Fast Shipping
Most orders shipped within 24 hours
Made in the USA
All tools and books made in USA
Information You Can Trust
Authors & editors with decades of experience
Shop Collections
Customer Testimonials
'Humble approach'
You have provided a great deal of very helpful information, mixed with humor and a humble approach to woodworking.
– Kenneth K.
'Put me on a path'
The American Peasant Substack has put me on a path to find inspiration wherever it may be.
– Nick W.
'Confidence'
I’m (very) slowly getting into woodworking and you’ve helped give me the confidence that I might be able to make some things.
– Ben
Mind Upon Mind: Bevel Kebab
Like many others, I find one of the more challenging parts of making stick furniture is consistently drilling holes at a set angle, especially without a laser or without another pair of eyes to make sure I’m ...
2025 Anarchist’s Gift Guide: Bonus Day
Animal glues are the best adhesive for our work. They are reversible and can be configured to set up quickly or slowly, depending on what you need. Whenever we talk to students about the wonders of animal ...
2025 Anarchist’s Gift Guide: Day 11
These lightweight aluminum, Iowa-made bar clamps are the cat’s pajamas for a lot of my work. No, they can’t exert the bone-crushing pressure of our handful of old iron Hargraves, and the clamping pad isn’t ...
2025 Anarchist’s Gift Guide: Day 10
At first, I was taught to use oven cleaner to remove the gunk from sawblades and router bits. It works, of course, but the stuff is also nasty, corrosive and toxic. About 2001 or so, we started using CMT’s ...
New Book & New 24″ Wooden Ruler
Big day here. “The Stick Chair Book: 2nd Revised Edition” is here (the first 1,000 people who purchase it from us will receive a free merit badge). And we are now selling24″ Joiner’s Rules– made in Maine ...
The Woodworker Vols. 1-4
Before we even started Lost Art Press, we started work on a four-volume bible covering handwork that draws on the works of legendary writer and editor Charles H. Hayward. Our goal: A set of books that will guide a woodworker from their first project to the most advanced techniques. In short, four library-grade volumes that should be the cornerstone of any woodworker interested in handwork.
It took a team of six people more than eight years to sift through thousands of pages of Hayward's writings and illustrations. We organized, scanned and edited vintage texts from Hayward to create a series we call "The Woodworker Vols. 1-4." These four books cover the core topics of handwork at a level of detail rarely found in woodworking texts today. There are 1,492 pages of information in the four books.
- Volume 1: Tools
- Volume 2: Techniques
- Volume 3: Joinery
- Volume 4: The Shop & Furniture
Why did we do all this? Honestly, there has never been another woodworker like Hayward. And his work was in danger of being lost to time. Hayward (1898-1998) was the most important workshop writer and editor of the 20th century. Unlike any person before (and perhaps after) him, Hayward was a trained cabinetmaker and extraordinary illustrator, not to mention an excellent designer, writer, editor and photographer.
As editor of The Woodworker magazine from 1939 to 1967, Hayward oversaw the transformation of the craft from one that was almost entirely hand-tool based to a time where machines were common, inexpensive and had displaced the handplanes, chisels and backsaws of Hayward’s training and youth.
Our massive project distilled the thousands of articles Hayward published in The Woodworker. This is information that hasn’t been seen or read in decades. No matter where you are in the craft, from a complete novice to a professional, you will find information here you cannot get anywhere else.
This is not simply a quick reprint of old magazines. We reset all of the type. We scanned and cleaned up every image (more than 2,000 drawings and photos). And we organized it in a logical and compelling way.
Volume I: Tools (456 pages)
Sharpening
Setting Out Tools & Chisels
Planes
Saws
Boring Tools
Carving
Turning
Veneering & Inlay
Volume II: Techniques (432 pages)
General Techniques
Miscellaneous Tools & Techniques
Volume III: Joinery (278 pages)
Panel Joints
Frame Joints
Dovetail & Carcase Joints
Miscellaneous Joints
Volume IV: Workshop & Furniture (326 pages)
Workbenches & Workholding
Tool Chests & Storage
Appliances
Furniture Styles
Furniture Projects & Drawings
Miscellaneous Details
Thoughts on the Craft (Odds & Sods)
Not convinced? You can download a complete (and searchable) list of all the articles in Volumes 1-4 here.
Manufacturing Details
Like all Lost Art Press books, these 8.5" x 11" volumes are designed to last several lifetimes and survive rough use in the shop. The interior pages are printed in Michigan on #60 uncoated paper. The pages are folded into signatures. The signatures are gathered and then sewn together with thread (something rarely done in printing today). Then, the sewn signatures are glued and reinforced with fiber tape. The book block is then wrapped with thick U.S.-made cardstock. In use, the book will open flat on your bench and remain intact for decades to come.
About Charles H. Hayward
Charles H. Hayward (1898-1998) was the most important workshop writer and editor of the 20th century. Unlike any person before (and perhaps after) him, Hayward was a trained cabinetmaker and extraordinary illustrator, not to mention an excellent designer, writer, editor and photographer. As editor of The Woodworker magazine from 1939 to 1967, Hayward oversaw the transformation of the craft from one that was almost entirely hand-tool based to a time where machines were common, inexpensive and had displaced the handplanes, chisels and backsaws of Hayward’s training and youth.
In addition to these four volumes, you also might be interested in "Honest Labour: The Charles H. Hayward Years" and "Woodworker's Pocket Book," edited by Charles H. Hayward.
You can learn about Hayward, as remembered by Robert Wearing, here.