First, Lost Art Press pencils are back in stock. Made in the USA to our specifications, these pencils are robust shop companions and come in a nicely fitted box. Second, here’s why they’re back in stock, despite these dark days. When I got my first taste of corporate publishing in 1996, I learned all about...... Read more

This installment of the Setting Up Shop video series focuses on the big, beefy rip handsaw. Too many woodworkers are intimidated by the idea of ripping by hand, but there is no reason for it. Get yourself a properly set up tool and let ‘er rip. It’s good to get the blood pumping.  – Joshua  ... Read more

Back in May, I served up some high praise for the “Atlas of Furniture Design,” published by the Vitra Design Museum in Germany. If you haven’t bought this book for yourself, please have your family buy it for you for the holidays.  The “Atlas of Furniture Design” is one of those books that is going...... Read more

 It started with my wife asking if I had an extra envelope holder. I asked why and she said she wanted it to hold her dead people folders. I said I could make something to hold the folders better then the envelope one. The size of a folder and an envelope is different. Starting making that in the PM session today. after dinner workI wasn't crazy about putting a knob on the drawer front to pull it out because of the... Read more

In October of 2015 visited Hancock Shaker Village for the first time. The reason for the trip was to examine two particular pieces in their collection. A candle stand and one of Issacs Youngs wall clocks for prospective videos on building them. Both pieces were well known and often written about Shaker pieces; but not... Continue Reading →... Read more

This morning, our students in the Apprenticeship program turned in the last of their assignments – they’ve posted pictures of their shellac and milk paint projects and shared their essays of reflection on the past eight weeks of dedicated craft work. We’ve watched these folks go from green and a little nervous on day one to steady growth in confidence and skill over two months. They’ve taken these challenges head on, working through freehand sharpening, stock prep with hand tools,... Read more

If you have questions, concerns or declarations to make about the Dutch tool chest, read on. We have upgraded our video and audio equipment during the last six months and are ready to attempt another livestream. The host will be our own Megan Fitzpatrick. The topic will be “Dutch Tool Chests: Design, Construction & Use.”...... Read more

Some woodworkers scoff at owning a level because it is regarded as mostly a carpenter’s tool. Furniture doesn’t have to be level and plumb, does it? A small level – about 12″ long – is a great thing to have in the workshop. You can use it to level your workbench. And then you can...... Read more

I made a couple of chairs in late September/early October and shot a video of weaving the seat with hickory bark. There’s lots of information out in the world about chair seating. This video is just how I do it – no more than that. I learned hickory bark work from Jennie Alexander and Drew … Continue reading Hickory bark seating video... Read more

 My girls say I'm a creature of habit and they can tell the hour and the day of the week just by what I do. I'm ok with that and now that it is football season I indulge and watch it. I don't watch it and scream at the TV but rather I work on the computer and have the game on but muted. The Patriots routed the Jets 54 to 13. The QB for NE looked good and the... Read more

 Lots of work outside right now, so mot much happening in or near my shops, except a bunch of fall maintenance on garden tools: Cleaning, sharpening, oiling spades, shovels, chainsaw etc.Between all of these, been experimenting with using a piece of ABS drain pipe 1-1/2 with Evaporust for handling more efficiently long pieces.  Quickly found out that tapping the plastic test cap on the ends is asking for a leak.  Just hand pressure, good seal, working great.  I've been soaking...I... Read more

When I design a new piece of furniture, I start on paper, but I almost always mock things up before committing my ideas to joinery and glue. And a big part of mocking things up involves arranging parts temporarily then physically stepping back from the mock-up to give it a gander. For this step of...... Read more

 The last version of Linux mint and the current one both had the same problem. I couldn't download any software without getting repository and key errors. The programs I downloaded worked but the database wouldn't update after the download. Searching the forums for an answer proved to be a waste of time for me. I found the answer in the Linux Mint 20.2 book I just got. I think I was missing keys and I was able to get them... Read more

I just shot some photos & cursed a while at the dashboard of the blog while I put together an updated page of Furniture for sale. Two ladderbacks and a carved box are the new items. One brettstuhl is leftover from last time. The details are here https://pfollansbee.wordpress.com/furniture-for-sale-october-23-2021/ This is the carved box – I … Continue reading Furniture for sale etc... Read more

 The mailbox is epoxied up or is it ok to say it is glued? When I say glue, white/yellow glue is what pops into my brain bucket first. Epoxy seems to be a step above (or below) white/yellow glues. Since I used epoxy it will be tomorrow before I can play with it again. I used Total Boat epoxy so it shouldn't have any problems hanging out on the front of the house. glue up from yesterdayThe outside edge was cracked... Read more