Lost Art Press

2024 Anarchist’s Gift Guide: Day 5

Posted on by fitz

Day 5: Hans Karlsson & Jason Lonon Scorps/Inshaves

Good scorps/inshaves are expensive and difficult to come by. Most of the used and discount scorps I’ve seen are not worth messing with. I’ve tried grinding them and even cold-bending their handles in an effort to make them work. Most times the old tool simply wasn’t made for chairmaking and it will fight you at every stroke.

I’ve been a long-time fan of Lucien Avery’s inshave. It’s what I use on every chair seat. It’s the perfect shape for the shallow saddle of a stick chair. It has a long flat area in the middle with curved bits at the ends. The typical Dunbar-style scorp (which is circular) is difficult to use with stick chairs. (I know this because this is what I used for many years.)

So I offer up these two other options. They aren’t as perfect as the Lucien Avery, but the waiting list is always smaller.

The Hans Karlsson inshave is excellent. Almost as good as the Avery. It has the blade shape I prefer and the handles are quite comfortable. It’s heavier than the Avery, which makes it more tiring to use. But otherwise it is completely excellent. The inshave isn’t available right now, but I’m sure they will make more. There are also retailers for the company that carry the inshave, so it’s worth looking around.

The Jason Lonon scorp/inshave also works well for saddling stick chairs. I wish the middle part of the blade were flatter, but it works well when making a stick chair. The Lonon (also currently sold out) is the prettiest scorp I’ve ever seen. The fit and finish are top-notch, and so is the steel. 

Eventually the world will have a steady supply of inshaves and scorps. But not today apparently.

– Chris

Last Day to Order for Christmas Delivery: Dec. 15

Posted on by Lost Art Press
We are running low on stock for this book.

Dec. 15 is the last day to place an order with Lost Art Press and be assured that it will arrive in time for Christmas. 

Our storefront will be open during weekdays up until Dec. 24. We are currently setting up the new storefront at 407 Madison Ave. Until that comes on line, we have stock available at our old location, 837 Willard St. in Covington, Ky.

We are doing everything we can to keep things in stock, and I plan to start making some more Exeter hammers on Sunday afternoon. Sign up to be notified when they go up for sale here.

One important note: We are running low on stock of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest.” And it will then go out of print until I finish up the revised edition of the book. So if you want a copy as a gift for someone. Or you want a copy of the original edition (we are in its 16th printing), better do it now.

— Christopher Schwarz

2024 Anarchist’s Gift Guide: Day 3

Posted on by fitz

Day 3: Old Town Utility Jacket (& a Work Jacket)

For many years, Old Town has made fantastic custom workwear (chairmaker John Brown was a customer). It now seems that the company is simplifying its operations and not taking on any new customers for custom work.

But despair not, for Old Town is still supplying Labour & Wait with Utility Jackets. If you’ve taken a class with me in the last few years, this is probably what I was wearing. It’s not a jacket. It is what I would call an overshirt. You wear a T-shirt under it. As a result, you can get four or five wearings out of the Utility Jacket between washings. 

The garment is incredibly well-made. It’s honestly a lifetime investment. The cut is quite loose, so you have lots of room to move (or add layers). It’s easy to wear. The buttons are somewhat large, making it easy to get off and on (even with big fingers). The front pocket is generous – I’m always stuffing my phone in there (or whatever else is in my hands) when I need an extra hand for a job. The sleeves are simple, no buttons to lose. You just roll them up like a shirt.

The Utility Jacket is available in blue and black. And yes, Labour & Wait ships to the U.S.

While you are at Labour & Wait, I can also recommend their Work Jacket. It’s very much like our work jacket (we don’t have many in stock right now). The Labour & Wait version is available in the traditional French blue. And it’s built so much better than the fake work jackets made by the fashion houses. It’s a true work garment.

– Chris

2024 Anarchist’s Gift Guide: Day 2

Posted on by fitz

Day 2: Origin Work Jeans Made in Maine
I’m always looking for good domestic-made workwear, not the stuff peddled for hipsters who wear Carhartt WIP. During the last year I have been wearing Origin Work Jeans, which are made in Maine. I have been unable to wear them out.

First, the inseams are triple-stitched. Yes, it looks overdone. Because it is. The denim is exceptionally strong – I have yet to rip the legs or tear the knees. And the pockets – oh, the pockets. They are lined with denim and not some tissue-thin cotton drill that disintegrates in a few months. The pockets last and last, even when filled with keys, knives and what-else-you-got.

The cut is forgiving for the woodworker’s physique (Body by IPAs). Your thighs will not be squeezed. Your “other organs” will also avoid the Denim Constrictor on fashionable jeans. These are real work jeans, and you can even order them with a double knee if your work is especially gravel-based. The jeans are available in three cuts: straight, boot cut and relaxed. I wear the straight cut.

The jeans normally cost $129. But you will find them on sale regularly for $99.

I honestly think I prefer the Origins to my Grease Point jeans, which are much more expensive. The Grease Points look nicer (I am constantly asked where I got them), but the Origin jeans have been more durable, especially the pockets.

Highly recommended.

– Chris

2024 Anarchist’s Gift Guide: Day 1

Posted on by fitz

The Anarchist’s Gift Guide – comprised only of stuff we have bought and used in our shop – starts today and runs over the next 13 days.

Chris started this “gift guide” years ago (read past recommendations here) after watching a woodworking TV personality’s “gift guide” for one of his sponsors. Clearly, he’d been given a list of worthless stuff that they wanted gone. 

Chris thought: What if some poor spouse/child/friend actually took this crap advice?

This gift guide is – as always – unsponsored. Toolmakers who ask to be included in the guide (and they sometimes do) are automatically excluded from it. We don’t make money from these recommendations – there are no affiliate links. We paid full price for these items. And we’ve sought out at least a few things that your children could afford to buy for you.

Here goes.

Chairmaker’s Non-redneck Pencil Gauge

Last summer we made a batch of Redneck Pencil Gauges, which we still use here today. We started with a basic Marples marking gauge. Then we added a metal fence that allowed the gauge to be used for inside and outside curves. And we added a friction-fit hole so you could add a pencil (included) to the gauge.

It’s an ideal tool for marking out mortises and the spindle deck on a chair, plus dozens of other operations where a knife line or scribe line is undesirable.

After making one batch of gauges for sale, we never got around to making more. But now Marples has picked up the ball and created its own gauge, with three improvements.

  1. They use a brass fence instead of a steel one (it looks classier)
  2. They use a brass locking knob instead of a yellow plastic one (again, classy)
  3. And they made the pencil clamp adjustable, a nice upgrade from ours.

The gauge is available through Workshop Heaven in the U.K. for £20.90, and they ship to the States. If you weren’t able to purchase one of our Redneck Pencil Gauges, this will definitely fill that need. 

(You can, of course, make your own gauge using “The Stick Chair Book,” a free download.)

– Chris