Lost Art Press

The No. 8 Reason to Attend Woodworking in America 2013

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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8. Peter Ross, the blacksmith wunderkind of Colonial Williamsburg, will be speaking at WIA. Peter makes some of the finest historic tools, and locks and hinges and hardware I’ve ever seen. He’s going to be talking at WIA on lots of subjects where the blacksmith’s art crosses paths with that of the woodworker – including fixing tools that have been overheated and some of his insights into historic tools.

Peter should know. He was one of the few craftsmen at Williamsburg to inspect and record all of the contents of the Benjamin Seaton tool chest during its U.S. tour. His work and drawings are in the newly revised “The Tool Chest of Benjamin Seaton” book. It is a must-have for history and tool nerds. (Nerd alert: I’m going to ask Peter to sign mine.)

Prying Peter out of his shop in North Carolina is a major coup for WIA. Don’t miss this.

Continued tomorrow.

Sign up for Woodworking in America, Oct. 18-20. Monkeys will not fly out of your bum.

— Christopher Schwarz

The Principal Stones Used in the Mechanical Arts

Posted on by fitz

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The Thanks of the Society were voted to R. Knight, Esq., for a Collection of Hone-Stones and Grind-Stones, presented by him; together with the following Descriptive Catalogue of them.

Sir,                                                                                                                                Foster Lane.
In compliance with your request, I have sent, for the Society’s acceptance, a collection of all the principal stones used in the mechanical arts, and of which the following is the catalogue. I have arranged them under two heads, viz. arenaceous and schistose: the few that do not come under either of these heads are separately described, and I shall be happy to give you any further information I am able on the subject.

                                                                     I am, &c. &c.
                                                                                                    Richard Knight.

1. Grit or Sandstone.— Of this variety the universally known and justly celebrated Newcastle grind-stones are formed. It abounds in the coal-districts of Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire, and Derbyshire; and is selected of different degrees of density and coarseness, best suited to the various manufactures of Sheffield and Birmingham, for grinding and giving a smooth and polished surface to their different wares.

2. Is a similar description of stone, of great excellence. It is of a lighter colour, much finer, and of a very sharp nature, and at the same time not too hard. It is confined to a very small spot, of limited extent and thickness, in the immediate vicinity of Bilston, in Staffordshire, where is lies above the coal, and is now quarried entirely for the purpose of grind-stones.
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Make Wood (And Your Shirts) Flat

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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An ironing board met a spindly manual-training workbench at a bar. Drinks were consumed. And nine months later, the Chandler & Barber patented “Handy Bench Cabinet” came into this world in 1902.

The “bench” is a testament to human will – that something so odd and ill-conceived could be patented and brought to market.

Observe the arrangement of the vise and the opening of the cabinet. A right-handed woodworker would pretty much slam his or her handplane into the rear of the cabinet with almost every stroke. There is an incredible amount of wasted space in the closed cabinet. And the lower shelves (12” x 18”) look sized for almost anything except woodworking tools. Where do the long planes go?

Other than that, very nice!

— Christopher Schwarz

Thanks to Jeff Burks for digging up this love child.

Long-overdue Tool Chest Storage Stuff

Posted on by Lost Art Press

I used to have a nice presentation for my students on the different kinds of storage schemes they might consider for their tool chests.

I somehow lost that presentation this year. I deleted it, overwrote it and lit it on fire I suppose.

During the last few months I’ve tried to rebuild that presentation. But until I find some free time to do that, this blog entry will suffice.

Above is a heretofore private little video I shot for a webinar on tool chests. It discusses some storage options. Also, below you will find downloads to two good historic resources you should study before dividing up the interior of your chest.

The first is from Vol. II of “Practical Woodworker,” from my personal collection.

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The second is from “Spons Mechanics Own Companion,” also from my collection.

Spons

Hope these get you started. And apologies to all my students for the delay.

— Christopher Schwarz

Pick Up Your Copy of ‘To Make as Perfectly as Possible’ at WIA

Posted on by Lost Art Press

LAP-Roubo-PressmarkAfter several requests from customers who have ordered the deluxe or standard edition of “To Make as Perfectly as Possibly: Roubo on Marquetry,” we have worked out a way for you to pick up your order at Woodworking in America, Oct. 18-20.

Picking it up will allow you to get it signed by many of the people involved in the project, including author Don Williams and (we hope) Michele Pietryka-Pagán, Philippe Lafargue and designer Wesley Tanner.

We hope to have a book-release party on Thursday, Oct. 17, and a book signing on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 19. Details to follow in the coming weeks.

Unfortunately, if you are not able to attend Woodworking in America we cannot get your books autographed for you. The logistics are too complicated and we are already having to truck a huge number of books from Indiana (and unclaimed ones back) for this event. Our apologies.

I know there will be some gritching about this, but I will remind you that we are just two people and our focus is on making books, not creating autographed collectibles.

If you are attending Woodworking in America, you will be able to pick up your copy of the book at the book-release party on Thursday or in our booth in the Marketplace on Oct. 18-19. The Marketplace is not open on Sunday. To claim your book, we’ll need your name and e-mail address so we can mark you off the list.

If you’d like to order the standard edition of “To Make as Perfectly as Possible,” visit our store here. We still have some of the deluxe editions, which can be purchased here.

— Christopher Schwarz