Lost Art Press

What’s in ‘To Make as Perfectly as Possible: Roubo on Marquetry’?

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For those who haven’t been following our saga of the translation of A.J. Roubo’s “L’Art du Menuisier,” here’s a brief description of what Roubo published and our translation efforts.

“L’Art du Menuisier” was a five-volume work written by Roubo, a professional cabinetmaker, and was published between 1769 and 1774 by De L’Academie Royale des Sciences. The five volumes were bound into three books, according to book collectors I’ve talked to. It was reprinted in 1977 in three oversized books.

The five volumes are as follows:

1. Tools and Architectural Woodwork
2. Carriage Making
3. Furniture Making
4. Marquetry and Finishing
5. Garden Woodwork

Our first translated book, “To Make as Perfectly as Possible: Roubo on Marquetry,” will include more than 100,000 words of translated text from the volume on marquetry and finishing. The translated text will include extensive notes from Don Williams. (Read more about the translation process here.) The book also will include essays by Williams that demonstrate the tools and processes shown in Roubo and how they can be accomplished with materials available today.

We are publishing two versions of this book. A glorious oversized edition worthy of the originals that will cost about $400. You can read all about that edition here. That version will be released in March 2013. We also will publish a trade edition of this book that will be physically smaller and less expensive – about $60 – but it will have all of the same words and illustrations as the oversized edition. We will have more information on the trade edition in 2013.

In 2014, we plan to publish our second book, “To Make as Perfectly as Possible: Roubo on Furniture.” This book will be about twice as many pages as the first book and encompass translated text from the volume on furniture and tools.

Like the book on marquetry, the second book will be published in two versions – a deluxe edition that matches the first deluxe book and a trade edition that matches the first trade book.

We have no plans to translate the sections on architectural woodwork, carriage making and garden woodwork. Feel free to learn French and get busy.

Why are we taking deposits on the deluxe edition of the first book? So we know how many to print. We want to make sure that everyone who wants one will get one. Why do we take a $100 deposit? So we know you are serious. Though woodworkers are generally good customers, we’ve had about a dozen or so welch on us after committing to buy a leather-bound edition.

I hope this clarifies our plans. I know it’s complex, and for that I apologize. But this has been the most complicated publishing project I’ve been involved in during my 22 years in the publishing industry.

— Christopher Schwarz

A Roorkhee in Authentic Canvas

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Several readers have asked what a Roorkhee chair would look like with canvas seat covers. This week we finished up a pair of these chairs for a customer who wanted us to strive for the most authentic look from the early chairs in the late 1800s.

Finding canvas is one thing. Finding canvas of the right weight, color and weave is another. I have an old military machete sheath that is made of just the stuff we wanted. So Ty Black went out one day to a massive fabric warehouse to compare and contrast.

He got lucky.

The good news about canvas is that it is much cheaper than leather. This stuff – a remnant – was $4 a yard. So we bought all they had. The bad news is that it is a lot more work to sew it and get it right.

Some interesting details about this chair:

• We riveted the seams of the back with No. 10 copper rivets. We had to use that longer rivet because the material folds over a lot at the seams. It looks great, however, and was worth it.

• We put a buckle and strap on the rear of the seat cover for the back. This allows you to put on or remove the back cover when the chair is assembled. It also gives you some control over the lumbar support.

• All the buckles on this chair are a black malleable iron. We picked them up from a place that sells supplies to the saddle industry.

• The arm straps are an oiled latigo. This is our favorite leather. We bought it from Wickett & Craig, and you have to have a wholesale account to buy from them.

• Using canvas for the seat covers shaves off considerable weight. I’ll be interested to see what these chairs weigh when we pack them up for shipment.

Bottom line on the canvas: If you have someone in your harem/circle of friends/church group who sews, then this is an excellent option. If you are on your own, I’d opt for leather seat covers. They cost more, but they require less skill and tooling.

One more thing: Several people have inquired about who might supply finished seat covers for their Roorkhee chairs. Ty, who sewed these chairs, is happy to provide that service. Drop him a line at ty.black@gmail.com for details.

