Lost Art Press

Woodworks Conference – Spots Still Available

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The first-ever Woodworks Conference later this month (Sept. 26-28) in Perth, Ontario, still has some spots available if you have that weekend free.

The organizers have lined up some great speakers: Garrett Hack, Tom Fidgen, Mark Harrell of Bad Axe Toolworks, planemaker Konrad Sauer, inlay whiz Linda Manzer and Ron Barter of Rosewood Studios. I’ll be there, too, talking about chipbreakers and traditional nails.

If you live in the Midwest or on the East Coast of the United States, Perth is actually an easy drive and is well worth the trip. It’s a quaint old stone town with lots of nice restaurants and shops. In other words, you can bring the family and they’ll be happy.

In addition to the speakers there will be a small “Emporium” where small-scale toolmakers and sellers will be showing off their stuff, both antique and new. Check out the vendor list here. The event is being put on by the Ottawa Woodworkers Association and is being held at Algonquin College Heritage Institute.

If you can make it, I highly recommend the trip. Registration information is here.

— Christopher Schwarz

French Oak Roubo Project – Register Now

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The Benchcrafted brothers have officially opened registration for the French Oak Roubo Project II, which will be held Nov. 8-14, 2015 (that’s next November).

If that’s all you need to hear, click on over to the Benchcrafted site here and register.

The seven-day event costs $4,800 – that includes the incredible ancient wood, the blacksmith-made hardware, access to the world-class machinery of Bo Childs, lunch each day and all the assistance you need to build the bench. While I know there are those who will scoff at the price, I dare them to offer this sort of class themselves. The Benchcrafted folks (and the assistants) do this because it’s fun – not to make money.

I’ll be there (building a bench for a customer) and helping out all week. I can’t wait.

— Christopher Schwarz

Caleb James’s Knockdown Nicholson Workbench

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Caleb James, a planemaker and chairmaker in Greenville, S.C., built a very cool knockdown Nicholson workbench earlier this year that inspired me to design a version for myself.

His breaks down into fewer pieces than mine, but what is most interesting about Caleb’s design is his face vise that is powered by holdfasts. While I am sure this has been done before, I can’t recall seeing this on any workbench, old or new.

It’s definitely worth checking out all the details on Caleb’s blog.

— Christopher Schwarz

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Join the Search for a Piano H.O. Studley Built

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In planning and preparing for the upcoming book “Virtuoso” and the accompanying exhibit of H.O. Studley’s magnificent tool cabinet and workbench (May 15-17, 2015), I invariably get the question, “Is it possible to have a piano built by Studley in the exhibit?”

My typical response was, “I have no way to know if any particular Poole Piano was built by Studley.” Studley’s job was to build the “actions” or complex mechanism of levers, pivots, rods and hammers that connect the keys to the strings of the piano (along with all their adjusting devices). Depending on the size of the piano factory, anywhere from two to 50 men, perhaps more, could have this job. That would make every piano essentially anonymous, bearing only the company logo.

Or so I thought until today. While spending a very productive afternoon with Tom Shaw and Randolph Byrd at Charlottesville Piano I learned something that will someday redound to the benefit of my research. According to these fellows it was something of a tradition for “action men” like Studley to sign the side of the first key of the keyboard!

So, if you ever encounter the keyboard from a Poole Piano, check the side of the first key. And if you see the name “Henry O. Studley” emblazoned thereon, please drop me a note.

By the way, Tom’s grandfather was a piano teacher and technician in Boston from 1907 on, so he was a contemporary of Studley, who worked for Poole until 1919.

— Don Williams
www.donsbarn.com
www.studleytoolchestexhibit.com

SOLD Need a Knockdown Workbench?

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In the coming week we’ll post the free SketchUp drawing for the knockdown Nicholson workbench I built earlier this month. But if you need an inexpensive and portable workbench, this one is for sale for $400, cash and carry. Sorry, sold.

I built the bench to prove the design concept, and also we needed a fourth workbench for my coffin-building event this weekend.

I didn’t expect the knockdown bench to be this good – I thought I’d have to tinker with it before I was happy. But this thing is solid and ready to go. No apologies.

The bench is made from Southern yellow pine and weighs about 250 pounds. The top is 22” x 72” and the benchtop is 33” from the floor. The entire bench can be assembled and disassembled with a 9/16” ratchet in less than 10 minutes.

If you are interested in the bench, let me know at chris@lostartpress.com. The first one to say “I’ll take it” and comes to pick it up gets it. Sorry, I cannot ship this bench.

— Christopher Schwarz