This comb-back stick chair is built entirely in American red elm, with the seat, arm and comb made from figured red elm, some of the most difficult wood I have ever saddled. The chair is raked back for lounging, reading or sitting by the fire. The chair’s features heavily shaped … | Continue reading
The following is an excerpt from “With All the Precision Possible: Roubo on Furniture.” This book is the result of more than a decade of work by an international team that produced the first English translation of the 18th-century woodworking masterpiece: “l’art du Menuisier” by … | Continue reading
As the Industrial Revolution mechanized the jobs of the joiner – building doors and windows by hand – one anonymous joiner watched the traditional skills disappear and decided to do something about it. That joiner wrote two short illustrated booklets that explained how to build d … | Continue reading
When Nick, a woodworker and LAP reader, first let us know about Layout Computer, his free digital chair design tool, I thought, “Wow – that’s nifty and would be awfully useful…if only I made chairs.” Well, now I think it’s unbearably cool and altogether useful, because Nick has a … | Continue reading
We’ve just received 3,000 copies of our newest edition of “With All the Precision Possible: Roubo on Furniture” and are offering it for a special introductory price: $100 with free domestic shipping until April 20, 2025. This new edition is a significant upgrade “trade” edition, … | Continue reading
“Artisan Geometry” is the overarching term used to describe the design approach in the five Lost Art Press books by Jim Tolpin and George Walker. We often get asked to explain it, and to recommend one or more of their books with which to get started. We decided those questions wo … | Continue reading
The following is an excerpt from “Calvin Cobb: Radio Woodworker! A Novel With Measured Drawings” by Roy Underhill. Across the studio, behind a grove of microphones on stands, the piano sat silent under a quilted cover like a sleeping racehorse. Calvin leaned forward in his chair … | Continue reading
Editor’s Note: Michele Pietryka-Pagán is the French-to-English translator on the three-person team dedicated to bringing André-Jacob Roubo’s work to life. We have Michele, along with Don Williams and Philippe LaFargue, to thank for “With All Precision Possible: Roubo on Furniture … | Continue reading
I recently learned my finishing mentor – likely he was yours, too – and friend Bob Flexner died at home on December 29, 2024 (read his obituary here). Bob was perhaps best-known for the book “Understanding Wood Finishing,” recognized by many as the bible of all things finishing, … | Continue reading
The following is an excerpt from “By Hound and Eye” by George Walker and Jim Tolpin; Illustrated by Andrea Love. It is a companion to the hardbound book “By Hand & Eye” by Walker and Tolpin. The two books are meant to complement one another. “By Hand & Eye” focuses more on the hi … | Continue reading
Beginning Monday, March 17, we’ll be testing the waters for walk-in storefront hours. The plan for now – always adjustable – is to be open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays…in large part because that’s about the longest stretch of being upright and active tha … | Continue reading
Planning to join us for the Anthe Open House this Sunday (March 9) from 2-5 p.m.? We hope so! It’s our public celebration of the new Lost Art Press editorial headquarters, storefront and warehouse – and it’s been a lot of work and a long time coming. We are glad to be done. (OK…d … | Continue reading
If you hate oversharing, close this page now and go on your merry way. Still here? OK – you’re about to read about what a wuss I am, because with just one weekend’s exception (and it was probably a mistake), my woodworking has been limited to reading, writing and editing about it … | Continue reading
The following is an excerpt out of “From Truth to Tools” by Jim Tolpin and George Walker; Illustrated by Andrea Love. It features some of our tools that you may recognize (Crucible Sliding Bevel and Crucible Brass Bevel Monkey) and explains why we make them and find them so usefu … | Continue reading
This comb-back stick chair is designed for dining and working at a desk. Leaned back just enough, this chair is comfortable to sit in for hours at a time. I’m offering it for sale for $1,400 via a random drawing. The price includes crating and shipping to your door anywhere in th … | Continue reading
Well it took longer than I expected, but we now have all four volumes of “The Woodworker” back in stock and ready to ship. If you order before April 30, you can get all four volumes for $100 with free domestic shipping. That’s $39 off. Plus the free shipping. Here’s the link to t … | Continue reading
