Lost Art Press

Fantastic Mid-Century Seating in the Vein of ‘The Anarchist’s Design Book’

Posted on by Lost Art Press

ORG_benchmain_l

Dennis Santella dug up three great-looking staked furniture pieces – two benches and two chairs – from the middle of the 20th century that are all connected to Jean Touret and posted them on the forum (check out that discussion here).

I’m smitten by all three, though I’m most fond of the bench by Atelier Marolles. The idea of combining two groups of three staked legs is genius. Plus the rake and splay of the legs add an animalistic appeal.

I also really like the four saddled areas on the seat with matching curves in the back. I contemplated this approach for the bench I’ve been sketching this summer (which is on hiatus right now as I build a stable door and finish “Woodworking in Estonia”).

4484123_z

Also nice is the more conventional bench from Jean Touret (who headed Atelier Marolles). Check out how the seat is saddled – it curves only in one direction (front to back). That’s something that can be done with a jack plane or a large round plane and is explained in “The Anarchist’s Design Book.”

Both of these benches have a surface treatment that is hand-carved.

1275116_l

The last pieces are a pair of chairs from the Marolles workshop, also under the direction of Touret. These are a traditional form that is very common in the Germanic countries. The cross-battens allow you to use a thinner seat without sacrificing strength in the leg joints.

Check out other pieces from Touret here.

— Christopher Schwarz

Roubo’s ‘Fathom’ Reborn

Posted on by Lost Art Press

RuleArchitecturalDetail+(1)

I always felt odd building French workbenches using English (or worse) inches.

Anyone who has studied the history of measurement knows that there are as many systems of measurement out there as there are cultures and epochs. Surprisingly, many of them are similar because they are based on the human form. But they are all a little different.

Rather than whitewash these differences or convert them to metric, I try to incorporate them into my work in the same way you would never put a Roman ovolo on a Grecian piece.

At the vanguard of this curious approach is Brendan Gaffney, a woodworker and musical savant who has been taking a deep dive into alternative measurement systems. He recently made three rulers for sale based on Japanese, Roman and Egyptian systems. I purchased the Roman ruler and it is a work of great beauty. I plan to use it in constructing two upcoming Roman workbenches.

And now Brendan is exploring the 18th-century French measurement system.

plate100_Roubo089

After some back and forth, Brendan has constructed French “fathoms” that are based on A.J. Roubo’s plate 100 from “l’Art du menuisier.” Here’s Roubo’s description of the fathom:

“Woodworkers use fathoms as the fundamental unit for taking their measures. This is nothing other than a ruler of 6 feet in length divided into feet and one of these divisions into thumbs so as to be able to know how far each part they are measuring is in length. There are those who do not use fathoms but simply use a ruler of whatever length on which they mark their measurements.”

Brendan’s version, which goes on sale on Saturday, is faithful to that description. His fathom is made from flame maple, planed true, hand-marked and finished in Brendan’s workshop. If they are anything like his other rulers, they will be spectacular.

Do you need a fathom? No. You can make your own if you think you need one. But if you’d like to support a fellow explorer who is diving deep into waters that have been uncharted for more than 200 years, you can do that here.

I’m ordering one for layout work and to help interpret the drawings from our forthcoming book “Roubo on Furniture,” which contains lots of scaled drawings.

— Christopher Schwarz

Apply Soft Wax to a Carcase

Posted on by Lost Art Press

Soft Wax from Christopher Schwarz on Vimeo.

Today I applied soft wax to the drawers and carcase of the chest of drawers I recently completed. Because we get so many questions about using the stuff, I shot this short video that demonstrates how I apply it to a carcase.

Note that I am not applying it to the show surfaces of this piece. (I used a slightly different wax for that, which I’ll discuss later.) Soft wax is fine for both interiors and exteriors of furniture, but it excels at lubricating bearing surfaces that are raw wood, adding a little protection, making the wood feel smoother and adding a nice piney smell.

We encourage you to make your own soft wax. It’s not hard. A teen-ager can do it. Heck, a teen-ager does. Katy, my 15-year-old, cooks up soft wax and sells it through her etsy store. There are a few tins there for sale now, but she is going to crank up production on more tonight.

— Christopher Schwarz

The Sequel to ‘Calvin Cobb?’

Posted on by Lost Art Press

 

calvin_sequel_IMG_8607

Here’s a quick look at the proposed artwork for the sequel to Roy Underhill’s “Calvin Cobb: Radio Woodworker!” (OK, not really.)

Note that Lost Art Press does not condone riding a motorcycle without a helmet. (Or undergarments.)

— Christopher Schwarz

Advice Needed on the Forum

Posted on by meghanlostartpress

Three-TraysI went out of town for one weekend and it seems like the forum exploded while I was gone. A lot of advice is what people are after. Remember, if you have a question about our products, procedures in our books or anything related to Lost Art Press, the fastest way to get an answer is our forum. Check it out here.

Wear to the Sliding Tills in the ATC
We all know wear is inevitable, especially to something you use as often as your tool chest. Joshua is looking to make his in a way that will prevent some of this from the start. A couple preventative measures have been given, perhaps you want to give them a try? Perhaps you have other methods that have worked for you?

WoodOwl Bits – Sharpening
Jason hit a steel plate with his WoodOwl nail chipper and is curious to know if he can use the small knife-edge files that Lee Valley sells to sharpen it. Are they the same angle? Help him out here. 

Soft Wax
Has anyone used a wax recipe on their tools as a rust preventative or to lubricate? Did you have success? And did you use a specific wax recipe?

‘I remember a post on here a while ago about a leg vise with no lower guide’
Peter is looking to add a leg vise to his bench and is thinking about taking this approach. It turns out it is the bench from Plate 11 in Roubo. Now it seems he is not the only one looking to use this method. Has anyone given this a shot and able to give some feedback?

Plate-11
Plate 11 from “The Book of Plates”

Moulding Plane Choices
Anyone have a favorite older wooden moulding plane? Neal wants to get one and is looking for suggestions. What shape do you like? Why? Ogee? Reverse ogee?

— MB