With the disappearance of the Hold Heet glue pots from the market, readers have asked for some alternatives that don’t involve purchasing industrial equipment. I’ve tried several options. This entry is about using a wax warmer that is designed to heat body wax for hair removal. T … | Continue reading
I am fairly jig-averse. Not because of some philosophical reason – it’s just not the way my head works. When I look for solutions to problems, “making a jig” is way down on the list. But sometimes, jigs are the only way forward. Last week I taught my first-ever class in making Gi … | Continue reading
We are pleased to announce that Monroe Robinson (shown above) is hosting Open Wire this Saturday. NB: He’s a time zone or three behind us – so you might have to wait for answers. But don’t wait to post your questions – we’ll still open things up by 8 a.m. EDT, and cut off comment … | Continue reading
The following is excerpted from “Virtuoso: The Tool Cabinet and Workbench of Henry O. Studley,” by Donald C. Williams, with photographs by Narayan Nayar. In a space of just 10” x 39” x 19-1/2”, H.O. Studley managed to arrange – with perfection – more than 250 of his tools into a … | Continue reading
After long waits and delays, we have lots and lots of stock on three items: Crucible Holdfast Crucible Planing Stop LAP Pencils Soon we’ll be restocked on dovetail templates and tomorrow we should start selling “Karvsnitt” — Christopher Schwarz | Continue reading
I’ve just finished up this Gibson stick chair in red elm and oak, and offer it for sale via auction. The Gibson chair, an Irish form, is one of the most comfortable chairs I make, thanks to its low-slung seat and swept-back sticks. This chair is ideal for sitting by the fire or … | Continue reading
If you live in the greater Stockholm area, please stop by Rubank Tools AB in Farsta this Saturday (July 8) to say hello and talk about woodworking or salty black licorice. Rubank is our distributor in Sweden, and they invited me to stop by between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturda … | Continue reading
Last week’s Gibson Chair class – Chris’s first ever – was a rousing success. Only one person broke an arm (it was Chris), and everyone left with a gorgeous new Gibson chair in Ulmus rubra – red elm (with a red oak back rest), ready for finish. (I’m fairly certain every one is usi … | Continue reading
I’m afraid you’re stuck with me again for the LAP Open Wire this week (though Chris might pop in from time to time to make sure I’m not telling tall tales). So let’s hear your woodworking, old house renovation and cat-related questions. Here’s how it works: Type your question in … | Continue reading
As we are cranking up our order fulfillment system here, some of the shipments are being fulfilled from Covington, some from Indianapolis and some are being fulfilled from both locations. A few orders are “split” – meaning that part of the order comes from Covington and part come … | Continue reading
In April 2023, we purchased the Anthe Building at 407 Madison Ave. in Covington, Kentucky, to become our new editorial headquarters and fulfillment center. We are in a multi-year restoration process to clean and preserve the building for future generations. Here are some of the f … | Continue reading
The following is excerpted from Drew Langsner’s “Country Woodcraft: Then & Now.” In 1978, Drew Langsner first released this book to the world, and it sparked a movement – still expanding today – of hand-tool woodworkers who make things with mostly green wood. “Country Woodcraft” … | Continue reading
Thanks to lots of work on Megan’s part, Katherine’s soft wax machine is 99 percent back in business. (The 1 percent? The dispenser valve needs adjustment.) So she now has a large load of Soft Wax 2.0 for sale at her etsy store. Today has been a big day here, and not only for sof … | Continue reading
We were quite bummed when we put up the last of out Anthe Lump Hammers on Friday and no one bought one. Not a single one. “Oh well,” I said. “I guess no one loves us any more.” Turns out our store was cranky and refusing customer’s addresses when they tried to buy the hammer.... | Continue reading
I’m in the middle of refining a recipe for a liquid hide glue that uses food-grade gelatin as the base product and is essentially clear. If all goes to plan, we should start selling the glue by the end of the year. Our working name for the stuff is “Death Grip Glue,” which is a.. … | Continue reading
We are quite pleased to have joiner Peter Follansbee as the host of today’s Open Wire. Peter’s specialty is 17th-century woodworking, though lately he has returned to chairmaking as well. If you love this kind of stuff, I recommend you subscribe to his brand new substack, which … | Continue reading