The following is an excerpt from “Sharpen This” by Christopher Schwarz. One of the most frequent (and unanswerable) questions I get about sharpening is: How often should I sharpen? The correct but unsatisfactory answer is: Pretty much any time the question “Should I sharpen?” pop … | Continue reading
From 2-4 p.m. 2 p.m. on March 9 (the Sunday after the Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event at our Willard Street location), we’ll throw open the doors to the public (perhaps literally, if the weather allows!) to welcome you into our new warehouse, storefront and editorial offices at 407 M … | Continue reading
Good news: Alexander Brothers is now selling a new stick chair kit for the Curved Back Armchair in “The Stick Chair Book.” The kit supplies all the parts you need in red elm (my favorite chair wood) for $295. The kit will also build the similar Irish armchair featured in Fine Woo … | Continue reading
You might recall Chris took a sabbatical of sorts in December to work on a new book – and it’s almost ready to go to press. It might seem like this book, “Build a Chair from Bulls%$t,” came out of nowhere, and awfully quickly. But Chris has been thinking about the chair in this b … | Continue reading
These red flags attach to long lengths of lumber that extend out the back of your truck or car. The flags alert other drivers that they shouldn’t tailgate you (unless they want a mouthful of splinters). Also, a flag of some sort is required in many jurisdictions for loads that ex … | Continue reading
The following is an excerpt from “The Stick Chair Journal.” “The Stick Chair Journal 2” is also now available. While supplies last, you can purchase a bundle of issues Nos. 1 & 2 at a reduced price. James Krenov was the first woodworker I heard about who didn’t use sandpaper. Tha … | Continue reading
A reminder that at 10 a.m. Eastern, registration opens for Covington Mechanical classes for the second half of 2025. See our ticketing site for more info (and to register at 10 a.m. Eastern). — Fitz | Continue reading
Christopher Schwarz is the guest moderator for the next meeting of The Woodworker’s Book Club; at 6 p.m. Monday, March 2. The book under discussion is David Savage’s “The Intelligent Hand,” for which Chris was editor and publisher…and there endeth his suitability for the role. Ch … | Continue reading
Got a woodworking question? Post in the comments below between now and 5 p.m. Eastern, and we’ll do our best to answer. In between answering, Chris is getting ready for an upcoming class and video shoot with Jerome Bias, and I’m working on a personal project (so if we don’t answe … | Continue reading
After a few years of drying, my workbench’s benchtop shrank a bit. It’s not a big deal, but the drying process also shrank my 1” holdfast holes. And with a few of the holes it became difficult to insert the holdfast’s shaft. There are a few ways to open up the holes a bit. Reamin … | Continue reading
Here’s the news. We are closing out two of our historical reprints: Joseph Moxon’s “Mechanick Exercises” and Peter Nicholson’s “Mechanic’s Companion.” The books are now $13 each until we run out of stock. Act quickly to avoid disappointment. I’m grumpy about this sale because I h … | Continue reading
Most of the classes I teach involve at least one moment of fear for me, and that’s when I lend students my 3/16″ Philly Planes beading plane. I love this plane, and love to put a bead on just about everything. Once you try one, you can’t stop! I’d be bereft without this tool. A.. … | Continue reading
The following is excerpted from the third edition of Christian Becksvoort’s “With the Grain: A Craftsman’s Guide to Understanding Wood.” It is, above all, succinct, easy to understand and perfectly suited for the furniture-maker. As important as what is in its 160 pages is what i … | Continue reading
Mark your calendars: Next Monday (Feb. 17, 2025) at 10 a.m. Eastern, registration opens for Covington Mechanicals Classes for the second half of 2025. All classes take place in the Lost Art Press shop in Covington, Kentucky, in the city’s entertainment district – which means ther … | Continue reading
We are closing out the last 400 (or so) copies of our two translations of A-J Roubo’s “l’Art du menuisier” in order to make room for new editions of these books. The savings are significant. Act quickly to avoid disappointment. “With All the Precision Possible: Roubo on Furniture … | Continue reading
Thanks to a clever idea from our friend Roger Davis, we’re well on the way to once again offering Crucible Tool Pinch Rods (the brass on our former offering has become prohibitively expensive). Shown here is the second prototype. They work, but not as perfectly as possible, so we … | Continue reading
