, and then by experiment, research, measurement or judgment, find the answers to these questions. For example, questions about a coffee table might include the following:

Where will it be used?
Who will use it?
How many people will use it?
What will it carry?
How will people sit at it?
What will be its top shape?
How high will it be?
What will be its basic constructional form?
What will be the finish?
What wood is preferred or is available?
Will the top have any special finish?
Will a shelf or rack be required?

Design sketch
The answers to these practical questions will give the worker the length, the width and the height required. From these three figures a number of design sketches may be produced and the best one selected (Fig 90, for example).

Working drawing
From the design sketch it will now be possible to build up a working drawing. For items of coffee-table size a full-sized drawing is an advantage; larger items must of course be drawn to scale. These full-sized drawings can be drawn on decorator’s ‘lining’ (ceiling) paper. Before making a start the following table of ‘finished sizes’ should be consulted (Fig 91).

The sawn sizes are those used by the timber yards when sawing logs into boards. The finished sizes are those to which the sawn boards can be planed, either by hand or by machine. This figure is both the maximum which can be obtained from the sawn board and also the size marketed as a planed board. In planning component sizes these sizes should be kept in mind in order to use wood with the greatest economy. A reduction of thickness of 1mm (1/16in.) may afford a considerable cost saving.

The working drawing (side view) (Fig 92) is built up as follows. Draw the ground line (A) then draw the top of the table (B). Consult the finished sizes and draw in the top thickness (C). Mark this off to length (D). Consider the overhang and draw in the outside edge of the legs (E). Consult the finished sizes again and draw in the leg thickness (F). The top rail (G) is drawn in next, wide enough to give a good joint but not wastefully wide. This can be made narrower if the extra support of a stretcher rail is given. The end (width) view can be similarly drawn. To save space this can be superimposed on the front view (shaded area).

When a proper mortice and tenon construction is to be used (as in this example) the length of the tenon must now be ascertained. This is easily done (Fig 93) by making a full-sized drawing on graph paper. Finally the inside edges of the legs can be tapered below the joint. This design retains the simplicity of an all-right-angle construction.

To obviate frequent reference to a drawing in the early stages it is convenient to produce a cutting list (Fig 94) and to work solely from this in the early stages.

Finished (i.e. final) sizes are used in the list, which avoids allowances being added at several stages in the work. Unfortunately, although there are only three dimensions there are many more names for them, e.g. length, height, width, depth, broad, thick, and so on. The three to be used are length (the distance along the grain), thickness (the smallest dimension) and width (the intermediate size). Width and thickness are often the same size.

To avoid confusion components are often lettered, as in the first column. The remaining columns are self-explanatory except for the blank one. A tick here signifies that the component has been sawn out. A cross tells that the piece has been produced to size and is ready for marking out.

— Robert Wearing, from Chapter 2 of “The Essential Woodworker”

Ernie Conover’s Review of ‘The Essential Woodworker’

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Editor’s note: This weekend I had the privilege of working with Ernie Conover at the Northeastern Woodworkers Association’s “Showcase” in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Ernie, shown in the photo at left, helped judge the furniture show and taught hand skills during the show. Ernie has many books and magazine articles to his credit and runs The Conover Workshops. During our weekend together, Ernie noticed I was selling copies of “The Essential Woodworker.” Ernie then opened his laptop and showed me a review he’d written of the book in 1991, which he kindly allowed me to reprint here.

“The Essential Woodworker” by Robert Wearing is available in our store for $23.

— Christopher Schwarz

Soon after embarking on the reading of “The Essential Woodworker” I was a young student again. Only this time I was not shrugging of “as unimportant” the basic skills and techniques that are “essential” to being a top quality woodworker. I would like to kid myself that “The Essential Woodworker” was a review, however, I learned much!

Top educator and craftsman, Robert Wearing, prefaces the book with an astounding premise, which becomes the basis of the book. That is, that there is a multitude of books and articles available to woodworkers, but that the vast majority of these are far too advanced. They all neglect basics. Therefore, “The Essential Woodworker” is totally dedicated to hand woodworking basics. It is a primer designed for struggling neophytes working alone-without the aid of a teacher.

“The Essential Woodworker” succeeds admirably in its purpose. Anyone (machine or hand tool woodworker alike) who works through the clearly written text, with myriad of photos and fine illustrations, will gain much! All of the illustrations are done by the author in a clear, perspective drafting style that is most elucidating.

