We have decided to cancel the June 13 open day at our storefront. We will reschedule it for a future Saturday when it seems like a good idea to get 100+ people together from all over the country and cram them into one small workshop.
We hope to restart classes this summer, but that depends on what is allowed by the state of Kentucky. If you signed up for a class, you will hear from the instructor personally about this issue. If you do have questions on classes, please email fitz@lostartpress.com.
We remain optimistic that things will return to (somewhat) normal this year, but our Ouija board is broken. And I’d never forgive myself if someone got sick because of a class or an open day. Our customers range in age from their 20s to their 80s, so we will continue to err on the side of caution.
You can now download a free pdf of “The Anarchist’s Workbench” via this link. It is a direct link. You don’t have to register for anything, submit your email or even declare you aren’t a robot.
The file contains no DRM (digital rights management). It is not locked. And it is covered by a creative commons non-commercial license. This allows you to adapt and distribute the material in any way you like – as long as it isn’t sold.
Or, if you prefer, you can place a pre-publication order for the book from our store via this link. The book is $27 and is on its way to the printer. It should ship in late August. The 344-page 6” x 9” book will be printed on #70 matte coated paper. Its signatures will be sewn and secured with fiber tape for durability. The pages will be hardbound and covered in cotton cloth. Like all Lost Art Press books, “The Anarchist’s Workbench” is produced entirely in the United States.
Why are we giving this book away for free? You can read all about that here. You can read more about the book in the description in our store (there’s a download link there as well). You also can read more about the workbench in this earlier blog entry.
In the coming weeks, I hope to release the electronic construction drawings (in SketchUp) plus other supplementary materials. I just have to get them semi-presentable first.
If You Find Typographical Errors
Some of you are speedy and careful readers. If you do find a typographical error in the pdf, would you send a note to Megan Fitzpatrick at fitz@lostartpress.com? Though a lot of people have edited the book, there are always a few things that slip through. Thanks.
Elm and ash are my two favorite chairmaking woods.
I just completed this large comb-back chair in ash and elm and am selling it via a silent auction (details below). The chair is set up for dining and keyboarding, with its back tilted at 13° and the seat tilted at 2°.
This chair is probably the tallest comb-back I’ve made in years (if not ever). The overall height is 41”. The seat height is 16-3/4”, making it comfortable for a wide variety of sitters (both tall and short).
The seat and undercarriage are elm. I lucked into some dead-straight elm for the legs and stretchers. Plus some typically squirrelly grain elm for the seat, a sturdy combination. The top part of the chair is all black ash. Ash and elm both have a complementary iridescence. As these woods age, their color becomes quite similar.
This is one of the taller comb-backs I’ve made.
Like all my chairs, the joints are assembled with animal glue (so the chair can be easily repaired 200 years in the future if needed), plus straight-grain wedges. The chair is finished with soft wax, which is non-toxic and easy to repair (just add more soft wax).
This chair is a bit special because it’s the second chair that my daughter Katherine worked on with me. She did most of the arm shaping and helped with most of the other tasks. The chair is signed by both of us.
In time, the color difference between the ash and elm will disappear.
Purchasing the Chair
If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Friday, May 17. Please use the subject line: “Comb-back.” In the email please include your:
Bid.
U.S. shipping address
Daytime phone number (this is for the trucking quote only)
The highest bid wins. If you are the “winner,” the chair can be picked up at our storefront. Or we will happily crate it and ship it to your door. (I’m sorry but the chair cannot be shipped outside the U.S.) The reserve price is $500. Shipping and crating is included in your winning bid (with no additional charges whatsoever).
— Christopher Schwarz
Editor’s note: The “bulk reply” plugin on Chrome has stopped working, and I cannot find a replacement on any of my browsers. So if you don’t hear from me (Fitz) by the end of the day on the deadline day, I’m afraid you are not the winner (this applies also to the recent Irish chair). I’m sorry I haven’t time to send individual responses to the many entrants who did not win. If I did, it would read: “Thank you for your interest, and stay tuned – Chris is making more chairs, and there will be other opportunities.” Which is true in perpetuity!
This chair is based off a couple chairs I built a few years ago, which were based off the chairs I built for my two kids, which were based off a chair that Bilbo Baggins briefly sits in during “The Fellowship of the Ring.”
I haven’t watched the movie in ages, but I remember the arms of Bilbo’s chair were different, the short sticks were turned spindles, and the legs were different – maybe a decorative groove. And I can’t recall what the undercarriage looked like.
But other than those tiny details, this is an exact replica.
This chair is made of mahogany that is at least 70 years old. I bought it from Midwest Woodworking in Norwood when it was going out of business. The wood is gorgeous stuff, light and strong.
The chair is set up for dining. The seat tilts about 3°, the back tilts another 12°. The seat is 16” off the floor, which makes it comfortable for a wide range of sitters. The seat is a single wide plank of mahogany (that I had to rip down to make the seat – amazing!). All the housed joints are assembled with hide glue and ash wedges so that the chair can be repaired long in the future.
The finish is super blonde shellac with a thin coat of black wax, which tones down the red and accentuates the wood’s pores.
As mentioned above, the mahogany is straight and strong. But because there are no stretchers, I recommend this chair for sitters less than 220 lbs. I’m being over-cautious. (Also, if a leg ever snaps on any of my chairs, I’ll repair it free of charge.)
Purchasing the Chair
We’re selling this chair via a silent auction. If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Tuesday, May 28. Please use the subject line: “Hobbity Chair.” In the email please include your:
Bid
U.S. shipping address
Daytime phone number (this is for the trucking quote only)
The highest bid wins. If you are the “winner,” the chair can be picked up at our storefront. Or we will happily crate it and ship it to your door. (I’m sorry but the chair cannot be shipped outside the U.S.) The reserve price is $500. Shipping and crating is included in your winning bid (with no additional charges whatsoever).
— Christopher Schwarz
P.S. Plans for this chair will be in the second issue of The Stick Chair Journal. Also, Kale and I are working together on a second Hobbit-y chair in the same gorgeous mahogany. It will be up for sale in a week or so.
Editor’s note: The “bulk reply” plugin on Chrome has stopped working, and I cannot find a replacement on any of my browsers. So if you don’t hear from me (Fitz) by the end of the day on the deadline day, I’m afraid you are not the winner (this applies also to the recent Irish chair, and Ash and Elm chair). I’m sorry I haven’t time to send individual responses to the many entrants who did not win. If I did, it would read: “Thank you for your interest, and stay tuned – Chris is making more chairs, and there will be other opportunities.” Which is true in perpetuity!
Lost Art Press co-founder John Hoffman has never used his gorgeous half-set of Old Street Tool hollows and rounds – his woodworking passion (when he has time for it amidst the LAP business side of things and other demands) is Windsor chairmaking…where there is little need for H&Rs. So, he’s offering up for sale this new-in-the-box half-set (even Nos. 2-18: 1/8″,1/4″, 3/8″, 1/2″, 5/8″, 3/4″, 1″, 1-1/4″ and 1-1/2″), in hopes someone can make good use of them.
The price is $3,000 (retail is $3,850), plus shipping from Indianapolis. If interested, please send an email to fitz@lostartpress.com.
