The Lost Art Press storefront is open today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. And at 7 p.m. we are throwing a party for Christian Becksvoort to celebrate his new book “Shaker Inspiration.”
The event is free. We will have drinks and snacks. And Chris will give a presentation of his work, sign books and shake hands. Come visit a living woodworking legend in one of his few visits to the Midwest.
The storefront is at 837 Willard St., Covington, Ky 41011. We have our complete line of books for sale, plus some blemished books at 50 percent off. Come see Brendan working on his Chester Cornett rocker. Megan’s working on a Dutch tool chest and I’m working on two Welsh stick chairs.
The new Covington Mechanicals classes posted last Monday are now open for registration (and linked just below). We also still have openings in some of our other 2019 classes, and those are linked below the four new ones.
I wonder if Chris understood what he was unleashing when he
first wrote about the Dutch Tool Chest. It’s the perfect blank canvas for
woodworkers to exercise their ingenuity. Just a quick internet search will
spill pages of configurations, colors, and creativity.
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about DTC design and
execution lately. This spring I’m co-teaching a class where students will build
a version of the chest — but with a twist. My partner in crime is Thomas Latanè, one of the best blacksmiths working today, so
the surprise spoiler is students will be both building the chest with me AND
forging the hardware with Tom.
My influence for the project is easy to see but Tom’s comes from the tool chests that were attached to the sides of Conestoga wagons (a form curiously similar to the DTC). On many surviving pieces the strap hinge swings on a clenched staple as opposed to a standard barrel and pin. The example chest in the photo wears Tom’s vision for the hardware but there is opportunity for students to create something as complex or as simple as their skill set and time allows.
I’m really excited to be a part of this, it’s a wonderful
handshake between two crafts that frankly ought to hang out together more
often. The class will be divided into two, spending the morning with one
instructor and trading to the other for the afternoon.
We’ve chosen to host the class at the picturesque Tunnel Mill Craft School just a few miles south of Rochester, Minn. Unlike many schools, they offer a dormitory bed and meals included in the price of tuition. After the official class time is over, it’s open campus where students can catch up in either area they feel they need to or just hang around the common room and enjoy the community.
Now the important stuff:
The class is May 2-5, and there are openings for only eight students this go around – so please don’t miss your chance. Dual skill classes are a rarity.
For pricing, booking, and questions email Carol Adams
at jc-adams@msn.com or call 507-289-4189.
Students in Will Myers’ October 2018 Shaker Candlestand class.
I know it looks as if we’re running a woodworking school, but when classes aren’t going on (which truly is the majority of the time), the Lost Art Press storefront is Christopher Schwarz’s working woodshop and publishing office where he develops furniture ideas for new books, and works on editorial and design for upcoming titles. (And he generously allows Brendan Gaffney and me to hang out there and produce shavings, too.)
But the classes are a lot of fun…so we’ve added a few more for 2019, including several from Chris, who’s easing back into teaching after a couple of years of taking it easy (on that front, anyway), along with some guest instructors (including Roy Underhill, and the return of Chris Williams from Wales!). Plus, we’ve added a handful of one-day, three-day and week-long classes. Almost all the classes have room for no more than six students, so you get a lot of personal attention from the instructor (whether or not you want it!) and his or her assistant (which is often Chris, Brendan or me). Plus, you can try out our tools (well, I volunteer mine, anyway) and seven different bench forms, and relax (as time allows) in the Mechanical Library or in the biergarten. And there is usually a group dinner and visit to a local watering hole. In short, it’s a great time.
This Friday (Oct. 12) at 10 a.m. Eastern, registration goes live for the January through June 2019 classes listed below (we’ll announce July-December classes in early 2019). Click through to each to read the full descriptions. If you’re interested – and I hope you are – I recommend being poised at your keyboard at 9:59 a.m. Eastern; these tend to sell out quickly. But do sign up for the waitlist if you don’t get in right away; life happens and things change. And if you can’t make it for a class, the storefront (837 Willard Street, Covington, Ky., 41011) is open on the second Saturday of every month from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. for all your Lost Art Press book needs, woodworking questions, tool instruction and more.