Every once in a while, somebody creates a series that, for reasons unknown, really strikes something inside me. That’s the case with the furniture of bent-lamination wizard Kino Guérin. I’m...
Grain painting with beer, earth pigments and flaming shellac. When most people think of period furniture, they think of high-style carving or inlay. This hyper-focus on exceptional examples skews our...
Thomas Jefferson’s book boxes became the foundation of the Library of Congress. I like to think of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library as America’s first “bookmobile.” When the British burned down...
Editor’s note: Our Mind Upon Mind series is a nod to a 1937 Chips from the Chisel column (also featured in “Honest Labour: The Charles H. Hayward Years”), in which Hayward wrote, “The influence of mind upon mind is extraordinary.” The idea being there’s often room for improvement. To that end, we’ve asked you what else you have...
https://blog.lostartpress.com/2026/03/25/mind-upon-mind-lunch-tray-sandwich/
I’ve been low-key looking for a new tablesaw for about a year. We had a 14” Rockwell saw that for most of its life was a main saw in a...
Guide clamps make it easy to position a straightedge for sawing or routing, because they clamp to both ends of a workpiece. I made my own, using a 5“ wide...
The 18th-century jigs of this French master belong in the contemporary shop. I’ve often heard that confession is good for the soul, so let me begin with one here. Especially...
On this week’s episode of the ShopNotes Podcast, Logan and Phil respond to viewer/listener comments and discuss must-have (and much-loathed) features on router tables. Head to the Woodsmith website for...
I would have bent my first set of sides during my first year at the London College of Furniture (1976/77) and I’ve bent a fair few bits of wood since. It never ceases to amaze me what you can do with a drop of moisture and a bending iron. I wasn’t 100% sure about the extreme bending that this new shape would need but as you’ll see (spoiler alert) it all went well. So, in part two, I make the rim of the mandolin: bend the sides, fit various blocks, linings etc and use my radius dish for fitting the back. Also, I get the neck blank made too! Quite a lot to take in, so get yourself a cup of tea.
Cheers Gary
https://guitar-maker.blogspot.com/2026/03/new-model-mandolin-2.html
I uploaded the interior files to our printer on Tuesday for Peter Follansbee’s latest book, “17th-Century Essex County Cupboard” – so by the time you read this, I hope we’re finalizing the cover. This one is a tour de force – a twice-in-a-lifetime project (though I’ll bet Peter wouldn’t mind making it again) that we...
https://blog.lostartpress.com/2026/03/21/17th-century-essex-county-cupboard-to-prepress/
Welcome to The Splinter Report, where I gather the assorted interesting and amusing things I’ve seen in the woodworking world. This week we’re looking at 1996, a sweet tool chest,...
Of all the “new” things I’ve tried with woodworking over the last few years, the most fascinating — and, more importantly, the most fun — is epoxy resin. Until now I’ve used it...
In our last conversation, we explored AI’s ability – or lack thereof – to help us visualize furniture appearance for ourselves or our customers during the planning and design process....
For over a century, Powermatic has set the gold standard in woodworking machinery. Since 1921, the name Powermatic has represented precision, durability and pride in craftsmanship. In workshops and at...
Recently, I shared some background on Gustav Stickley and the philosophy that guided his work during his years with the Stickley Brothers Furniture Company. Among the many pieces he designed,...
The area below your drill press table is the perfect spot to pack in some storage and turn your drill press into a robust work center. The drill press may...
Tool: BenchPilot Shop Now Manufacturer: Shaper Tools MSRP: $1499 One of the most exciting tools of the year, in my opinion, was Shaper Tool’s release of BenchPilot at the AWFS...
Good news – we’re adding Tuesday hours to the storefront. Starting on March 24, the Lost Art Press store (407 Madison Ave., Covington, Ky., 40411) will be open from 10 a.m.-2 pm. every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Kara Gebhart Uhl, author of “Cadi & the Cursed Oak” and Lost Art Press copy editor (among...
https://blog.lostartpress.com/2026/03/17/new-more-storefront-hours/
White pine and Hickory bark updates In our modern convenience culture, we are often led to believe that anything is available at any time. I mean, when it’s July my...
