One the more difficult parts of writing a book is knowing when to slam the transmission into “park” while going 80 mph.
“The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” was supposed to have plans for five tool chests in it, including Dutch, traveling, gents and Japanese versions. But I soon realized that the additional plans would dilute the central message in the book. And the text was already longer than I wanted it to be.
The same thing is happening with “The Anarchist’s Design Book.” My sketchbook is filled with with more than a dozen new designs that I’d like to build and include with the core 13 projects. But that would delay the book a year, and I’m not sure it would do much more than just make the book thicker.
But then I ordered two full sides of unbleached rawhide today to dive into one aspect of the book that I had rejected months ago. I had a wild and beuatiful idea while looking at some drapes. Plus, I started eyeing my lumber stack to see if I had enough wood to build the refinement of my drinking table (sketch above).
I’ve promised myself (and my family) that this book will be complete by the end of the year. So I best shift into high gear.
As Part II ended Allen Gawthrop’s business had grown and he was in desparate need of a larger shop and housing for himself and his workmen. At this point he was all of 23 years old.
MARRIAGE AND HOME MAKING
By this time I not only wanted more shop room, and boarding for the workmen, but I had occasionally been visiting a young woman for whom an attachment of something more than common friendship seemed to exist, and I hoped to some day to become worthy of her undivided affection and esteem. After looking around the country for some time, I found a small lot of about five acres, not over half a mile off, on which was a small log cabin, and adjoining which was about eight or ten acres more of wood lots, all of which I found could be bought at a reasonable price: but how I was to get the necessary buildings erected, that was the question. I had no way of boarding the workmen and it seemed board could not be had in the neighborhood so the only alternative seemed to be to move into the old house temporarily until we could build a larger one. But here a new difficulty presented itself, for to expect the young lady before mentioned to leave a large comfortable home and move with me into such a cabin was rather too much. However I summoned up sufficient courage to lay my troubles before her– she evinced interest in the matter and on my giving her a description of the house and its surroundings, I found that she would rather go with me into a small house that we could call our own than to go with another family. . . I purchased the property and began preparation for building a shop. One day I accidentally discovered traces of an old dam and race where water of a small stream had been taken around and into my lot for irrigating the meadow, and I saw that by purchasing two or three acres more land of my neighbor I could have a nice little water power to utilize in our business–so I went right away to my neighbor and found him willing to sell me as much land as would give me the power together with the water right at the same price per acre that I had paid him for the other five acres I had purchased of him. This would make me a lot altogether of about sixteen acres of land with a water power on it just what I had been looking for so long. Instead of putting up a shop as intended a few days before (near the house) we dug tail race, built a shop, fixed up the dam, got some 20 feet head and put in a 16 feet overshot wheel which gave ample power for lathes, saws &c. We made good use of for nearly twenty years afterwards. . .
On the 31st day of the seventh month 1833 I entered the marriage life with Mary Ann Newlin. . . Of New Garden Township. . .on the 22 day of the eighth month following we moved into the little log cabin in which we lived four years. Although the house was small and we had a pretty large family of apprentice boys and journeymen yet we made out to live quite comfortably and in just four to a day from the time we moved into the old house, we had a new one built and moved into it and were much more able to appreciate its comfort and conveniences than if we had never lived in the old one.
With ample shop room and water power business increased and soon the great trouble was to fill the orders. . .
Gawthrop’s ad from 1846.
Our business seemed to take a change; although we continued the furniture business yet the greater portion of my time was occupied in making and putting in rams…we built a foundry to make our own iron and brass casting (in 1847) we concluded to move to Wilmington and go into the plumbing and gas fitting busines. . . and moved on the 9th of 3rd month 1854. . .
19th c. water ram.
Addenda by Gawthrop’s son Henry: Thenarratativeof my father’s life shows that he was strong in the imaginative. He was a skilled and skillful worker in wood, a hint of which is given in the desk made by him late in life, at which I am writing. He established a successful cabinet business and then following the needs of the time he changed to a metal worker. . . the narrative of his life was written in 1880 in his 70th year. He died 6th mo. 23rd 1885 and is buried at the Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery.
