The Lost Art Press storefront will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 10. Feel free to stop by to take a look at the books, check out our two Roman workbenches or just ask woodworking questions. During the last open day we taught people to turn, sharpen and handplane.
We have a pretty sizable pile of returned and damaged books in stock that are 50 percent off retail (cash only for these). We also have about a half dozen letterpress Anarchist’s Tool Chest posters that were returned for tiny cosmetic imperfections. Those are $10 (cash only).
A T-shirts. Geeze we have a lot of T-shirts in sizes from small to 2XL. We have the Lost Art Press logo shirt in blue, the Anarchist’s Tool Chest shirt in red and Crucible shirts in grey. All shirts are $20.
Speaking of Crucible, we have lots of holdfasts in stock (but no dividers).
If family members are pestering you for suggestions of things they should get you for Christmas, it’s difficult to say you really want a $15,000 wide-belt Timesaver.
But if you don’t speak up, you’re gonna get a necktie or worse.
Every year I publish a gift guide on my blog at Popular Woodworking Magazine that is comprised of small things that you will find really useful but won’t destroy your daughter’s $20 gift limit. The first five entries are up now.
My daughter Maddy has been stuffing envelopes this afternoon and reports she still has more than 300 sticker sets left. So don’t worry about us running out.
Several customers have included notes that say: If you are out of stickers, it’s no problem. Keep the $5 for your education.
And people say this is a mean world.
If you’d like a set of stickers for your very own, send an SASE and a $5 bill to:
Stick it to the Man
P.O. Box 3284
Columbus, OH 43210
Maddy will take your SASE and put three high-quality vinyl stickers – one of each design – in your envelope and mail it to you immediately. (If you send $10, she’ll send two sets; $15 will get you three sets). These are the nicest die-cut stickers we could find and should even be suitable for outdoor use, according to the manufacturer. The stickers are made in the United States, of course.
This is Maddy’s second job, by the way. She also intubates pigs for a research lab.
By the way, Katy has been making more wax and we have some up in her etsy store now. Check that out here – there’s plenty of time for Christmas delivery.
Editor’s note: One of the other books we have in the works is tentatively titled: “Go, Go, Go: The Life, Influence and Woodworking of Tage Frid” by Bill Rainford. In this post, Bill introduces himself and explains a little bit about the book. Were thrilled to work with Bill on this book about Frid (1915-2004), one of the most influential woodworkers of the 20th century.
— Christopher Schwarz
I’m driven by a lifelong desire to learn, build, experiment and share. I love examining furniture to see how it was made and read the tool marks. I enjoy digging through period sources to learn a new technique or build something that has not been seen for generations. I also search out designs that take form and function into account. These inclinations can often take me down some deep rabbit holes or on crazy adventures. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
As I progressed in my woodworking I got tired of building predominantly power tool projects from magazines. I wanted to design my own pieces and get into more traditional tools and techniques. Around that time I was referred to the three-volume set of books “Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking” by the Taunton Press. This iconic set of books was eye opening. Tage’s no-nonsense approach, acerbic humor and amusing anecdotes made for a memorable read.
Many of the tenets of Frid’s teaching resonated with me and still guide my work. A core principle of Frid’s mentoring was to teach several different techniques to accomplish a given task so a student had a deeper well of technical knowledge to draw upon when the time came to use it. Long before “hybrid woodworking” was a coined phrase, Frid espoused the use of power and hand tools to help a craftsmen compete and make a living. In addition to a respect for traditional techniques and wood itself, I also appreciated his efforts to show how a craftsman should strive to make something that is functional, comfortable, tailored to the room or audience and also affordable.
The Rainford Family (From left to right): Alyssa, Bradley, Bill and Henry Rainford
My Background
I grew up on Long Island, N.Y. I’ve been a lifelong woodworker and maker. I’m at my happiest when I am out in my workshop. I started out helping my father and grandfather around the house as a child – finishing the basement, building a deck etc. I grew up watching “This Old House” and “New Yankee Workshop” and building power tool oriented projects. Once I got a place of my own I got into building things such as a custom mantel, a loft, staircase, bookcases etc. but I didn’t feel fulfilled. I wanted to get into more intricate hand work. That’s when I learned about the North Bennet Street School (NBSS), which is the oldest trade school in the United States. After taking some hand tool fundamentals and carving workshops at the school I went on to become a graduate of the two-year Preservation Carpentry program. I now develop and teach traditional woodworking workshops at NBSS, the Boston Architectural College, Historic Eastfield Village and other regional schools, conferences and events.
