Lost Art Press

Anarchist’s Gift Guide 2023: Day 8

Posted on by Lost Art Press

Puebco Tape Dispensers
I have no love for sand-filled plastic tape dispensers. Please, give me cast iron and simplicity and mass.

Puebco delivers. This Japanese company designs ingenious products using recycled materials and hand labor from developing nations. Sometimes they hit a home run. Sometimes not. But the cast-iron Puebco tape dispenser is a huge winner.

It is two pieces: a wheel for the tape. Plus a base to hold it down to the bench. It holds 3″-diameter tape rolls with tape that is up to 3/4″ wide. It is the perfect blue tape dispenser.

There is very little else to say about it that the photos do not convey. It is heavy. It is available in three colors. It will change your taping life. Yes, it’s $58. But I can’t find another new one that I like better for less money.

LAP Open Wire, Nov. 18, 2023

Posted on by fitz
Trafalgar Square with some American tourists. (From left: The edge of Katherine’s jacket, Lucy, Maddy and Jason.)

Apologies for the late start today. Chris and his family got home late last evening from England so he’s recovering from jet lag…and I slept in today and had a leisurely morning coffee for the first time since they left. Then once the caffeine kicked in, remembered I forgot to post this.

You know the drill: Post your woodworking questions in the comments section and we’ll do our best to answer. Comments will close at around 5 p.m.

– Fitz

Anarchist’s Gift Guide 2023: Day 7

Posted on by Lost Art Press

Mr. Pen Circle Templates
I draw arcs all day long. You might be a fancy “irregular curve” person, but I am as cheap as a segment of a circle. Arcs are the foundation of the decoration of vernacular furniture. You might think peasants were channeling their squid god when they drew that shape on the chair’s hand, but really, it was just a segment of a circle, joined to a straight line.

If you want to explore arcs – the basic building block of furniture curvature, then you cannot do this for any less than the Mr. Pen Circle Templates. They are $8 for everything you need.

When I ordered mine (from Amazon, for shame), I was disappointed when they arrived. They were insanely thin and flimsy. How, I wondered, would these ever stand up to workshop use?

The answer: beautifully. The thin plastic material bends over curved surfaces and is just thick enough to catch the lead of your pencil. They are just translucent enough to be able to see the shape behind the template. And they are as flexible as hell. They are perfect.

I have the two-piece set hanging on a screw behind my bench, and I use them almost every day. They describe and mark circles in sizes from “mouse butt” up to 3-1/2″. In other words, perfect for furniture work.

These are indispensable to my work. And just $8.

Anarchist’s Gift Guide 2023: Day 6

Posted on by Lost Art Press

Miller Dowels Mini-X
When things go wrong in the shop, one of the crutches I lean on are Miller Dowels Mini-X thingies. These are stepped and ribbed dowels that you install with a super-insanely-good stepped drill bit. How to use them: First drill a hole with the bit to reinforce a questionable joint. Then tap in a Mini-X dowel with some glue.

They fit so well that the world seems like a brighter place.

I’ve long used Miller Dowels for a variety of off-label applications, especially knockdown joinery. But as I delved deeper into chairs, I have found that the Mini-X dowels are the perfect repair tool. They can go almost anywhere. The fit is perfect. And they can be easily flushed to look like nothing ever happened.

If you are Miller-curious, buy the Mini-X Dowel Joinery Kit for $35. It includes the drill bit (the most important part) and 100 birch dowels. Put the kit somewhere safe but visible. The next time something goes circling around the toilet bowl, remember this kit. It might save the day.

Anarchist’s Gift Guide 2023: Day 5

Posted on by Lost Art Press

WASA Red Kitchen Shears
These kitchen scissors are part of a (perhaps imagined) memory. One of my grandparents owned the perfect pair of kitchen shears. Used to slice apart meat and bone, these shears are just perfect and balanced in every way.

Eventually I found them – I think. The WASA Inox shears are like holding that memory. They are perfectly balanced and have a pleasing weight. They move smoothly and confidently and cut through damn near everything. My pair spends half its life in the kitchen and the other half in the shop.

They are supposed to be a multi-tool, with serrated jaws for opening jars and even a screwdriver for…screwing and unscrewing poultry? And they have a red coating. That flakes off with alarming ease.

Ignore all that and focus on what’s important. These scissors are insanely good at scissoring. They are worth the $80 or whatever they cost. If I lost this pair, I would buy another in moments. I got mine from The Best Brushes.

Editor’s note: Be wary of The Best Brushes…so many nice things.