That concludes the autobiography of Allen Gawthrop. In a page from a 20th century family geneology I found this little note:
LUCKY WINNER
Boy… the lucky person who wins this tool chest is going to get a treat. Not only a great historic chest made by Chris Schwarz. This one of the very last chests he is making with students for the foreseeable future. Chis is now going into a period away from the classes, doing new work, writing and research, and I wish him good luck; we were very fortunate to get him to come to Rowden this summer.
Not only that, but she gets a whole chest FULL of tools chosen by us here at Rowden with Chris giving input on the side AND a signed hardbound copy of “The Anarchist Tool Chest.” You have heard of that book haven’t you ?? If you haven’t go get it NOW.
There are people out there that YOU know WORLDWIDE. They are 25 or under and busting a gut to become a great maker. It is your job to get them to win this chest of tools ENTER HERE They would need to be able to come to Rowden for a week if they reached the final. We will pay their expenses whilst they are here as our guests but air flights are down to them. Also shipping this baby home if you win.
Measuring Out Tools. Beware the Traitor in the Camp I have put a selection of rules in the tool box. They cannot be too long in the shop most of have three rules: one metre, either a 600mm or a 300 mm, and usually a 150mm. In Imperial measure that would be 3’ rule 12” and 6”. Boy, that was a brain ache. I haven’t thought in Imperial measure for 30 years. They can be almost any brand. The ones shown here are Axminster Power Tools own brand and Rabone.
I have been using Rabone measuring rules all my life, but they are no better that many others. What I tend to council is choose one brand that you like and get your set of three or four rules in the same brand. THEN CHECK THE SUCKERS. Make sure they ALL tell the same measure, check ‘em real carefully; we have binned or returned 10 percent of rules that have passed through Rowden.
Straightedges Top of the photo above is our straightedge. This is an essential piece of kit. A really good 600mm straight edge from Starrett costs an arm, leg and part of your wedding tackle. This is a cheap but not very straight straightedge from Axminster Power Tools. The blade of this edge is tapered to a thin profile SOOO… there is not a great deal of work to get it really straight. (Jon Greenwood, thank you.) Take a really flat surface, we have a granite slab, and wet and dry paper #1,280 grit and carefully, rub then check, rub then check.
Squares I did have a passion for engineers squares in the 1980s. This was when it was common to see very inaccurate wooden stocked squares in workshops. Now we are making our own wooden squares as teaching exercises!
This image below shows common squares in my tool box. It used it be possible to buy guaranteed squares to BS 939 ( for the Americans amongst you that is British Standard, not what you are thinking!) Now we cannot get these as easily so all kinds of inaccurate squares are coming into Rowden. My answer is Starrett. This great American engineering company has been making reliable squares and measuring tools for as long as i can remember. Which is a damn long time, dear boy! I have taken to the adjustable square. This is because it is that much more useful than the fixed square, and, being well made, is accurate enough. We keep one serious square that is not used, or dropped, that is “Workshop Standard.” All squares are checked against this now and again, Daren keeps it hidden.
The maker who wins this will be assembling a small collection of squares, the square I have bought to start this collection is the Starrett 12” below, which is a great tool and one I want myself.
Last but not least this is one of the squares that we will be seeing a lot more of at Rowden. It will be one of the first things a new student makes: two nice mahogany squares, one large one small, with hard-wearing maple work strips. I am taking more and more to light wooden tools as I get older. The benefit of these is they can be relatively easily trued square if they go out of whack.
Chest by Allen Gawthrop, maple and cherry with mahogany trim.
Allen Gawthrop wrote his autobiography when he was 70 years old and divided his story into three parts. At the end of Part I he was 21 years old and had finished his four-year apprenticeship with cabinetmaker Ziba Moore.
