While my personal tools stay in my tool chest, we keep the communal ones hanging on the wall behind my bench for students or visiting instructors to use without guilt or asking.
Our “tool wall” is made up of three panels of cherry that cover three bookcases. For most of the year, our shop looks like the photo above. But when we open the shop to the public, we remove the tool walls to reveal our selection of books behind.
It’s a little awkward, but the books are protected from dust, and our workshop doesn’t look like a bookstore.
Several internet readers have asked us about the tools on the wall. Some of them look non-standard or odd. So we shot this short video that goes over the tools on the left side of the wall (the video was shot and edited by our intern, Harper Haynes). We’ll do videos on the other two panels shortly.
This six-stick comb-back chair is inspired by two Welsh chairs – one that I inspected at Tim Bowen Antiques and a second chair that I have in my collection. The chair is built using 4,000-year-old bog oak that was harvested in Poland. All the parts of this chair came from one tree.
I am selling this chair for $1,500 via a random drawing. Details on purchasing the chair can be found near the bottom of this blog entry. Here are some more details about its design and construction.
This stick chair is a new design – a definite break from my previous chairs. It features new shapes for the seat, arm, hands and comb. The rake and splay of the legs are new numbers. But in the end, it is still just a stick chair, a humble and vernacular form found in many cultures.
This particular chair is set up for working or dining. The back is fairly upright at 11° off the seat. And the seat tilts at 4°, giving the chair an overall tilt of 15°. The seat is 16-1/2” off the floor to accommodate both short and tall sitters, and the chair is 40-1/2” high overall. So it has a nice presence in a room.
One of the goals with this chair was to make it a bit more roomy. There is 20” between the arms, and the arm shape is square-ish to accommodate stocky sitters.
The bog oak used in this chair is a gorgeous nutty brown, with hints of green and orange in it. All of the chair’s major joints are assembled using hide glue, so repairs in the (far) future will be easy. The chair is finished with a non-toxic soft wax, a blend of beeswax and raw linseed oil that my daughter cooks up here in our shop. The wax is an ideal chair finish. It is not terribly durable, but it is easily renewed or repaired.
Among the unusual design details of this chair are the through-tenons in the seat. The chair’s sticks were left long and protrude out the bottom of the seat. This feature is more common on Irish chairs, but I like the look, and it gives a sitter something to explore down there.
I consider this chair a prototype, and it is not perfect. On one of the arms there is a small bit of tear-out (3/16” square) that I filled with tinted epoxy. There are also tell-tale signs of handwork everywhere on this chair. You will find faint rasp marks on the arms. Scallops from the jack plane on the underside of the seat. Facets from a spokeshave on the comb.
I prefer these subtle marks to a homogenous sanded surface. Though some people would call them flaws.
How to Purchase This Chair
This chair is being sold via a random drawing. The chair is $1,500 plus domestic shipping. (I’m sorry but the chair cannot be shipped outside the U.S.) If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Wednesday, July 13. In the email please use the subject line “Chair Sale” and include your:
First name and last name
U.S. shipping address
Daytime phone number (this is for the trucking quote only)
After all the emails have arrived on July 13, we will pick a winner that evening via a random drawing.
If you are the “winner,” the chair can be picked up at our storefront for free. Or we can ship it to you via common carrier. The crate is included in the price of the chair. Shipping a chair usually costs about $250 to $300, depending on your location.
Despite the heat, Katherine has made a new batch of soft wax and posted it in her etsy store.
She has fully mastered her new mixing/filling machine and was able to create this entire batch without any assistance during the bottling process. We all offered to help, but she stubbornly resisted (I don’t know where she gets that trait).
This is the last batch that will carry her current label, which she designed in 2016. She’s designed a snappy new label that we are getting printed. It’s amazing to me that she’s made more than 1,600 sales of almost 2,000 jars of wax since she started this business in high school.
Notes on the finish: This is the finish I use on my chairs. Katherine cooks it up here in the machine room using a waterless process. She then packages it in a tough glass jar with a metal screw-top lid. She applies her hand-designed label to each lid, boxes up the jars and ships them in a durable cardboard mailer. The money she makes from wax helps her make ends meet at college. Instructions for the wax are below. You can watch a video of how to use the wax here.
Instructions for Soft Wax 2.0 Soft Wax 2.0 is a safe finish for bare wood that is incredibly easy to apply and imparts a beautiful low luster to the wood.
