A have a new post on Basque workbenches on my blog at Popular Woodworking Magazine. Check out the unusual face vise.
— Christopher Schwarz
The History of Wood, Part 11
New & Excellent Podcast: The Craftsman’s Road
Woodworker Cory Mickelson has started an excellent new podcast series that is definitely worth subscribing to if you are interested in woodworking and making money at it.
Already Mickelson has interviewed William Ng, Shannon Rogers, Ron Riedel and myself on how we built our woodworking businesses. Viewing craftsmanship through the lens of commerce is a fascinating topic and you get to learn a lot about the people besides “Shannon likes hand tools” and “William Ng builds Greene & Greene pieces.”
When I listened to my podcast, I was reminded how wiped out I was when Cory interviewed me. I had just finished up a 12-hour day in the shop building a piece for a customer and getting material ready for a class. That, of course, is how we keep things going at Lost Art Press and the topic comes up during the interview.
Cory has good thing going. Subscribe to the free podcast via iTunes here. Cory’s web site is here, though I had some trouble accessing the shows through that route.
— Christopher Schwarz
2 Spots Open in a Dutch Tool Chest Class
Due to last-minute cancellations, there are two spaces open in my Dutch tool chest class (the last one of 2014) in Warwickshire College, England, for July 28-29.
The price of the class is £295 plus materials, and the materials are reasonably priced and fantastic. The organizers of the course have arranged to get blacksmith-made hardware for the chests. Check out this post on the hardware. We will be building the chests from yellow pine.
If you want to register for the course, contact Paul Mayon directly here. You can read about the course and the sweet facility here.
— Christopher Schwarz
Never Mind the Movie Star, Look at that Deadman
Reader Charles W. Luetje sent me a link to this New York Times story that features Zach Braff sitting on a fantastic workbench with a beautiful deadman. I will definitely be stealing this form for a future bench.
From the wear marks on the bench, it looks like the deadman panels are stationary – not sliders.
Braff’s bench is quite similar to one I discussed in my 2007 book, “Workbenches: From Design & Theory to Construction & Use.” That bench was featured in the August 1882 edition of Carpentry and Building magazine (see page 58 of that book for details).
— Christopher Schwarz