Lost Art Press

There’s Always a Joey to Give you Trouble

Posted on by Lost Art Press

8_chairs_leveled_img_6555

Whenever possible, I try to build projects in pairs. Building two pieces doesn’t take twice as long as building one project – it seems to add only about 25 percent to the hours I log in the shop.

By building two pieces at once, I end up with a second one I can also sell. And if something goes totally south during the construction process, I still end up with one finished piece and a bunch of extra parts or firewood.

The funny thing about working on projects in pairs is there is usually one of the two projects that fights me the whole way.

This week I’m finishing two chairs for a client. But I’m beginning to think I should have made three. One of these chairs, we’ll call him Joey, has resisted my every effort to make him a chair. When I assembled his undercarriage, one of his legs busted out a huge chip on the seat when I drove it home.

His armbow split twice during the bending process, even though the oak for both was all from the same dang tree.

While assembling the spindles and arm bow I had to use a 3 lb. sledgehammer to knock Joey’s armbow into the correct orientation.

busted_crest_rail_img_6516

And when I began bending his crest rail, it split. Twice.

So right now Joey is in “time out” on the bench while I hack up a new log of fresh pin oak for his crest rail. The other chair – its twin – has been waiting for paint for three days now.

— Christopher Schwarz

Fathers & Sons

Posted on by Lost Art Press

virtuoso_chisels_0001

Recently I was corresponding with Narayan Nayar, my friend and collaborator on “Virtuoso,” about my crossing paths with an old family friend of his at a local chapter meeting of the Mid-west Tool Collectors Association, and what a small world it was sometimes. Narayan related, “I think I told you this story, but my dad – a guy with a formidable reputation himself – was traveling in Florence, Italy, last year or the year before and someone in his travel group approached him and asked him, ‘Are you related to the photographer of the Studley Tool Chest?’” That exchange confirmed for Mr. Nayar the path his son had chosen, and I can only imagine the swell of pride he had in knowing Narayan’s impressive successes.

That vignette brought to mind the tale of Lu-ban, the totemic figure in Chinese woodworking mythology. According to the tale recounted in a children’s book I have somewhere in my inventory, Lu-ban was a son of a farmer and the father was displeased when Lu-ban chose the path of becoming a temple carpenter rather than continuing in the tradition of working on the family farm. With a heavy heart his father bid farewell to Lu-ban, wondering if he would ever see his son again given that all the great temples were being built in faraway places. Decades passed with no word from Lu-ban, then one day a box arrived at the father’s farm house. The box was simple but exquisitely made, and inside the box was a single wide wood shaving, nearly transparent and many meters long. It was a simple message from Lu-ban saying, “Yes, Father, I am a success.”

I never recall that story without getting a lump in my throat.

— Don Williams, donsbarn.com

How Mary Made her Mark

Posted on by Lost Art Press

dsc02077

Editor’s note: One of the delights in editing Mary May’s upcoming book on carving acanthus leaves is that she poured so much of herself into it. Not just in the instruction offered in the book – but also her biography. While you learn how to carve the many variants on the classic acanthus, you also follow Mary as she ventures all over the world in her efforts to carve, carve and carve. Here’s one of the short tales that I particularly enjoyed.

We’re working hard on getting this book edited so that it will be out by summer. Stay tuned.

— Christopher Schwarz

My first experience with woodcarving occurred when I was 6. I had just made the big move from kindergarten to first grade and we were all excited to have learned a new skill. With a big yellow pencil and some lined paper, our task was to neatly print our names in capital letters. Fortunately, my name is mostly straight lines, so writing M-A-R-Y came easily. Proud of my new skill, I practiced this new art form wherever I could.

As it happened, there was a lovely, nine-drawer antique pine dresser in my bedroom. It seemed obvious that the smooth surfaces of the wooden drawers were a perfect canvas to show off my penmanship, but the lines from the big yellow pencil did not show up well. I borrowed one of my dad’s screwdrivers and proceeded to carefully etch my name on the surface of each and every drawer. I was able to scratch the soft pine deeply without much effort, and while I was proud of my new masterpiece, I was already looking for more places to share my art.

However, it soon dawned on me that not everyone would appreciate my creativity. I loved it, but would they? My inventive (and manipulative) young mind started figuring a way to keep myself squeaky clean. In a moment of sneaky inspiration, I realized that my brother’s name “MARK” might provide the perfect cover. I thought, “I’ll just draw an extra line on the Y and make it look like a K.” I was sure everyone would think that Mark did it! So I altered the Y on every drawer with an extra, diagonal scratch to complete the transformation. I was so impressed with my cleverness that it was a real shock when my parents immediately blamed me! How did they know?

mary139

The wise punishment from my parents was to make me use that dresser all the way through high school, facing my “Mark” every single day. My love for carving only increased from that young age, as has my respect for parents who recognize the passions of their child and help foster it into their grown life’s work.

— Mary May, Mary May’s School of Traditional Woodcarving

Now Available: Lost Art Press Logo T-Shirts

Posted on by Lost Art Press

lap_asphalt_img_3862_1024x1024

We now have Lost Art Press logo T-shirts for sale in our store in five colors and sizes ranging from XS to 3XL. These 100-percent cotton short-sleeve shirts are made and printed in the United States and ship worldwide.

The price includes domestic shipping; worldwide shipping has a small upcharge depending on where you live.

Please note that we don’t make much money from these shirts – about three dollars if I remember correctly. They are printed on demand and fulfilled by a third party. Also, please take a look at the sizing chart before you order. These shirts are made by American Apparel, and they run a bit slim.

— Christopher Schwarz

Our Storefront Will be Open Saturday, Nov. 12

Posted on by Lost Art Press
ty_img_6214
Note: Disco Ty will not be attending the open day. Your spouse is safe.

As per our regular schedule, the Lost Art Press storefront will be open on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We will have our complete line of books, plus T-shirts (lots of them), free posters, free stickers and blemished books for 50 percent off.

Our storefront is at 837 Willard St. in Covington, Ky. If you are coming in from out of town, I recommend you check out the newly opened Hotel Covington. It’s a 5-minute walk from our storefront and has a fantastic hotel restaurant, Coppin’s. (Try the corn fritters.)

Also, recently I got to eat at Inspirado, a restaurant across the street from Hotel Covington. I love the food – a global melange that totally works. Also new to our neighborhood (all located on Main Strasse around the corner from us):

Hail Dark Aesthetics: This is a vinyl record and skull store. OK, it’s more than that, but it’s filled with records and skulls. And bisected cats. My daughters love this place and it features the best one-eyed goat T-shirt I’ve ever seen.

Commonwealth Bistro: A restaurant that has been a couple years in the works. I’m dying to get in there and try the fried rabbit. Word on the street is the restaurant is very good.

Crafts and Vines: A new wine bar, tap room and charcuterie place. Very friendly place.

What will I be doing at the storefront next Saturday? Good question. I’m finishing up two chairs for a client and then I have a long list of things to build: a Danish modern drop-leaf table, a Campaign-style bookcase, a ladder (yes, a ladder, it’s my new obsession), and a dustpan to replace the crappy metal one from the home center.

— Christopher Schwarz