CABINET BUSINESS
I worked journey-work for a while at the old shop, made a clock case for my father and did some other little jobs. Then in the fall I went to Baltimore and spent the winter at my trade and boarded with my aunt Elizabeth Taylor. In the Spring following I received a letter from my brother Daniel saying that my father was anxious that I should return home, that Robert Good, who was then carrying on the Cabinet business in Penn Township, said he would like to sell out his stock and quit the business. My father thought it would be a good chance for me and wished me to come home and see about it. I therefore packed up my tools and some materials I had selected and took the steam boat for Port Deposit, where my brother Daniel met me and took me home.
After a few days I went to see Robert Good. I found he had a small stock of materials on hand and had been doing a small country business and had an apprentice who had been at the business something over a year: and had a few jobs engaged. He said he would rent me the shop, board myself and the boy, sell me the small stock he had at cost and throw in the good will–So I took him at his offer. We made an inventory of the stock on hand and commenced business, not however without doubts as to getting enough work to keep myself and apprentice both busy.
In a few days we found that we needed many small articles such as varnish, locks, screws, springs, glue &c to complete some jobs on hand, and not having any capital of my own, I saw I must look for help from some source–As my father seemed to encourage my starting in business, I naturally concluded that he would give me the needful assistance. So I borrowed R.G.’s horse and wagon and started one morning for Wilmington intending to call on my father. I found him at home and with some misgivings I introduced my business, told him the prospects seemed fair, that our stock needed replenishing, that I had no means of my own, and that I was under the necessity of asking him to assist me. After a little while he arose, went to his desk and got a ten dollar note and handed it to me. At first I hesitated about taking it and told him I had but five dollars and that fifteen dollars would be very little to get the number of articles we needed; but I knew there was no use in arguing the matter, but as before, with the clothes, he wanted me to shift for myself.
Now I look upon this as one of the most important turning points in my life. It was not over one hundred yards from the house down to the road and I had a very short time to make up my mind whether to turn to the left and go on to Wilmington and do the best I could with the fifteen dollars or turn to the right and go back home and give up the business and start out into the world as a journeyman cabinet maker and live as I found I could independent of my father or any one else. But as good fortune would have it I turned to the left and went on to town, procured only such materials as I would need to finish some jobs I had on hand, and got no more than I had money to pay for. . . I never yet have had cause to regret the turn I made that morning “to the left.”
I do not wish to be understood as thinking hard of my father for the course he pursued. I have reason to think he loved his children as much as most parents do, and that he desired my prosperity in every way, but his object evidently was to give me a lesson in economy and prevent me from branching out beyond my means, as too many do to their own injury and loss by others. It became necessary that I should have a horse, and my father very generously offered to furnish me with money to buy one. I probably shall never know the influence these cautionary lessons had on my after life, but I do know that I have always acted with caution and have been careful never to go in debt beyond my means to pay; and although I have never at any time made money very fast, yet I have always found, at the end of each year, my circumstances gradually getting easier.
Within a year I found it necessary to increase our force of workmen. Our shop soon became insufficient and there was a chance for boarding only in R. Good’s family for the hands and as it did not suit them very well to take more boarders, I began to see the necessity of making a change, so one day in conversation with R. Good he in half earnest proposed for me to buy him out and then I could enlarge the shop. I asked him what he would take for the farm. After a little consideration he named a price and on consultation with my father and brother they both advised me to take him up at his offer, which I did the next day. He wanted a few days to consider the matter and the next week there was a public sale of a farm in London Grove township which he attended and finding it sold for so much more than he expected, he flew from his offer and so all my hopes for a time were frustrated.
Coming up in the third and last part. . .love is in the air.
After about four years of searching and six months of sometimes-agonizing negotiations, Lucy and I closed the deal on the building that will become our home and the headquarters for Lost Art Press.
We have so much work ahead of us that I thought I was going to puke during the final walk-through of the building at 9 a.m. But the nausea has passed and I’m making a list of things to do and phone calls to make.