Ever since we sold out of the original 12″ x 17″ deluxe editions of “With All Precision Possible: Roubo on Furniture,” Chris has been itching to do another luxurious book…if perhaps not _quite_ so extravagant (the almost-full-folio size of that edition was crazy expensive). Inste … | Continue reading
The following is excerpted from the third edition of Christian Becksvoort’s “With the Grain: A Craftsman’s Guide to Understanding Wood.” It is, above all, succinct, easy to understand and perfectly suited for the furniture-maker. As important as what is in its 160 pages is what i … | Continue reading
A few years back (OK – more than a decade ago), we shared designer Wesley Tanner’s instructions for opening a new book with a sewn binding: “The first thing I do when I get a book like this with sewn signatures is to ‘open it up.’ I remove the jacket off and lay the book... | Continue reading
If you haven’t bought a Tooley Park scriber, this is the week to do it. This little tool is handy for marking chair and table legs for final trimming, plus scribing cabinets and countertops to irregular walls. And it’s on sale for 20 percent off until Feb. 8. The sale applies onl … | Continue reading
Peter Galbert just released a new 8-hour video on making his Temple Chair (from either green or kiln-dried wood). Along with his expert instruction – and Peter is one of the best teachers I’ve ever encountered – you’ll get a handbook, as well as full-sized pdf plans drawn by Jeff … | Continue reading
The following is excerpted from John Porritt’s “The Belligerent Finisher.” This shows the first two steps (surface preparation and adding color) before he goes on to burnish, stain, paint, shellac, oil, dent, wax, and add the finishing touches. It sounds overwhelming but the proc … | Continue reading
As I write this, in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, hundreds of attendees and a dozen or so presenters are enjoying the waning hours of the 27th annual “Working Wood in the 18th Century” conference. This year’s theme was “To Furnish a Town: High, Low, and In-Between,” and I was … | Continue reading
This is an excerpt from our newest book “Good Eye” by Jim Tolpin and George Walker. Like their counterparts in the West, traditional artisans in China, Korea and Japan understood symmetry and used it extensively in their designs. By symmetry, we mean creating designs that display … | Continue reading
We are hosting a free Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event at our Willard Street workshop on March 7-8, 2025. In addition to all the Lie-Nielsen tools and our books, the show will feature planemaker Matt Bickford, author of “Mouldings in Practice.” If you have never been to a Hand Tool Ev … | Continue reading
Our new storefront was supposed to be open by Jan. 1, but it’s still not done because we are waiting on the cabinetry that was supposed to arrive before Christmas. We are not gritching. Delays happen. But until we can get the new storefront at 407 Madison Ave. up and running, we … | Continue reading
Recently, Owen Madden started a book club, and he wants you to join. A professional cabinetmaker from upstate New York, Madden works as shop foreman at Rowan Woodwork. “At our shop, we have a monthly meetup, and I get to meet some of the most talented woodworkers and artists,” Ma … | Continue reading
Editor’s note: The third edition of “Cut & Dried” should arrive in February. You can sign up to be notified when it arrives here. In this post, author Richard Jones explains his update to Chapter 6. In 2021, I decided I ought to update “Cut & Dried,” and the third reprint of it a … | Continue reading
We spent the last couple months of 2024 working hard on our building at 407 Madison Ave., an old woodworking tool factory that we are restoring as our fulfillment center, retail store and editorial offices. In addition to the staff and sub-contractors, we brought in Zach Haynes o … | Continue reading
This week I’ve signed off on a new press run of our four-volume set of “The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years.” We ran out of stock last year, and reprinting the books became prohibitively expensive (thanks, inflation!). I didn’t want to charge people more than $200 for th … | Continue reading
The following is a portion of the introduction to Karvsnitt: Carving, Pattern and Color in the Slöjd Tradition. Cutting patterns is a natural part of working wood with hand tools. For centuries, patterns and symbols have decorated simple tools and utensils. During long winter nig … | Continue reading
This curved-back stick chair is one of the most comfortable chairs I make. It is ideal for reading, sitting by the fire and talking with friends. I’m offering it for sale for $1,800 via a random drawing. The price includes crating and shipping to your door anywhere in the lower 4 … | Continue reading