Lost Art Press

Felling Oaks in the Woodlands

Posted on by fitz

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The able official who practically created the Forest Department of India once remarked to the writer that the strongest evidence of the wealth of the English landed proprietors was the large-minded way in which they refused to have anything to say to scientific forestry.

They keep enormous parks, in which the timber is intended solely for ornament, and ancient and decayed trees are left till they rot, beautiful ruins of trees; and in their woods and coverts the picturesque and not the profitable is the apparent aim of the British woodman. The trees are left at wide distances apart, they throw out branches from the sides, the stems deteriorate, and though British oak was famous stuff for making curly-grained dining-tables and the “knees” of old line-of-battle ships, builders will not buy British timber, and special clauses are inserted in contracts forbidding its use.

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Plans: A Folding Campaign Bed

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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Because I spend 18 weeks a year on the road, teaching and researching, I am always relieved when I return home and my key still works in the front door.

I’ve always thought I should have a Plan B in the works, something I could stow in the shop that we could also use when we have extra visitors. But despite all my research on folding beds for “Campaign Furniture,” I didn’t find a plan I liked enough to build.

That is, until I stumbled on this plans from the April 1954 issue of The Woodworker magazine. It is structured very much like a folding campaign bed and collapses into a thin cabinet-like structure.

Download the entire 1954 article here.

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It looks comfortable enough to sleep on for a couple days until the florist arrives with a few dozen roses, don’t you think?

— Christopher Schwarz

Americans Need Not Apply

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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One of the oddest criticisms I’ve received about the book “Campaign Furniture” is that I’m not British, and therefore have no legitimate connection to that historical style.

It’s true that I am an American citizen – I didn’t have much control about precisely where I emerged from the birth canal. And it’s true that I have a good deal of German blood. My mom could tell you exactly how mongrel (but not mongol) I am.

But I do have a long and personal connection to campaign furniture. As I mention in the book, my grandparents collected pieces in the style. Plus my grandfather and father built pieces in the campaign style. The West home was filled with all sorts of antiques, and many of them were in the campaign style – campaign chests, coaching tables and my grandfather West’s document box.

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My mother brought this to me in May for my birthday. It is probably the nicest birthday gift I have ever received. The box is veneered in a tropical hardwood, likely some sort of mahogany, and joined with miters at the four corners.

The inlaid brass is set in beautifully in most places, except for at the back of the box. The veneer on the lid has buckled a bit, which has pushed some of the brasses around.

However, there are two other details that are far more satisfying than the workmanship.

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1. The bottom of the box is covered in green felt, the tell-tale sign that my grandparents owned the piece. And the bottom still has the label noting that it belonged to my grandfather. He affixed this label on items that he took to work with him.

2. All the screws are clocked and filed flush to the hardware.

I cannot wait to fill the box with NASCAR stickers and Slim Jims. Cheerio!

— Christopher Schwarz