Lost Art Press

New: ‘A Strange Suicide’ Posters

Posted on by Lost Art Press

Strange_suicide_13x19For those who prefer your workshop art to be a little twisted (as opposed to a sexist cheesecake calendar) we offer this poster from the back page of the April 5, 1903, edition of the French illustrated newspaper Le Petit Parisien.

The poster is $15, which includes domestic shipping. They are in stock and will ship immediately from our Indiana warehouse. You can place your order here.

Unearthed by researcher Jeff Burks, this poster reproduces the original printed page in full size and full color. We obtained two original copies of the original newspaper, scanned them and merged them to produce this poster.

It is printed on #100 semi-gloss paper in California, measures 13″ x 19″ and features a translation of the original news story from 1903 (also below). The poster ships in a rugged cardboard tube. We have printed 500 copies. When they are gone, they are gone forever.

A Strange Suicide

This is obviously a particular case of madness, that of the strange suicide of this joiner from Sainte-Ménehould, with whom all the press is occupied. Mr. Lemaître, the joiner in question, was sick for a long time; He was, in addition, suffering from paranoia; his rationale seemed very shaken.

Tired of suffering, he resolved to finish his own existence. But he did not use, like so many others, poison, the revolver or the rope; He wanted to be guillotined. He very patiently sharpened a spade, so it would be keen as a razor; he tied it to his joinery workbench, which had been loaded quite heavily with wood; then, using a piece of wood as a brace, he lifted his bench to 60 centimeters in height and spread himself on the ground so that, by removing the piece of wood, the spade would strike his neck.

These tragic preparations had taken a fairly long time. With a chisel, Mr. Lemaître knocked out the brace that was holding the workbench and the spade descended suddenly, working as a guillotine blade. Indeed, the carotid artery was severed and the head weakly attached to the body. The doctor who was called found him dead.

Better in Person

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Good news: All of the orders for “The Anarchist’s Design Book” shipped out today. We thank you for both your patience and your impatience. We hope the book will be worth your wait.

I barely remember our book-release party on Saturday for the “The Anarchist’s Design Book.” That had nothing to do with alcohol (I think I had time to drink only two beers all night) and had everything with too much social stimulation.

But the one thing I do remember is a line I heard over and over: “The pieces from the book look much better in person than they do in photographs.”

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The problem isn’t the photos. Narayan Nayar’s pictures of the pieces are outstanding. Instead, I think the comment relates to the unfamiliar forms and raking legs, which are difficult to depict in two dimensions. It’s the same parallax problem that plagues joint stools. The legs never look like they are angled the same. Sometimes one pair looks vertical and the other looks oddly raked.

So if you want to see some of these pieces in person, I recommend you make wire models of them using scraps and clothes hangers. Or stop by the Lost Art Press storefront on April 9 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. In addition to all of our books, we have special T-shirts, stickers, posters and other merchandise that won’t work in our online store.

I’ll be there, as will my daughter Katy, who will be selling her Anarchist’s Daughter Soft Wax (we hope to be able to make enough to sell it online soon).

In the meantime I guess I better make some rectilinear Morris chairs to get back some furniture cred.

— Christopher Schwarz

Steve Voigt on Cap Irons

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The highlight of the Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event in Covington, Ky., last weekend was finally getting to meet planemaker Steve Voigt and try out his tools. His double-iron wooden-bodied planes are fantastic – nimble, responsive and quite well-made.

They also are different than what most modern makers are producing. Voigt uses double irons, and he has just started a blog series about the history of the double iron that is very much worth reading. The first installment is here.

Check it out. And check back for the rest of the story, too.

— Christopher Schwarz

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Help Out the ‘New Anarchist’ Class this June

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One of the things I miss the most by not teaching is the hand-tool immersion classes for younger woodworkers. These low-cost classes are a fantastic way to jump-start the woodworking skills and tool chest of young adults.

After I canceled my teaching schedule, Mike Siemsen picked up where I left off with the hand tool immersion class. Mike will be teaching a discounted class in June 2016 for young adults at his school north of Minneapolis. He has received many offers of assistance – everything from cash to tools to food.

Below is his Mike’s note on how you can help.

— Christopher Schwarz

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First off: Thank you. Your generosity is much appreciated.

Here’s how you can help

Tuition: If you wish to sponsor a student taking the class, you can send a check made out to the Mike Siemsen’s School of Woodworking. You can send the check to Mike at:

Mike Siemsen
9912 Green Lake Trail (County 23)
Chisago City, MN 55013

Simply write in the memo section of the check that the donation is for the Hand-tool Immersion Course. Sorry but this donation is not tax deductible. If you have any questions about donating tuition money for students, call Mike at  651-257-9166.

Tools: If you would like to donate some of your tools to the class that will be given to the students, you can send them to Mike at the same address above. Below is a list of the tools we hope to supply for all 16 students with details of what we are looking for in the tools.

Tool Kit for the New Anarchist

Planes

  • No. 5 jack plane, such as a pre-war Stanley with a clean iron (no rust) and a tight chipbreaker.
  • Low-angle block plane, such as Stanley 60-1/2 with a clean iron and movable toe piece.
  • Wooden rabbet plane (skew or straight iron). Wedge needs to work.
  • Large router plane, such as Stanley No. 71 or No. 71-1/2.
  • Card scraper.

Boring

  • Hand drill, sometimes called an “eggbeater,” such as a Millers Falls No. 2 or 5 with a 1/4” chuck and intact chuck springs (i.e. the jaws are spring-loaded and work).
  • Brace with a 10” sweep. Good chuck with its springs still intact and a tight pad.

Striking

  • Bevel-edge chisels with wooden handles (1/4”, 1/2” and 3/4”).
  • 16 oz. hammer with a wooden handle. Striking face should be smooth and slightly crowned.
  • Square-head joiner’s mallet.

Marking/Measuring

  • 12” combination square that is square, locks tight and has clear markings.
  • Marking gauge. The metallic ones, such as the Stanley No. 90, are preferred.

Sawing/Rasping

  • Backsaw with a 10”- to 14”-long blade. Straight sawplate, comfortable wooden handle and little or no rust.
  • Coping saw that takes pin-end blades and locks tight.
  • 10” cabinet rasp (older and sharp is better).

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A few people have asked if they can donate food or tutoring assistance during the class. I’m going to try to come up with a plan for those aspects of the class early in 2016. So stay tuned.

If you have any questions about helping out with these classes, drop me a line at:

Mike Siemsen
9912 Green Lake Trail (County 23)
Chisago City, MN 55013
651-257-9166

A Thousand Scribbles Later

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Before my dear friend Carl Bilderback passed away, he had one suggestion as to how I should change my life: Sign my name more neatly.

Today I was so glad I rejected that advice.

I drove to our Indianapolis warehouse in the morning and spent the day unpacking 1,000 books, examining them for damage, signing them in red ink and repacking them. If I had taken Carl’s advice, I’d still be at the warehouse making beautiful “S” shapes.

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As we examined every book, here are two things we noticed:

  1. The pages appear to be stuck together on some volumes. This is a result of painting the edges black. The black paint protects the pages from moisture and dirt. But the pages also need to be separated before you read the book. Simply fan the pages and they will separate without tearing.
  2. The smooth cover appears a bit burnished in places in raking light. This is also a result of the manufacturing process. We used a smooth cloth for this cover. When the cloth is glued to the boards of the book it can look a little burnished in some light. It’s not noticeable except in some light and after someone points it out to you.

I finished up signing the books late Monday afternoon. Our warehouse guy said they expect to have all the books in the mail by the end of the week – Monday at the latest.

— Christopher Schwarz