Mr. Wearing also subscribes to a thought that I have long held. Namely, that high quality woodworking is impossible without the use of bench planes. In the first chapter, he goes into the sharpening, tuning and use of these essential tools, along with a host of other basic skills, in detail. In succeeding chapters he explains the basic skills involved in table, carcase, and drawer/box construction. Chapter 4 on drawer construction was really written some years ago by Mr. Wearing’ mentor, Cecil Gough.  The author explains in the Introduction, “that he cannot improve upon his tutor on this subject.” Finally in Appendices A through I Mr. Wearing presents detailed plans for a host of jigs, fixtures and work aids.

American readers will have to do some translation of terminology. For example half blind dovetails are lap dovetails, wood is timber and rabbet is rebate. Even the author loses sight of basics, and occasionally refers to skills and practices not covered in the book. For example the art of using a plane in a shooting board is not covered, however, the reader is several times instructed to “shoot” the ends of timbers.

Robert Wearing has given me some startling ideas reference teaching. Mastery of woodworking is not a progressive line starting with basics and ending with Zen mastery, but rather a ring joined immutably. The task for instructor and student is to break into this ring at a juncture where basics are mastered but interest in not lost. “The Essential Woodworker” does this admirably. As for Robert Wearing, I can only think of the lines from Julius Caesar, “Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus, and we petty men walk under his huge legs and peep about to find ourselves dishonorable graves.”

— Ernie Conover

No Teaching in 2012

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I’ve said this a few times in public, so I figured that I better mention it here before somebody starts a rumor about how I have a tumor (not true) or a small gnome or dwarf growing in my stomach.

I won’t be teaching any classes or lectures or traveling to shows in 2012.

There are several reasons. If you care, read on.

• I’ve decided that I need to spend at least a year focusing on my own skills. I enjoy taking classes as much as I enjoy teaching them. And I have put off several classes for too long now. So next year I might be the dufus sitting at the bench next to you.

• I have far too many personal projects – both writing and building – that I am burning to do. I need to build the Pepys Bookcase I blogged about earlier plus … well it’s a long list.

• I want to focus my teaching energies on one student in 2012: my daughter Katy. I can see her interest in woodworking blooming. If I don’t work with her now, I’m going to regret it.

There are still opening for classes that I’m teaching in 2011. If you are interested, check out the links below.

• April 15-16.
I’ll be demonstrating at the Lie-Nielsen show here in our offices and showing off my new tool chest. And I’ll be eating tacos from the taco truck we hire to sit in our parking lot. Come see both and decide which is more boring.

• April 22-23.
Rochester Woodworkers Society. I’ll be giving lectures and demonstrating how to build an English Layout Square at the Rochester Woodworkers Society in upstate New York. Details are here. I cannot believe they chose that photo of me to promote the event.

• May 14-15.
Marc Adams School of Woodworking. This is the Handplane Weekend class I’ve been teaching for years. This year it’s going to be a little different, but I can’t say anything more until Marc Adams announces it. Details are here.

• June 22-26.
Dick GmbH in Metten, Germany. Build a Dovetailed Tool Chest. There is still a spot or two open in my class in building a traditional tool chest at Dick’s excellent facility in Metten, Germany. Details about the class are here. Details about Dick and its workshop, here.

• July 11-15.
Marc Adams School of Woodworking. Handplanes, Handsaws and Hand-cut Joints. This class seeks to show you how all three of these tools work together in a hand-tool shop. And that understanding all of the tools in depth and their relationships with one another will make you a better craftsman. Details on the Marc Adams site here.

• July 18-20.
The Woodwright’s School. I return to Roy Underhill’s class for another class on precision sawing. This class is a blast because Roy is there lending a hand the whole time and generally making mirth. Details here.

• Aug. 8-12.
Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking. By Hammer & Hand: Build the Dovetailed Schoolbox. I’ve always wanted to teach a class based on the dovetailed schoolbox I built for Woodworking Magazine and the book “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker.” So this should be a fun week. Details here.

• Aug. 13-4.
Lie-Nielsen Toolworks. Build an English Layout Square. We’ll build the English Layout Square by hand and learn how it is an excellent project for apprentices that teaches many of the skills necessary for learning the hand tool mindset. Details here.

• Sept. 5-6.
Port Townsend School of Woodworking. Build a Sawbench. Finally, I get to head out to Jim Tolpin’s school. Details here.

• Sept. 7-9.
Port Townsend School of Woodworking. Handplane Essentials. We use handplanes to build the English Layout Square (yes, I love this project). Details here.

— Christopher Schwarz