More Classes at the Lost Art Press Storefront &#8211

Megan Fitzpatrick and Brendan Gaffney have opened up some new classes that will be taught in the Lost Art Press storefront in 2018.

All three of us have been busy getting the store and shop ready. We now have six high-quality workbenches in the front room of the storefront, which is filled with natural light. And the mechanical library, Horse Garage and biergarten are coming along nicely as well. All in all, it will be an excellent place to learn handwork.

Here are the details on the classes:

Build a Dutch Tool Chest with Megan Fitzpatrick
Feb. 17-18, 2018
Cost: $300 plus a materials fee. To register, click here.

During this intense two-day class you’ll build a Dutch tool chest from pine using dovetails, dados, rabbets and nails. Because of the demands of the project, this class will likely run into the early evening to ensure everyone will complete their chest. The Dutch chest is an excellent introduction to handwork and the result is a fine place to store your tools.

Build the Cabinetmaker’s Sector with Brendan Gaffney
June 2-3, 2018
Cost: $300, which includes all raw materials. This second class is already full with people who signed up for the first class. We’ll be opening a wait list soon.

In this two-day class, students will build their own Cabinetmaker’s Sector, my modernized design for the ancient geometer’s tool, used for drawing, drafting and (in my shop) the layout of dimensions and joinery on woodwork. The class will revolve around the skills of modern hand-tool makers, including careful marking and measuring, mixing metal and wood, hand shaping, finishing and (of course) how to use the tool.

Each student will be provided the wood and the necessary brass hinges and pins, everything needed to produce the sector. The first day will revolve around affixing the brass and wooden tabs into the tools, riveting the leaves together, flattening and lapping the tools and reviewing the principles behind the geometry of the sector. The second day will revolve around shaping the sectors, stamping and inking the sector marks, finishing the sectors and learning to use them in the shop. Every student will leave with a completed sector, plus the knowledge of how it works and how to use it.

Build a Shaker Silverware Tray with Megan Fitzpatrick
June 23-24, 2018
Cost: $250, plus a small materials fee for wood & cut brads (likely around $30). To register, click here.

Make a classic Shaker silverware tray in this introduction to hand-cut dovetails. In this two-day class, you’ll learn:

Dovetail layout using dividers
How to use a backsaw to saw to a line
How to wield a coping or fret saw
How to pare and chop to a line with a chisel
Several strategies for transferring the tails to the pin board
Techniques for fitting the joint
Why dovetails work – and we’ll look at some examples of long-lasting period dovetails that look as if they were gnawed out by a beaver – “perfection” is overrated when it comes to the efficacy of this joint. (That said, you’ll also learn some “tricks” for fixing less-than-stellar dovetails.)
How to lay out then cut and fair the handles (both the hand holds and the curved top edge)
How to smooth-plane your surfaces
How to use cut nails (to secure the bottom board)
And of course, how to put it all together (and why I recommend liquid hide glue).