I’ve tried all kinds of jigs for installing drawer slides, none to my satisfaction. My jig holds the drawer slides right where I want while I install them. You can...
Often, the old ways are more efficient. I use 18th-century hand tools because I make reproduction furniture. In my mind, the simplest, most efficient way to make authentic-looking furniture is...
On this week’s episode of the ShopNotes Podcast, Logan and Phil welcome special guest Jamie Harpster of Plane Wellness, a non-profit that offers woodworking courses that are free to adults...
No sooner one mandolin is complete than another comes along!
So, after a very long gestation period, my New Model Mandolin is finally being realised. In this first episode of a new build series of videos, I look at its overall shape and go into detail about the making of the external mould. The mould is used for accurate construction of the mandolin’s rim.
https://guitar-maker.blogspot.com/2026/03/new-model-mandolin-1.html
Welcome to The Splinter Report, where I gather the assorted interesting and amusing things I’ve seen in the woodworking world. This week we’re looking at skittles, spiders, and speedy dovetails....
Furniture being deadly seems like such an unlikely threat, but tipping accidents happen by the thousands every year. Charlie Horn would be a young man in his early 20s today...
Tool: Jointer-Planer A2-26 Shop Now Manufacturer: Hammer MSRP: $2599 In a small shop, every square foot matters. I recently downsized from a roomy single-stall garage to a space that’s almost...
This four-piece dovetailed step stool is a weekend class I sometimes teach – but unlike for most of my classes, it’s not a project I, er, borrowed from Chris or wrote about myself for a magazine article or book. It’s an excellent beginner’s dovetailing project, and you end up with a nice little stool that’s...
https://blog.lostartpress.com/2026/03/12/simple-dovetailed-step-stool/
Freshly updated for 2026, we take a look at ten dust extractors to see which ones stand out and which ones suck the most. The battle against dust is one...
A broken spindle or chair rung can be removed well enough. But how do you get the repaired or new part back in without major disassembly? The answer is a...
Editor’s note: Our Mind Upon Mind series is a nod to a 1937 Chips from the Chisel column (also featured in “Honest Labour: The Charles H. Hayward Years”), in which Hayward wrote, “The influence of mind upon mind is extraordinary.” The idea being there’s often room for improvement. To that end, we’ve asked you what else you have...
https://blog.lostartpress.com/2026/03/11/mind-upon-mind-marking-octagons/
What we do means more than what we know When I was 15 years old, I met a millwork shop owner named Lee. I would buy lumber from him for...
When I’m finishing a project, I support it on small stands. They raise the project off the bench so I can get at its lower edges. I’ve seen stands like...
NOTE: This video is being offered at the introductory price of $30 for the first 30 days of its release. After that, it will be sold for the full price of $60. In this nearly two-hour video, professional chairmaker Chris Williams shows you how he builds a beautiful Welsh lobsterpot chair using simple tools and...
https://blog.lostartpress.com/2026/03/09/new-video-build-a-welsh-lobsterpot-chair-with-chris-williams/
A drill press is a precision tool, but your accuracy will only be as good as your setup. Learn how to dial in your drill press for clean, accurate holes...
Can a woodworker—whether a hobbyist or a professional—confidently use AI as a tool for design and construction? Most of us are already using Artificial Intelligence in small doses. It has...
Today we offer two comfortable stick chairs for sale that Kale and I recently finished. As always, the price includes crating and shipping anywhere in the lower 48 states. Here are the details. The Bebb Chair, a Welsh Comb-back in Olive Ash This chair is my interpretation of one of my favorite Welsh stick chairs....
https://blog.lostartpress.com/2026/03/06/2-stick-chairs-for-sale-from-kale-and-chris/
Welcome to The Splinter Report, where I gather the assorted interesting and amusing things I’ve seen in the woodworking world. This week we’re looking at vintage pinball, HR Giger, and...
One of my oldest projects is a large trunk that’s survived half a dozen moves since I made it over 40 years ago. Constructed of solid 3/4″ red oak, it...