We’ve just added the last of our inventory of Anthe Lump Hammers and Redneck Pencil Gauges to our store. This is the final bit of our run of special edition Anthe hammers, which help fund our restoration of our new headquarters on Madison Avenue in Covington. We won’t be making t … | Continue reading
Drew Langsner’s “This is Not a Chair” exhibit celebrates 25 year’s of the artist’s work, and features abstract “multi-hollow servers,” sculptures from found materials and his most recent work, sculptures made from deconstructed chairs, as well as examples of his furniture. While … | Continue reading
Thanks to our two new employees – Gabe and Mark – we now have 250 more GoDrillas in stock and ready to ship. The GoDrilla is a bit extender that works with any 1/4” hex tool and any 1/4” hex rod (a 12” hex rod is included). The GoDrilla lock on your bit with fearsome... | Continue reading
Author Peter Follansbee (pictured above from a few years ago) is hosting this Saturday’s Open Wire here on the Lost Art Press blog. You can ask him, well, whatever you want. But you’ll get the best answers if you ask about 17th-century-style carving and joinery, birds and beard c … | Continue reading
The following is excerpted from John Porritt’s “The Belligerent Finisher.” Porritt, who works from a small red barn in upstate New York, has been at his trade for many decades, and his eye for color and patina is outstanding. We’ve seen many examples of his work, and it is impres … | Continue reading
Last week an amazing thing happened a block away from the Anthe Building (the site of our new headquarters). Workers began removing the ugly brick cladding from a building at the corner of Fourth Street and Scott Boulevard. What was below the brick was a link to our family’s past … | Continue reading
During the last few weeks there has been so much going on at the Anthe Building I don’t know where to start. We are now waiting on permits and inspections (we passed our first electrical inspection last week), so things are at a bit of a lull, which is frustrating and welcome. He … | Continue reading
Today for our Open Wire session we have Joshua Klein, the founder of Mortise & Tenon Magazine, as our host. Joshua and his crew are as hardworking as they come. And so we were surprised when he volunteered to spend a Saturday answering reader questions. Here’s how it works. Ask y … | Continue reading
The $50 introductory price of the “Video: Make a Gibson Chair with Christopher Schwarz” ends as of June 18; on Monday, June 19, the price will be $75. Gibsons are quite unlike the other stick chairs Chris makes. And he has devised novel ways to use cheap lasers to make your life … | Continue reading
I am almost out of bog oak. If I’m lucky, I’ll get two more chairs after this one from the stock I purchased with my friend Andy Brownell. This seven-stick-comb-back is set up as an armchair – perfect for relaxing by the fire. Here are some statistics: The seat tilts back 4°, an … | Continue reading
We use pencil gauges as much as marking gauges or cutting gauges. That’s because a pencil line is sometimes the better choice, especially when marking out bevels or curves. When we construct our shop-made pencil gauges, we include a “face plate” or “curve attachment” to one face … | Continue reading
Occasionally we have customers who are bewildered that we use Chicago screws to adjust our Crucible Type 2 Dividers and Sliding Bevel. Why don’t we use a thumbscrew or wing nut or some other device that doesn’t require a screwdriver? The answer is simple, but not what they want t … | Continue reading
For this Saturday’s Open Wire, we are delighted to welcome guest host Joshua Klein, editor of Mortise & Tenon Magazine (M&T) and author of “Hands Employed Aright: The Furniture Making of Jonathan Fisher (1768-1847).” You can ask Joshua about all things M&T, Jonathan Fisher and ho … | Continue reading
Do you need a new workbench – perhaps one based on traditional forms? We probably have a resource to help. Below are just a few of our workbench offerings – in video and book form. Plus, a link to video tours of workbenches Chris and others have built in the last 25 years. Video: … | Continue reading
Welsh chairmaker Chris Williams is teaching classes in our storefront this month and has brought over one of his truly remarkable Welsh stick chairs, made from Welsh woods in the old tradition by a 100-percent Welshman. Chris is, quite simply, the best stick chair maker alive. He … | Continue reading
Martyn Owen, a filmmaker, has been working on a mini-documentary about Nannau Hall, a Grade II* Georgian house on the grounds where the Nannau Oak, featured in “Cadi & the Cursed Oak,” once stood. Earlier this year, some of Martyn’s photos, videos and stills received attention af … | Continue reading