— Christopher Schwarz

About that Odd Tool from ‘Grandpa’s Workshop’

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From an illustrated version of Giles of Rome’s, De Regimine Principum, early 16th century.

It is not often that my love of tool geekery and word geekery coincide. But over several posts about “Grandpa’s Workshop” and the besaigue (bisaigue) there have been some questions about the tool and how to pronounce the word.

It is pronounced, bees-ay-goo with the last “o” there kind of swallowed.

Maurice Pommier the author and illustrator of the book, offered up this info on the origins of the word.

From the “Robert Dictionary:” feminine noun, dates to the 12th century, from Latin, “bis acuta”, sharpened twice – a carpenters tool with two cutting tools, one a mortise chisel, the other a chisel.

From “Larousse Dictionary:” feminine noun, from Latin “bis” – twice, “acuta” – sharpened.

The gold standard for traditional tools in France is Daniel Boucard, who has published several books on the topic including “Dictionnaire des Outils” and traces the first mention of the word to 1160, and says that the word was originally spelled  “BESAIGÜE”

– Brian Anderson, the translator of “Grandpa’s Workshop.”

You can now Order the Special Edition of the Roubo Translation

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After four years of work, we are ready to take pre-publication orders and deposits for a special edition of “To Make as Perfectly as Possible: Roubo on Marquetry” by Don Williams, Michele Pagan and Philippe LaFargue.

As mentioned before, there will be two editions of “To Make as Perfectly as Possible: Roubo on Marquetry.” The special edition will be oversized and similar to the 18th-century first edition of “L’Art du Menuisier” (about 11” x 17”) and printed in the United States using the best materials available. It will have a special binding, full-size plates printed in the original color, color photos and a unique page design.

Additionally, all customers who purchase this book before Jan. 1, 2013, will have the opportunity to have their name printed in a “List of Subscribers” at the end of the volume.

There will be only one printing of this special edition. But please note this: Everyone who makes a deposit on this book before Jan. 1, 2013, will receive a copy. Mark that date on your calendar. We will also print some additional copies of this edition to sell in 2013, but once those are gone, this large-size edition will be gone forever.

To place a $100 deposit on this book and guarantee you will receive this special edition, visit our Lost Art Press store. The final price of this edition is still undetermined, though we expect it to cost about $400 and ship in March 2013. You will be contacted when the books are ready for shipment and to collect the balance that is due.

Note that we will take foreign orders on this special edition. Please contact John Hoffman at john@lostartpress.com for information on how to place your deposit.

For those of you who do not want the special edition, we will sell a trade version that is much like all of the books in the Lost Art Press portfolio. It will be about 9” x 13”, Smythe sewn with cloth-covered boards, black-and-white illustrations and black-and-white photos. And, like all of our titles, it will be printed in the United States. This version will have an entirely separate page design compared to the special edition and should cost about $60. It will remain in print for many years (we hope), unlike the special edition.

We will have more details on ordering this trade version of the book in 2013.

— Christopher Schwarz

Where I am Teaching in 2013

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If my teaching schedule for 2013 doesn’t wreck my marriage or alienate my children, then nothing will.

Here’s a list of where I will be teaching in 2013. Note that I don’t control registration at these schools, and I am never sure when each school will open registration (hint: ask the school). I do know this: If a class is full and you want to take it, sign up for the waiting list. There is a good chance you will get in.

Feb. 1-3
Highland Woodworking, Atlanta, Ga.
I’m demonstrating at a Lie-Nielsen event at Highland that weekend and then teaching a Sunday class in building precision layout tools: a straightedge, winding sticks with inlay and a Roubo try square.

March 10-29
Melbourne Guild of Fine Woodworking, Melbourne, Australia
Yup, I am going below the Equator for the first time to teach in Australia. While I am very excited about seeing the water swirl the opposite way in the toilet, I am more excited about the classes I’ll be offering: The Anarchist’s Tool Chest, Hammer in Hand: The Dovetailed Schoolbox, and a Shaker Wall Cabinet. Plus I’ll be visiting Chris Vesper and French kissing a wallaby.

