Lost Art Press

Stanley Handplane Instructions, Circa 1968

Posted on by Lost Art Press

plane_use_2 Stanley Works used to publish a brilliant booklet called the “Tool Guide” that contained miniature posters that offered instruction on setup, care and use of hand tools.

These booklets weren’t just for woodworkers – you can learn to rivet and create a lock edge on sheet metal with these posters. The 38 pages were bound together, perforated so you could remove them and were pre-punched with holes for a three-ring binder.

Last weekend a student in a class handed me a mint copy of the “Tool Guide” from 1968. He was a retired shop teacher and had used them in his classes. What a treasure. I’ve always wanted one, but they can be hard to come by, especially in this condition.

This morning I read the pages that dealt with handplanes. Stanley packs a bunch of good, no-nonsense information into just seven pages. I scanned them so you could check them out for yourself.

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— Christopher Schwarz

H.O. Studley Book: Free Shipping, Postcards & Release Date

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Apologies. That giant “whooshing” sound you heard from the Tristate area was just me. Our printer has just informed us that “Virtuoso: The Tool Cabinet and Workbench of H.O. Studley” is on track for delivery a day or so before Handworks.

Disasters could still happen – Tennessee could burn to the ground, there could be a plague of hermit crabs or Cletus could get his willie stuck in the die-stamp machine. But chances are excellent that we will have the book in Iowa.

We’ll be selling it in the Festhalle Barn at Handworks and delivering it to customers who requested to pick it up at Handworks. A remote Lost Art Press team (look for a Swede or a redhead) will be selling the book at the Studley exhibit in nearby Cedar Rapids.

(Note: If you asked to pick up the book in Iowa you will need to come to the Festhalle Barn to pick it up. The Lost Art Press people at the exhibit will not have the list of people who ordered the book. They cannot give you your pre-ordered book. They can only sell you a book.)

In other good news, the commemorative 4×6 postcards have arrived. They are beautiful. If you have placed a pre-publication order by this point, you will receive a postcard.

Also, free domestic shipping on “Virtuoso” ends next week. If you order the book now, you will save $8 to $10, depending on where you live. And chances are good you will get a postcard, too.

After Handworks, the remainder of the pre-publication orders should ship the week of May 18.

— Christopher Schwarz

P.S. We hope to have information soon on a special poster that will be sold at the exhibit.

Better, But Sheesh

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I’ll have to check my shop notes, but I think this trestle took as long to draw as it did to build in wood. The precision of CAD does not lend itself easily to curved, compound shapes. My head hurts so much that I want to build a birdhouse in CAD to decompress. That’s sick.

— Christopher Schwarz

The Anarchist’s Tool Chest in Massachusetts

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Some of you have noted that I am canceling classes this year. The reason is that I need to stay home to help take care of some important family members, and this trend could continue for a few years.

I have tried to hold on to a few classes this year, which has required some extraordinary measures and help from friends. One of the classes I am happy to report I can teach is a special Anarchist’s Tool Chest class at The Furniture Institute of Massachusetts June 22-28, 2015.

This tool chest class is particularly special for two reasons: It will be at Phil Lowe’s school. Phil is one of the people I admire most in the craft for his skills, teaching ability and wonderful demeanor. I have always wanted the opportunity to work with Phil.

The second reason the class is special is it will run for seven days instead of five. These extra days will allow us to get a crack at working on the inside bits of the chest.

So if you want to build the best tool-storage system I’ve encountered, this class is ideal. And I don’t have any more floor chest classes on my schedule.

You can read more about the school here. The class will be small – nine students max. And Phil said yesterday there are still three spots left.

In the coming weeks I’ll announce the few other classes I’ll be able to teach this year. So stay tuned. For those students who enrolled in classes I had to cancel, I apologize and look forward to resuming a regular teaching schedule in the years ahead.

— Christopher Schwarz