I know some readers are loath to drill a new hole in their workbench (or file the mouth of a handplane, or reshape a saw handle) without a court order. Today I’m putting on my robes and firing up the wooden gavel. Judge Crissy is in session. The advantage of the carver’s vise (on … | Continue reading
You are stuck with me again for the LAP Open Wire this week. (We have a special guest lined up for next week, however.) So let’s hear your woodworking questions. Here’s how it works: Type your question in the comment field. I will post my answer. It is that simple. Before you ask … | Continue reading
I’m a big fan of the Taiwanese-made “carver’s vise” sold by many vendors with slightly different paint jobs. The vise is inexpensive and incredibly versatile, especially for chairmaking operations. Most students who take a chair class here seem to end up ordering one after using … | Continue reading
The following is excerpted from “Good Work: The Chairmaking Life of John Brown,” by Christopher Williams. It’s the first biography of one of the most influential chairmakers and writers of the 20th century: Welshman John Brown. The book’s title of “Good Work” was an expression Jo … | Continue reading
Katherie has just posted 30 jars of Soft Wax 2.0 in her store. This batch was made in the nacho cheese machine – we are still struggling to get her lipstick machine back on line. She’ll be done with college in two weeks, and then she will have some more time available to work on. … | Continue reading
I am so pleased to have George Walker as our first guest host of the Lost Art Press Open Wire. George is a traditional woodworker who (with his friend Jim Tolpin) have spent nearly 20 years exploring and explaining “artisan geometry.” Artisan geometry is the clever and simple sys … | Continue reading
A couple weeks ago, we received a call from Kathy Porter, daughter of Frank Joseph Anthe. Turns out Kathy is local, and she said she had a picture or two of her father. “Would we like to stop by to see them?” she asked. Someday I’d love to share my day with Kathy, which was... | Continue reading
Author George Walker is hosting this Saturday’s Open Wire here on the Lost Art Press blog. You’ll get to ask George about the new book he’s working on with Jim Tolpin, plus ask questions about design, artisan geometry and traditional woodworking – all the good stuff. George and J … | Continue reading
I’ve just uploaded a six-minute video for those who purchased the “Make a Gibson Chair Video.” The new video shows two tricks I came up with that make the chair easier to build and a little stronger. I also show how to scribe the shoulders of the legs’ tenons to the seat for a cl … | Continue reading
The following is excerpted from “The Handcrafted Life of Dick Proenneke,” by Monroe Robinson. Millions of PBS viewers first met Dick Proenneke through the program “Alone in the Wilderness,” which documents Dick’s 30-year adventure in the Alaskan wilderness. On the shores of Twin … | Continue reading
Hey wood nerds, it’s time for the LAP Open Wire, where we attempt to answer your questions about woodworking – plus our tools, books, apparel and Napoleonics. Here’s how it works: Type your question in the comment field. I will do my best to answer it. It is that easy. Before you … | Continue reading
I am putting up two Irish Gibson chairs for sale via two random drawings. The chairs are a little different and each has a different price. Both chairs are black cherry and finished with soft wax (a non-toxic, easily repairable finish). And both are assembled with hide glue, so t … | Continue reading
During the Lost Art Press Open Wire, a reader asked if I would post a video on how I turn tenons. I’m not a fancy turner, but I can make a respectable tenon. When I make a bunch of chair parts, this is how I prefer to do it. Here are the tools shown in... | Continue reading
We’ve just added a new chapter – “Sharpen Spade Bits & Augers” to the “Sharpen This” video, and sent notification to past subscribers that’s it’s available. The original 2-1/2-hour-long video covers:• Bench planes (jack, jointer, smoother)• Block planes• Bench chisels• Mortise ch … | Continue reading
The following is excerpted from “Campaign Furniture,” by Christopher Schwarz. For almost 200 years, simple and sturdy pieces of campaign furniture were used by people all over the globe, yet this remarkable furniture style is now almost unknown to most woodworkers and furniture d … | Continue reading
Today I put together the above trailer for our new video “Build a Gibson Chair.” Plus, Megan and I started filming a bonus video that will go out to everyone who has bought the video. The bonus video will cover some refinements to the chair, plus offer some strategies for ensurin … | Continue reading