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Chris and I are here all day to answer your woodworking questions – in between some work at the bench, of course. You know the drill: post your (succinct) question(s) in the comments field below, and we shall do our best to answer. Comments will close at around 5 p.m.
– Fitz
This week we launched two new substacks that you might want to check out.
Never Sponsored
For the last 28 years I have been neck-deep in the world of woodworking tools. First as a user and reviewer of tools for Popular Woodworking Magazine. Then as a designer, maker and user of them for Crucible.
But most of all I have been an observer. I’ve watched toolmaking rise and fall and rise again during my lifetime. And I want to make sure that you – the person who buys and uses tools – has a good set of tools with only a few regrettable purchases.
“Never Sponsored” is an extension of my 2011 book “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest.” In that book I urge woodworkers to own but a basic set of tools, but to buy the best.
But what are the best tools? And which are the worst?
“Never Sponsored” is the answer to those questions. Every Wednesday, Megan Fitzpatrick (also a long-time tool user) and I will post a review of a tool (or class of tools) on the substack. Lots of people do something similar. Here is how we are different.
We have never taken money from tool manufacturers. We don’t do affiliate programs or sponsorships or anything where tool money flows to the people who write about tools. And we never will.
So we can afford to tell you the truth (as we see it). Yes, we have biases and opinions. But they are earned with our own money, and they are earned in a working shop.
You can read our first post here. “Never Sponsored” will be free for the first two months. Then it will have a paywall. Most posts will be behind the paywall, but there will always be some free entries. So it’s worth getting a free subscription. “Never Sponsored” is $5 a month or $50 a year.
The Anarchist’s Apprentice
Earlier this year we hired Kale Vogt as an assistant editor at Lost Art Press. Kale spends half their time at our warehouse fulfilling your orders and the other half at our workshop on Willard Street, learning to become a furniture maker.
“The Anarchist’s Apprentice” is a weekly journal of our progress.
Every Thursday we post a journal entry written by Kale, Megan or me about the process. We’ve been journaling about Kale’s training since the first day it started. We don’t exactly know where it is headed. Kale is remarkably talented with an eye for detail. Megan and I have lots to teach. It sounds a bit like a reality television show, and it really is that (but without the hair-pulling).
If you have ever wondered what a modern apprenticeship might be like, this is a peek at the process. So far it has been both messy and joyful. Kale is a wonderful addition to our staff. I hope we don’t ruin things.
Like “Never Sponsored,” this substack will be free for two months. After that it will feature both free posts and paid posts for subscribers. Our first post is here.
The American Peasant
And don’t forget my substack, “The American Peasant.” During the last 18 months I have posted 244 entries that have pushed at the limits of language and thought in woodworking journalism. I’ve also posted nearly all of my next book, “The American Peasant,” there for you to read in its almost-finished form.
Please note that my substack is PG-13. If you are easily offended, may I suggest this instead?
Finally
Please don’t think that we are abandoning this blog here at Lost Art Press. We’re not. Instead, we’re growing. For most of LAP’s 17-year history, we’ve had zero employees. Now there are six of us. We all have things to say and different points of view. These new substacks allow us to share what we know (and what we don’t). This blog is still the foundation and is how we communicate to our customers and friends around the world.
Boomshanka to you all.
— Christopher Schwarz
Today I am offering for sale this low-slung armchair in red oak. This chair is completely set up for lounging, and is about as comfortable a chair as I can make (it’s comparable to the Gibson chair). The seat is low – 16-1/4” – off the ground, like old stick chairs. The seat tilts 4.5° back and the back tilts 33°. The overall height is 33-3/4”.
This chair is designed for long and comfortable sits with your back cradled by the sweeping backrest.
The sticks are shaved and left faceted. The legs are double tapered and faceted (this is the first time I’ve used this detail on a chair).
Like all my chairs, this one is assembled with animal glue, which is reversible should it ever need repairs. The finish is soft wax, which does not provide much protection but is easily repaired and develops age quickly.
One small flaw. One of the short sticks developed a small split below the arm when I wedged it (this sometimes happens with oak). The split isn’t going anywhere. But if it does ever become a problem, I’ll make good on it via repair or replacement.
