Lost Art Press

Be Quick: The Last of the CanvasGoods Aprons

Posted on by Lost Art Press

canvasgoods

Years ago I had a shop apron made by CanvasGoods, a small company run by David McMullen. It was my favorite apron, and I wore it all the time and during my first videos with Lie-Nielsen Toolworks.

The problem was that McMullen closed down CanvasGoods shortly after that. I was getting so many questions about that apron that I had to stop wearing it – I was tired of answering questions about the apron and explain how you couldn’t buy one.

Then some reader sweet-talked me into borrowing my apron so he could make one like it for himself. That was four years ago. I’m still waiting….

If you ever wanted one of these aprons, the original maker has dug out about 50 or so that were in storage and put them up for sale on eBay for $39.95. If you cannot afford an apron from Artifact Bag Co., these are an outstanding choice.

Act quickly. Once they are gone, they are gone.

Click here.

— Christopher Schwarz

Don Williams’s Web Site is now Live

Posted on by Lost Art Press

Don_L1010023

Now you can read about all things Don by visiting donsbarn.com – the web site of Don Williams. For those of you who aren’t frequent visitors here, Don is the mastermind behind the A.J. Roubo translations and the author of the forthcoming book on H.O. Studley.

He’s a former conservator for the Smithsonian and expert on all things waxy and shellac-y.

His new site will feature lots of the public-domain articles he wrote while at the Smithsonian, plus a blog on the things that go on at his extremely huge barn and a store for buying some of the things he makes – like the polissoirs from Roubo.

So bookmark the site, add it to your reader and enjoy the articles that are already there. Don says more are forthcoming.

— Christopher Schwarz

The Chest for Your Chest

Posted on by Lost Art Press

page1462

One of the reason many campaign chests survived wars and colonial life is they were at times packed into other plain chests. These iron-bound and plain shells were painted and simple affairs – and are a fairly rare sight today.

Despite their simplicity and plain construction, they were critical to the mobile household – the cases were stacked and used as a wardrobe for the officer and his family. Note the removable shelf in the illustration above from the Army & Navy Co-operative Society 1885 catalog.

I hope to inspect some of these cases and maybe build a set for my book. They might make a good introductory project – and I really dislike the veneered English Victorian wardrobe we now use for our sheets.

A double victory.

The other interesting thing about these Army & Navy Co-operative Society catalogs is how the lumber world has turned a bit upside down in the last 125 years.

You can buy almost all the wooden furniture in three species: the cheapest is always teak. Getting the item in mahogany is an upcharge. And you have to pay a further upcharge if you want the piece in oak.

— Christopher Schwarz

After all that Hammering, They Didn’t get Hammered…

Posted on by Lost Art Press

lumber_truck

…but they did get nailed.

Prohibition Agents Inspecting Bootlegger’s Truck, Oct. 23, 1926

What appeared to be an innocent truckload of lumber turned out to be a bootlegger’s vehicle loaded with prime scotch when the Los Angeles Federal Prohibition Agents smelled the odor of a broken bottle. Investigation disclosed a cleverly conceals trapdoor of board ends leading to the interior, from which 70 cases of liquor were taken. The device is said to be the most ingenious ever caught here.

Photo and caption exhumed by Jeff Burks.

Coming Soon: H.O. Studley T-shirts

Posted on by Lost Art Press

LAP_shirt_FRONT

We finished up work today on a special H.O. Studley T-shirt design for the Handworks event on May 24-25, and we ordered enough to sell them here on the web site.

The shirts will be heather gray, 100-percent cotton and from American Apparel – just like all our shirts. On the front is a stylized image of H.O. Studley’s signature from the metal plate on his impressive tool chest. On the back is the name of the forthcoming book “Virtuoso: The Toolbox of Henry O. Studley” plus our logo. We’ve substituted Studley’s register calipers in the place of our corporate compass.

The shirts will be $20 each and will be available in sizes between medium and 2XL.

As with all products in our store, these shirts are made entirely in the United States.

Look for them on May 20.

— Christopher Schwarz

LAP_shirt_back