The finish is made by cooking raw, organic linseed oil (from the flax plant) and combining it with cosmetics-grade beeswax and a small amount of a citrus-based solvent. The result is that this finish can be applied without special safety equipment, such as a respirator. The only safety caution is to dry the rags out flat you used to apply before throwing them away. (All linseed oil generates heat as it cures, and there is a small but real chance of the rags catching fire if they are bunched up while wet.)
Soft Wax 2.0 is an ideal finish for pieces that will be touched a lot, such as chairs, turned objects and spoons. The finish does not build a film, so the wood feels like wood – not plastic. Because of this, the wax does not provide a strong barrier against water or alcohol. If you use it on countertops or a kitchen table, you will need to touch it up every once in a while. Simply add a little more Soft Wax to a deteriorated finish and the repair is done – no stripping or additional chemicals needed.
Soft Wax 2.0 is not intended to be used over a film finish (such as lacquer, shellac or varnish). It is best used on bare wood. However, you can apply it over a porous finish, such as milk paint.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS (VERY IMPORTANT): Applying Soft Wax 2.0 is so easy if you follow the simple instructions. On bare wood, apply a thin coat of soft wax using a rag, applicator pad, 3M gray pad or steel wool. Allow the finish to soak in about 15 minutes. Then, with a clean rag or towel, wipe the entire surface until it feels dry. Do not leave any excess finish on the surface. If you do leave some behind, the wood will get gummy and sticky.
The finish will be dry enough to use in a couple hours. After a couple weeks, the oil will be fully cured. After that, you can add a second coat (or not). A second coat will add more sheen and a little more protection to the wood.
Soft Wax 2.0 is made in small batches in Kentucky. Each glass jar contains 8 oz. of soft wax, enough for at least two chairs (probably four chairs).
We have just received stock of our newest bandana design, and it’s a throwback to our first bandana. This one is black and features our skep logo, plus a bunch of dividers and bees. The big difference is that this bandana was made by One Feather Press.
These are the nicest, softest, well-printed bandanas we’ve ever encountered. They are made one at a time by one guy in his shop. Pre-washed. Ready to become a good friend on the first day.
The bandanas are 22” x 22” and cost $25. More details in our store.
Crucible Card Scrapers Back in Stock
For the last few months we’ve searched in vain for the steel to make our scrapers. Everyone was backordered until late July. Then one company said they had our steel in stock. We sent them $8,000 and discovered they were lying/mistaken/something not libelous.
A few terse communications later, they somehow found the steel and shipped it to us.
So now (after a lot of waterjet and machine tool action) we have scrapers in stock and ready to ship.
Other stuff: The GoDrilla bit extension is nearly done. We’ve solved the problem of the binding threads. Our holdfasts have been poured, but we are waiting on the grinders to do their thing. And we are working on some new T-shirts.
I know this last line of the blog entry (always a dangerous place for me) might curse us. But if you need a little bit of good news today, many things in our supply chains seem to be returning to normal. Everything we do is in the United States, so I have no idea how things are going with international companies. But here, my torn fingernails are starting to grow back a bit.
Many visitors to our storefront ask where to buy quality vintage woodworking tools. We have a few favorite online dealers (Patrick Leach, Jim Bode and Hyperkitten). But we always prefer buying old tools in person. Looking at 10 jack planes in person is better than looking at 100 on eBay.
Last week we made our irregularly scheduled pilgrimage to Colonial Homestead, which is in a new location, just outside downtown Millersburg. As always, it was an insanely pleasurable shock to see so many quality woodworking tools lining the shelves and tables of the store. We didn’t have a lot of time to browse, maybe 90 minutes. But I could have easily spent an entire day picking through all the tools and studying them.
I own all the tools I need to make furniture. But I still adore looking at the wide varieties of tools made by different manufacturers during the last couple centuries. Plus, I have a soft spot in my heart for user-made tools and oddities. As someone who both designs and uses woodworking tools every day, Colonial Homestead recharges my batteries when it comes to tools and tool design.
If you live within a day’s drive of Millersburg, Ohio, I recommend you load up the family and make the trip. Have them drop you off at Colonial Homestead with a wad of cash. Then your family can explore the gorgeous Amish country that surrounds Millersburg, Berlin and Walnut Creek, Ohio. (The community there is the second largest in North America.)
There’s good food. And tons of kitschy shopping to be had, especially in Berlin. There are tours, a cheese factory and, well just check out this website. Below are just a few photos of Dan’s store. There is no way to capture it all.
