Lost Art Press

Do Not Be Discouraged

Posted on by fitz

word_to_apprenticesDo not let artisans discourage you from learning this or that trade because they have not made a success of it. They may tell you that a certain trade is overcrowded. Investigate a little and you will find that only the botch workman and chronic kickers are out of work. The cheerful, enthusiastic workman is idle only when misfortune overtakes the whole country.

We have here hundreds of mechanics who have no real heart in their work, and no sort of interest in the welfare of their employers. To be discharged is considered no disgrace, and to be in debt is no cause for worry. They work while the eye of a boss is upon them, and kill time when it is not. They growl at the workingman’s condition, but are solely responsible that they are not better off.

You will find them in one shop this week and in another the next, and their sad tales of being oppressed by bosses will make you shed tears—if you are green enough. It is a certain and undeniable fact that the poorest workman is the one who does the most complaining.
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The Hayward Project v. The Blair Witch Project

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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John and I really should avoid alcohol when we discuss our business.

One of the first books we discussed publishing in 2007 was securing the rights to publish some of the fantastic writing of Charles H. Hayward, who was editor of The Woodworker magazine from 1936 to 1966. Lots of people have pirated his work (you know who you are shamey, shame, shame), but an authorized reprint hasn’t happened.

Could it be done? Thanks to the IPA we were drinking, we decided to try. John spent months negotiating the rights. I collected every copy of The Woodworker I could get, many of them bound into annual editions.

Then the real work began.

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I won’t bore you with the details of the last seven years, but last night I printed out the first 771 pages of Vol. 1, Tools and Techniques for copy editing. We still have 400 pages left to design – an arduous process because we are rebuilding the pages from the ground up. This isn’t a scan-and-jam, print-on-demand book.

This first volume will be 1,100 pages – the maximum our bindery can handle. The second volume will be 700 pages.

Each time we touch this work for editing or design, we are personally amazed. This first volume might be 1,100 pages at 8.5” x 11”, but the density of information makes it feel like 2,000 pages. Every illustration (there are thousands) and page is packed with woodworking, mainlined and right to the vein.

Our goal is to publish Vol. 1 in time for Christmas. I won’t have information on pricing or availability until late fall, so I’m going to ignore those questions from people who didn’t make it this far into the blog entry.

Vol. 2 will be next year. My next book will be 32 pages long with lots of doodle space.

— Christopher Schwarz

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The History of Wood, Part 55

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SAPFM’s Mid-year Conference Looks Crazy Good

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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Though I can’t attend the mid-year conference of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers in Knoxville, Tenn., next month because of family obligations, I urge you to check it out. The program, which runs June 11-15, is pretty fantastic.

Check out the full listing of events here. Of course, the historical stuff is great, including the house tours and inspections of period pieces, I am most interested in the presenters who are discussing the nitty-gritty how-to.

At the top of the list: Al Breed. You might not find a better living, professional cabinetmaker today. His work is as good as I’ve seen. And he’s a great instructor. Al will show how he veneers curved surfaces and might have time to show some of his carving as well.

Don Williams (you know Don, right?) will be there to step back into the finishing realm after finishing up the exhibit of the H.O. Studley tool cabinet and workbench. Don’s true passion is on historical finishing methods. Just ask him. No, strike that. You don’t even need to ask. Just stand near him and it will all come out.

Don will show his methods for making new finishes look old. Expect cool chemistry stuff.

And then there’s Jeff Headley and Steve Hamilton, who will show how to construct a Shenandoah Valley Tall Case Clock. Even if you have no interest in clocks, do not miss a chance to see Jeff and Steve work. These guys are fantastic, smart and hilarious. I’ve seen them present about five times and could go another 100 times.

There’s tons of other stuff going on during the four-day weekend, so check out and get registration information here.

And if you aren’t a member (I am), please consider joining. It’s a great group of dedicated woodworkers.

— Christopher Schwarz

Sterling Dovetailing Ruler. Get One

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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Details on my other blog. It’s fantastic. Get one.

— Christopher Schwarz