April 15-21
Rosewood Studios, Perth, Ontario
Another first: Teaching in Canada! I’ve been to Canada many times, but I’ve never taught a class there. At Rosewood, I’ll be teaching The Anarchist’s Tool Chest (renamed to get me through immigration), and a short course on the Shaker Wall Cabinet.

April 27-28
Marc Adams School of Woodworking, Franklin, Ind.
This is the annual class I teach on handplanes with Thomas Lie-Nielsen. It is a surprisingly good introduction to handplanes considering it’s only a two-day class. Many of the students from this class have gone on to great things.

May 6-10
Marc Adams School of Woodworking, Franklin, Ind.
Marc Adams is always willing to indulge me. So this year he is letting me teach a class on designing and building a campaign chest. Every student will design something that suits them and learn the techniques particular to this form of furniture to build one of the stacking cases for a chest. It should be a fun, but crazy, class.

June 3-7
Kelly Mehler School of Woodworking, Berea, Ky.
In this class we will be design and build Roorkhee chairs (and if there’s time we’ll also make a Roubo camp stool). This class promises to be a lot of fun. You can learn to turn (if you like). Learn leatherwork. Shellac finishing. Riveting. And a whole lot of other hand skills.

June 17-22
Dictum GmbH woodworking school, Niederalteich, Germany
This is my fourth year of teaching at the Dictum workshop, and my German language skills continue to molder. This year, I’ll be teaching a class in making a Roorkhee chair (see above) and a very cool bowsaw. This school attracts students from all over Europe (and beyond). If you’ve ever considered a vacation in Bavaria, this is a very nice place to begin (or end) your journey. The school is in a beautiful monastery and we all spend every evening closing down the local gasthaus.

July 8-12
Marc Adams School of Woodworking, Franklin, Ind.
Design and build a trestle table. This is another new class that I am very excited to teach because it relates to my “Furniture of Necessity” book. Students will design their own trestle table in any style they please (with guidance) and then execute it using the awesome equipment at March Adams’s school and their hand tools. You’ll learn about trestle tables from the 14th century to the 21st and be able to build whatever you desire.

July 20-21
Kelly Mehler School of Woodworking, Berea, Ky.
A weekend course on building the three essential wooden layout tools: a straightedge, a pair of winding sticks with inlay and a Roubo try square. THis is a great foundational class in handwork as these three tools are built entirely by hand and have many lessons embedded in them.

Aug. 3-9
Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking, Manchester, Ct.
At this fine school I’ll be teaching The Anarchist’s Tool Chest class and a two-day class in building a six-board chest. The six-board chest class will be a hoot, perhaps a bit like a reality show. You’ll be given two boards and a task. And then we will all find the best path forward.

Aug. 26-30
The Woodwright’s School, Pittsboro, N.C.
By request: The Anarchist’s Tool Chest class with Roy Underhill and me. It’s a fun a nut-tastic week with Roy. You will become a good dovetailer at this class. And a good mortiser. And your liver will be a wreck.

Sept. 2-6
Port Townsend School of Woodworking, Port Townsend, Wash.
OK, so we’ve sold more than 10,000 copies of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest.” That’s surprising. What’s more surprising is that people are building these chests. I bring the show to the West Coast. This school is in on of the most beautiful hilltops in the world. Even if you hate me and the class, you’ll be soothed by your surroundings.

Oct. 12-14
The Woodwright’s School, Pittsboro, N.C.
Six-board chest deathmatch and quilting bee. By all rights, six-board chests shouldn’t survive the travails of wood movement – yet thousands have. No two six-board chests are exactly alike, yet they all look cut from the same cloth. And how do nails help this humble but noble form of furniture survive the centuries?

You’ll learn all this – and more – as the most hirsute instructor at the Woodwright’s School (me!) leads you on a journey of discovery through the construction of this sometimes inscrutable form. You’ll begin the class with two boards, a handful of tools and a deadline. A steady saw, a hungry chisel and a ferocious hammer will guide you as you construct the chestiest of all the traditional American furniture forms – the six-board chest.

Oct. 15-Dec. 31
Hibernation

— Christopher Schwarz