Lost Art Press

David Charlesworth Online Tool Auction

Posted on by fitz

The U.K.’s Classic Hand Tools (CHT) has organized an auction of David Charlesworth’s hand tools – 100 of the best tools he amassed and used in his storied and half-century woodworking and teaching career. The auction proceeds will benefit David’s wife, Pat.

The tools – each professionally photographed and properly described – are available for preview viewing now, and are arranged by tool type – planes, saws, chisels etc. CHT notes that more information about each tool, and a price guide, will be added as/if that information becomes available. Online bidding begins on November 24 and ends on December 1 at 4 p.m. GMT. These are tools that David actually used, and as such are in excellent condition and ready to put to work.

This is a “best offer” sale – the person who submits the highest bid in the closed auction will be the winner. CHT will ship the items at cost. For more on how to bid and how it works, take a look at any of the items on the CHT pages – at the bottom of each is a link for bidding information. Here again is the link for the main auction page.

– Fitz

p.s. You can read more about David in this post by Christopher Schwarz. Or by simply Googling him. He was a woodworking giant, and is greatly missed.

2022 Anarchist’s Gift Guide, Day 10: Corn Whisk Brooms

Posted on by Lost Art Press

A bench brush is essential gear for getting chips and shavings into the compost bin or garbage bag. But if you saddle chair seats or do a lot of traversing with a jack plane, you might have noticed that most bench brushes do a crap job in brushing off your work. 

I don’t know exactly why the problem occurs, but the fine brush hair doesn’t seem to have the oomph to move heavy and hairy chips.

The solution is simple, inexpensive and delightful: a corn whisk broom. These small handheld bundles of broom corn are stiff enough to move huge quantities of heavy chips off the bench. 

I received a fancy, multicolor one made by students at Berea College as a gift. It definitely doesn’t disappear into the field of brown chips and shavings on my bench. And the handle is beautifully wrapped.

That fanciness comes at a price. If you don’t want to spend $45 on a broom, then you can find simpler ones that are handmade and equally effective. The best place to look (if you don’t have a local broom merchant) is etsy.

This link will take you a huge selection of these brooms at a variety of price points. And the colors!

Y’all know that I keep the shop tidy. These stiff brushes make it a little more enjoyable.

— Christopher Schwarz

To read previous entries in the gift guide, click here.

Chairmaker’s Toolbox Scholarship Class Sept. 18-22, 2023

Posted on by fitz
Day-4 lesson: Get a bigger hammer. (This was the calmest during glue-up I’ve ever seen a group of students in our shop.)

We had such fun in last year’s Chairmaker’s Toolbox class that we’re doing it again! Chris will be leading a group of six in a free stick chair class in the Lost Art Press shop Sept. 18-22, 2023. The scholarship covers both tuition and materials for the chair.

The emphasis of this class is to teach those who are underepresented in our ranks, and to help create a new generation of woodworkers who teach. There are two spots available for students who have some chairmaking experience and want to teach others, and four spots for students with little-to-no chair experience but who have some sort of active teaching practice (elementary school math, academic writing, shop maintenance in educational facility, podcasting, etc).

The class is being organized by Aspen Golann, who runs The Chairmaker’s Toolbox. You can find out about all the Chairmaker’s Toolbox education opportunities via this link (where you’ll find links to “apply here” for each class, including this one).

As Aspen notes in her description on the Chairmaker’s Toolbox, I am the designated shop lurker for this class…but lurking pays off. Last year’s group is the one that finally inspired me to make a stick chair (I just had to wait until they left so I had my bench back). Then I bought my own scorp…so color me inspired.

– Fitz

p.s. Chris will write more about the class when he’s back in town, and answer questions about donations etc.

2022 Anarchist’s Gift Guide, Day 9: Mirka Sanding Sponges

Posted on by Lost Art Press

We love Mirka stuff. I never thought I could love an abrasive, but the company’s Abranet abrasives have become the only ones I like to use.

So when I wore out some old sanding sponges (no, I don’t just throw them away after each use), I decided to try Mirka’s. We use sanding sponges for leveling film finishes between coats.

In the shape shown above, we could only get them in #220-grit. (They offer a thinner sponge in #400 grit that I want to try.) The #220 is a firm – very firm – sponge. Much firmer than the sponges from the home center. 

The firmness makes it ideal for flat surfaces, but not great for curves (that’s what the thinner sponges are for). The abrasive on the Mirka sponge is distributed evenly on the sponge’s edges, so it’s more predictable than a home center sponge.

The #220 is too aggressive for finishes such as shellac and lacquer, but it is great for paint. Once the sponge clogs, clean it in water and it will be (almost) as good as new.

Next year we hope to review the finer-grit Mirka sponges.

— Christopher Schwarz

To read previous entries in the gift guide, click here.

‘Henry Boyd’ Readalong

Posted on by fitz
Whitney LB Miller with her new friend Bouna.

Last weekend, Whitney LB Miller, author of “Henry Boyd’s Freedom Bed,” was invited to read her new book at a Saturday morning children’s event. We suggested she film it but – reporting star that she is (she’s currently on the air with Cincinnati’s WCPO television station) – Whitney got a much better story.

After he was done reading, Bouna talked with Whitney about his reactions to “Henry Boyd:” “I like it ’cause he was a person that wanted to have freedom for other people to have rights as well…he wanted to make stuff for other people so they can have a good life…He wants to help people that are people that are slaves and take them out of slavery….”

Now I’m not a very emotional person, but when I saw video of kids reading and reacting to Whitney’s book, well, I teared up. (Anyone who doesn’t think representation matters is likely already well represented.) Visit her Instagram to see more; the link is to the one that tugged my heartstring the most (so far).

It’s a good story for kids of all ages – the first book dedicated entirely to the deeds of an incredible former enslaved person, who became one of Cincinnati’s most important 19th-century furniture makers. Whitney (who also illustrated the book!) wrote it to inspire a new generation of woodworkers, and show how creativity and hard work can lead to a good and important life.

– Fitz