Probably few of our readers have any idea of the number and scope of the questions that continually pour in upon us, or of the labor involved in satisfactorily disposing of them. We certainly do not answer them all, and for at least two very good reasons, one of which is that we do not know enough. This is of course, very much to be regretted, both by ourselves and by those who apply to us.
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Workmen in almost all trades can be separated into two classes, and pattern makers are no exception to this rule, for everywhere we find on one hand the careless workman and on the other the ambitious man who looks ahead. The indifferent pattern maker still abounds and seems to have no ambition at all, or rather none except one which is all absorbing and has for its goal six o’clock and pay day.
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NOTE: More color-corrected image added above.
This morning we completed testing the dies for the debossing on the cover of “Campaign Furniture.” In general, I dislike using metallic foils on covers, but I made an exception this time.
The deboss is supposed to represent metal hardware, so it made sense.
Metallic foils are a pain to photograph. Because they are so reflective, they look either too dull or too bright in a photo compared to what they look like when the book is in your hand. The snapshot above accurately represents the color of the cloth cover, but the foil in the photo isn’t quite on the mark. Oh well, I’m happy.
This cover test is the final step before the book goes on the press. Our printer informed me the book is scheduled to ship to us (and our retailers) on March 6. If that date holds, then we will begin taking orders and fulfilling them sometime the week of March 10.
The book will be $33, and we will offer free domestic shipping for the first 30 days the book is in the Lost Art Press store.
The following retailers have agreed to carry the book.
• Lee Valley Tools
• Lie-Nielsen Toolworks
• Tools for Working Wood
• Highland Woodworking
• Great Britain: Classic Hand Tools, www.classichandtools.co.uk
• Australia, Henry Eckert, www.henryeckert.com.au
— Christopher Schwarz
While the six-board chest is a simple form, there are some variants that make the chest look more high-style, like it might have a fancy bracket-foot base.
Today I decided to convert the chest I built for the Alabama Woodworkers Guild into one of these fancier chests. I removed the moulding that returned down the sides of the chest (see the video here), and made some base pieces to fit under the moulding.
I also removed the crappy hinges I installed in Alabama. One leaf of each hinge was entirely too long. Today I installed iron Lee Valley unequal strap hinges, which look better. Unfortunately, I have some work ahead of me to hide the screw holes from the earlier hinge set.
I also installed a vintage crab/grab lock, which I picked up on eBay for $30 (gloat).
So far, I like the enclosed base, but I don’t want to pass judgment until I get the piece painted. The base coat will be flat black, followed by a coat of thinned hide glue. Then a top coat of dark blue, which will crackle thanks to the hide glue layer between.
And now back to editing Peter Galbert’s book.
— Christopher Schwarz
My Douro chair from Christopher Clarke Antiques Ltd. arrived yesterday morning, and I shot this short video of the unpacking and assembly process.
The chair’s mechanism is exceedingly simple and ingenious, and I’m excited about building a version for my own travels. It won’t require any custom hardware as best I can tell.
The table/crate is enormous – tall enough to eat off of or work as a desk (in a pinch). And it is built like a tank. The corners are reinforced with iron. The hinges and lock are built for heavy service.
The chair itself is quite comfortable – like a Morris chair with springy armrests.
Enough gloating. I have work to do.
— Christopher Schwarz