I consider myself to primarily be a traditional joiner, building and restoring traditional windows, doors, trim and casework though though I’ve also built a fair amount of furniture, restored timber frames and worked on historic buildings such as the Old State House in Boston, the Harvard Shaker Meeting House in Harvard, Mass., and similar properties.
I’ve written for Fine Homebuilding, Popular Woodworking, Early American Industries Association, Fix.com and my blog RainfordRestorations.com
I live in southern New Hampshire with my a wife, Alyssa, and two sons, Bradley and Henry. I’m thankful to my wife for being supportive of all my woodworking activities and for my two sons who love watching me work around the house.
Genesis for the Book
A couple of years ago I wrote up a blog post which shared my thoughts about Tage Frid and his work and wondered what ever happened to his tools and furniture. You can read that post here. In response to that post I received a comment from Tage’s grandson Oliver Frid and had the opportunity to visit Tage’s son Peter’s home.
Oliver and Peter Frid (right) with one of Tage Frid’s iconic 3 legged stools
It was an inspirational visit and they were gracious hosts to put up with me being excited to see many of Tage’s tools and furniture pieces in person. You can read more about that visit in this post. As I learned more about Tage’s life and work I realized there were a lot of interesting stories to be shared with a wider audience.
What will the Book be About?
The book will be a mixture of biography, woodworking projects with plans, interviews and an exploration of the impact of Frid’s work. From Frid’s time working for the Royal Danish Cabinetmakers (at the time Kaare Klint was running the department), to his time at the School for American Craftsmen and the studio art movement through his time at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Penland, the goal is to share projects based on Frid’s work in those periods and some by those whom he taught and inspired. It will be an eclectic mix of chairs, tables, casework, built-ins and workshop projects that explore the various forms Danish modern designs can take on in a flavor reminiscent of Frid’s aesthetic.
After working on colonial and Shaker styles of furniture and buildings for such a long time, I’ve found that Danish modern designs really appealing. I’ve been intrigued by how well Danish modern pieces can fit into a traditional home in large part due to their expressed construction, use of traditional joinery and respect for and re-interpretation of traditional forms.
Bill standing at his new workbench. (Photo by Doug Levy for the related Popular Woodworking Magazine article)
Upcoming Article
One of Frid’s most-remembered projects is his traditional Scandinavian workbench with a shoulder vise, square dogs and a tail vise. It was similar to the bench I was trained on. Inspired by Frid’s design and my own preferences I built my own interpretation of this bench and made a series of modifications to address many of the criticisms folks have had with Frid’s earlier workbench. The bench I built was about 2′ longer, a few inches deeper, built up in some areas to add weight and makes use of some newer construction techniques and new easier-to-install hardware that was not available to Frid in the 1980s. If you’d like to learn more about this workbench and whet your appetite for the forthcoming book, I encourage you to check out my article in the February 2017 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine, which is due out next month.
If you’d like to learn more about me and my explorations in woodworking, please check out my blog or follow me via my other social media accounts below.
My oldest daughter, Maddy, processed her first batch of stickers last night and braved the rain to drop them off at the closest mailbox.
First off, she thanks all of you for spelling her name correctly (Maddy with a “y”). And she was very impressed with how organized (read: OCD) everyone was about the self-addressed stamped envelopes (SASE). Except for the guy who sealed the $5 bill in his SASE.
We still have plenty of stickers and you can get your set (plus a bonus sticker until they run out) by enclosing $5 in an envelope along with a SASE. Send it to:
Stick it to the Man
P.O. Box 3284
Columbus, OH 43210
Maddy will take your SASE and put three high-quality vinyl stickers – one of each design – in your envelope and mail it to you immediately. These are the nicest die-cut stickers we could find and should even be suitable for outdoor use, according to the manufacturer. The stickers are made in the United States, of course.
Here are answers to a few common questions.
Q: What if I want two (or three) sets? Do I have to send multiple SASEs?
A: We’re not barbarians, and Maddy is good at math. If you send $10 you’ll get two sets; $15 will get you three and so on. All in the same envelope.
Q: Will a regular business-sized envelope work?
A: Yup. These stickers are about 3” long – not huge.
Q: If I’m in another country and have some U.S. bills, can I participate?
A: Yes. We’re working on a way to process international orders. But if you send Maddy an SASE with a $5 (U.S.) bill and sufficient postage, she’ll fill the order.
I just received a text from Maddy and she has picked up the second day of orders and will process them immediately.
Thanks for all your support. Maddy is thrilled to be doing this and it really does help her make ends meet in college.