I am selling this chair via a silent auction. The starting bid is $500. Shipping is free to the winner in the lower 48 states.
Purchasing the Chair
If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Monday, April 1. Please use the subject line: “Irish Chair.” In the email please include your:
The highest bid wins. If you are the winner, the chair can be picked up at our storefront. Or we will crate it and ship it to your door. (I’m sorry but the chair cannot be shipped outside the U.S.)
— Christopher Schwarz
The following is excerpted from our reprint of “Woodworker’s Pocket Book,” edited by Charles H. Hayward. I have screwing on the brain (so to speak) because I’ve been teaching Kale about pilot holes and clearance holes. I could have just handed this book to Kale, and it likely would have provided more clarity than did I. And it is certainly more succinct!
– Fitz
Screws can be obtained in many metals and finishes, sizes and types.
METALS. The chief kinds are mild steel (iron) and brass, but in addition screws are made in copper, gunmetal, aluminium, and in a variety of finishes, such as Berlin blacked, galvanised, tinned, nickel-plated, electro-brassed, antique brassed, antique copper, electro-coppered, copper-oxydised, electro-silvered, and blued. The range of sizes is not so great in these fancy finishes.
TYPES. Countersunk head, raised head, and round head are the types mostly used. Size is taken from the position shown by arrows. Raised heads are frequently used with screw cups, which increase gripping area and give a neater appearance.
SIZES. Screws are classified by length and gauge. Illustration above shows from where length is taken. Gauge is the diameter of the shank and is the same in all lengths of screw. For instance, a 1-in. 9-gauge screw would have the same diameter and size of head as a 2-in. 9-gauge screw. Gauges range from 0000 to 50, but those from 4 up to 12 are most commonly used. Diagram shows five common gauges in actual size. [Ed note: The images here will resize to your device; they are not actual size] Order screws this way: ” 1 gross 1½-in. 9s, countersunk, iron.” It is always cheaper to buy by the gross than dozen.
SCREW HOLE SIZES. Two sizes of holes are needed when screwing – a thread hole and a shank hole. The former is the hole into which the screw bites its way, and should be smaller than the over-all diameter of the shank. The clearance hole should be a trifle fuller than the shank diameter. The table on the following page gives the various gauges of screws and the sizes required for the clearance and thread holes. A certain amount of latitude is possible. Softwoods will take smaller size of thread hole than hardwoods.
LUBRICATION. Lubricate screws before driving them in. It eases the work and prevents rusting. Vaseline is excellent. Be careful of mutton fat and Russian tallow, as the salt in them may cause corrosion.
FINDING THE GAUGE OF A SCREW. If you are uncertain of the gauge of a screw this simple method will give the exact answer in a few moments. Measure across the head of the screw, counting the measurement in sixteenths of an inch; double this number and subtract two. This is the gauge.
For example: a No. 10 screw (independent of length) will measure 3/8 in. or 6/16 in. This multiplied by two is 12/16 in.; less two is 10/16 in., or No. 10.
Take another case: the screw head measures 4-1/2 sixteenths; multiply by two=9; less two is 7, which is the screw gauge.
The table below gives the various gauges of screws and the sizes of the clearance and thread holes. It has been compiled from information supplied by Messrs. Nettlefold & Sons, Ltd.
When a long brass screw has to be driven into a hard wood it is advisable to drive in an iron screw of the same size first, as otherwise the resistance may cause the brass screw to snap off. Once the iron screw has been inserted it can be withdrawn and replaced by the brass screw.
Our sale of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” – our bestselling book – ends at midnight March 31. Until then, the book is $34 – 34 percent off – and comes signed by the author and a special bookmark.
This sale has helped enormously to clear floor space in our warehouse in downtown Covington, Kentucky. Thanks to everyone who picked up a book. Come April, we will move the rest of our stock out of temporary storage facilities and into the warehouse.
Then we will finally – after 12 months of work – have our fulfillment center 100 percent operational.
I am ready. And the building is ready.
— Christopher Schwarz