Lost Art Press

A Well-oiled Roman

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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Today I finished up the first Roman workbench, which is about 18” high x 15” wide and 7’ long. After drilling all the holes in the benchtop (more on those in a moment) I added two coats of boiled linseed oil and called it done.

The only thing left to do with this bench is complete the workholding, which will consist of two 1”-diameter oak pegs plus three or four tapered stakes that I can drive into the holes in the benchtop. This bench will have no metal hardware.

I’ve been studying a lot of vintage workbenches that don’t have vises and have a long list of ideas and theories to test with my stakes and pegs.

Probably the most startling fact about this workbench (so far) is that it took only seven or eight hours to build.

Next week I’m starting construction of a far more complex Roman bench with vises, metal bits and other oddness.

Both benches will be at Woodworking in America next month. So if you are in town – be sure to stop by and give them a try.

— Christopher Schwarz

‘Woodworking in Estonia’ has Shipped

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Our warehouse has shipped all the pre-publication orders of “Woodworking in Estonia,” which should start arriving in mailboxes in the next five to seven days.

I got my hands on a copy and am really pleased with the printing job. The drawings came out nice and crisp. And the diestamp of the drill on the cover looks even better than I anticipated.

WIE_spine_IMG_5887There are a million people involved in this project to thank, from the Viires family, to David Laaneorg (who first got us in touch with the family), to Mart Aru who translated the text, to Meghan B. who dove into the European-centric design, to Suzanne Ellison, who braved the index, to Peter Follansbee who gave us the first important edit, to Megan Fitzpatrick, who helped me root out every typo we could find.

This book has been a time-consuming and shockingly expensive project for us. And we know this book will never have mass appeal (even in our weird little corner of the world). But we decided to do it because we love this book. It’s a peek at a world of woodworking that gets little or no press. It’s not about dovetails or building handy shelves for the pantry.

It’s an in-depth look at a world where everything revolves around wood and little bits of metal – from the fields to the kitchen to beer tankards.

For those of you who take a chance on this title, we hope you enjoy the book and that it challenges you to try to make some new and interesting forms.

“Woodworking in Estonia” is available in our store for $29. That price includes domestic shipping.

— Christopher Schwarz

Shakers Invaded by Moravians!

Posted on by fitz

Editor’s note: Below is the first post from Will Myers, a woodworker who teaches at Roy Underhill’s school and specializes in teaching a class on building a Moravian workbench and researching and reproducing Shaker pieces. Both John and I are huge fans of Will and are very excited to welcome him to our blog.

I am back at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Mass.  I came up last fall for a quick visit and figured out that this was not a “quick visit” type of place.

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There is so much to see; around most every corner are rooms and furniture pieces that give me a bit of déjà vu. Perhaps the feeling comes from seeing so much of this stuff in furniture books and articles over the years. Even so, the genuine articles are so much better than the photos.

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On this trip I am attending the annual woodworkers and iron workers weekend. I will be doing demos on making one of the candlestands in Hancock’s collection all day on Aug. 6-7. I brought along a Moravian workbench as well (they have not kicked me out…yet!).

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If you are in the area stop in and have a look around and experience the only genuine Southern hillbilly accent in Massachusetts!

— Will Myers, host of the “Building the Portable Moravian Workbench” DVD

 

Roman Bench Legged Up

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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Building this bench has been a lot more like building a daybed for a giant snake than a typical workbench.

After drilling the mortises last Thursday, I got some time yesterday to cut the wedges for the legs, to kerf the tenons (to make it easier for the wedges to do their job) and assemble the entire thing with hide glue.

The wedges are made from an ash plank I’ve kept around since 2007, believe it or not. It’s an offcut from making the benchtop to my first Holtzapffel workbench that year. It is the most springy and resilient ash I’ve ever worked with. And as I wanted to wail on these wedges, that ash was just the ticket.

After getting all the mortises and tenons painted with glue, I put all the joints together and flipped the bench onto its feet. Then came the fun part with a small sledgehammer.

When building chairs, I have to be careful not to split the seat when driving in the legs or wedges. I try to stop beating the parts exactly one blow before splitting the seat.

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With these enormous 1-3/4”-diameter tenons and the 3-1/2”-thick oak top, however, splitting was not going to be a problem. So I knocked the wedges in like I was playing Whack-a-Mole, Deathmatch Edition. When each wedge seated fully, it made a Biblical thunk.

Today I’ll clean up the assembled benchtop, level the legs and start drilling the holes for holdfasts and wooden stakes.

— Christopher Schwarz

About Our New Canadian Distributors

Posted on by Lost Art Press

LAP_logo2_940We now sell our books in Canada with all the same benefits that U.S. customers receive – shipping is included in the price, and all books that I’ve written include a letterpress bookplate personally signed by me.

Canadian customers check out in our store just like U.S. customers. You’ll be charged in U.S. dollars on your credit card plus the Canadian goods and services tax (GST). Then your order will be mailed via Canada Post from Kingston, Ontario. Customers will not encounter duty charges or any other international transaction fees.

Our Canadian operation is run by Michael and John Sinclair, two brothers who run Swede Paint Enterprises. Swede Paint sells a number of remarkable products that I’ve been using since April with great success. Many of these products are solvent-free and extremely easy to use.

Though I’ll be writing more specifically about these products in the future, here are a couple that I have become totally enamored with:

Allback Organic Linseed Oil. This linseed oil does not contain metallic driers. It’s just flaxseed oil that has been treated with oxygen so it will dry readily. I’ve used this on five projects now and it is a pleasure to use. It smells a lot less than the stuff from the home center and dries quickly.

Linseed Oil Wax. This soft wax is made using organic linseed oil and beeswax. It has the consistency of a gel stain and makes an excellent topcoat over any finish. I’ve been using it over milk paint, shellac and even on raw wood. It goes on very easily and gives a little more lustre than the straight oil.

I’m eager to experiment with their varnish and their linseed oil paint, too.

We decided to work with Michael and John after meeting them personally in March. They have the same approach to treating their customers (and the planet) that we do. They deal in only high-quality stuff and treat their customers with great care. We highly recommend them (otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten into business with them).

So Canadians, please do check out our store and know that you are helping a family-run Canadian firm (and us!) to thrive.

— Christopher Schwarz