One day last summer we overheard two seaside urchins discussing, coram populo, the merits of a couple of golfers whom they called “Johnnie” and “Freddy.” Any uninitiated listener would have been surprised to find that these players were not at all juvenile, but strapping Scotchmen, in the zenith of their power and fame. Their caddie critics spoke in the familiarity of adulation, and used the customary parlance of the place and species; and it is not a little remarkable that Robert Forgan, living in such an atmosphere of unconstraint, should have escaped the usual abbreviation of name, and have been able to retain his in its original form.
It may be that his somewhat large proportions have impressed even the densest of his familiar neighbours with the inappropriateness of a diminutive title as applied to him. No doubt an ignorant Southron has blundered, and, mixing up two names long associated in the club-making trade, has called him “Morgan, the club maker;” but we are referring to an exception made by an educated people, whose very caddies require to satisfy governmental inspection in the matter of brains. (more…)
For the last two years, Lucy and I have been looking for the right urban storefront for the next stage of our lives, which will begin as soon as our daughter Katy, 14, goes to college.
We’ve looked at dozens of properties in person (hundreds online) and have come close to making an offer on two. I plan to die in the building that we buy – at the bench if I’m lucky – so I’m picky about every detail – light, the architectural core and the neighborhood for starters.
Whenever I teach a class or speak to a club, I get asked several questions: Are you opening a woodworking school? A retail store? A place to film online videos?
The answer is: None of the above.
Lost Art Press, our business, will not change. We are dedicated to making printed books (and the rare DVD) about hand-tool woodworking. We don’t want to start a school or a subscription-based website. Why? We’re passionate about books. Full stop. It’s how we learn woodworking, and we think it is still the best way to transfer the knowledge forward through time.
But this building will fertilize two parts of our business that have been dormant during our first eight years. They involve you, so that’s why I feel compelled to write about them today.
A Mechanical Library. Our research begins in the library and ends at the workbench. As such, we have accumulated many hundreds of books on woodworking, many of which have not been digitized. With this new building, we plan to dedicate significant space to our library, which grows every week. It will be a membership library, but the membership won’t cost money. It will be something even more dear. Consider reading about the famous Cincinnati Time Store for details.
A Woodworking Laboratory. During the last few years I have taken to collaborating with other woodworkers of all skill levels to work out sticky joinery and design problems. Putting four or six minds to work on a question produces amazing results, and it almost eliminates the idiosyncratic nature of some woodworking teaching. Running an active lab isn’t an effort to make the craft more vanilla or textbook-like. Instead, it is a way of quickly getting past the blind spots of individual researchers and woodworkers. Since I started working collaboratively with other woodworkers, I have found the extra brains lend great clarity to my work.
Today Katy and I looked at a 19th-century property that originally was the Rust Cornice Works, a storefront and factory for making sheet-metal architectural details. The location was perfect. There was plenty of space (more than 10,000 square feet). But the windows faced west. And I’d need to dump at least $150,000 into the building to make it a place to live and work. We have seen better.
The other property on our short list this week looks promising, and it includes a liquor license (no, we’re not opening a bar).
After years of suffering with a drawing compass that was intended for drafting, I banished it to my upstairs office and ordered a vintage Starrett 85 for my tool chest.
The 85s are expensive, but surprisingly robust and versatile. As per usual, as soon as I started working with the tool, I knew I had put the moment off for too long.
The tool is absolutely nothing like a drafting compass. It locks tight and is micro-adjustable. You can swap out the points for a pencil, and you can even rotate the eccentric points to get arcs that are a little smaller or a little larger.
Mostly, I’m happy with how well made the thing is. My German-made drafting compass seems a toy.
OK, enough gloating. Back to the Whole Grain Gateway!
Lost Art Press knows that healthy employees are happy employees.
To engender a new spirit of happiness among associates, Lost Art Press’s human resources department is sponsoring a new initiative that will help promote wellness among its employees, foster a friendly competitive spirit between its two corporate locations (Kentucky and Indiana) and offer up some fun prizes, too!
Each branch of the business has been instructed to appoint a “wellness leader” who will lead the charge for that office. The wellness leaders will meet with their local team members weekly, and all the corporate wellness leaders will participate in a bi-monthly conference call to compare “wellness points” and discuss the next steps for their teams.
The first wellness competition will involve consuming “whole grains,” which can reduce the risk of stroke, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Each team will seek “wellness points” by consuming servings of whole grain. Each team will receive one point for for every serving. Examples include:
1/2 cup cooked brown rice or other cooked grain
1/2 cup cooked 100% whole-grain pasta
1/2 cup cooked hot cereal, such as oatmeal
1 ounce uncooked whole grain pasta, brown rice or other grain
1 slice 100% whole grain bread
1 very small (1 oz.) 100% whole grain muffin
1 cup 100% whole grain ready-to-eat cereal
How are the points tallied? At the end of every workday, employees will log into the corporate Whole Grain Gateway, where they will tally each serving of whole grain consumed during the last 24 hours. They also can download free recipes involving whole grains (try the Mexican Freekeh Chili With Beans).
The office’s wellness leader will also have administrative access to the Whole Grain Gateway so he or she can see how many wellness points have been earned by each team member and encourage more whole grain consumption among employees and ensure 100 percent participation.
Wellness leaders are encouraged to educate their branch employees on the benefits of whole grains. Examples of education include holding a “Whole Grain Fair” on-site where employees can examine whole grains, try different dishes and ask questions of dieticians. Example two: Wellness leaders can also create quizzes and games available through the Whole Grain Gateway for employees to explore.
During the bi-monthly conference call, the wellness leaders will compare wellness points earned by the two branches. At the end of every fiscal quarter, corporate Lost Art Press will award gift certificates to members of the winning team, including $5 gift cards to Subway and $20 gift cards to Whole Foods.
This is just the first of many wellness initiatives planned for Lost Art Press employees in the coming year. Look for upcoming competitions involving pedometers, on-site blood pressure checks and weekly weigh-ins!
One day last summer we overheard two seaside urchins discussing, coram populo, the merits of a couple of golfers whom they called “Johnnie” and “Freddy.” Any uninitiated listener would have been surprised to find that these players were not at all juvenile, but strapping Scotchmen, in the zenith of their power and fame. Their caddie critics spoke in the familiarity of adulation, and used the customary parlance of the place and species; and it is not a little remarkable that Robert Forgan, living in such an atmosphere of unconstraint, should have escaped the usual abbreviation of name, and have been able to retain his in its original form.
