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'Attention to detail'
I have been a consumer of Lost Art Press publications and Crucible tools for well over a decade. Quality and attention to detail is exceptional and customer service is first rate.
– Brad Gutierrez
'Treat people right'
They treat people right. Whether it’s me as a customer, the people who write the books or fellow craftspersons, they jump in try to make things right and get people the help they need.
– Tom Harvey
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Lost Art Press woodworking books repeatedly immerse me in forgotten elements of the craft with simple explanations of techniques that nearly anyone can use to make quality pieces.
– Chris Quinn
Mind Upon Mind: A Method for Accurately Drilling Compound Angles
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 ...
The Tyranny of Tables
Your dining chairs can be more comfortable without being redesigned. The problem is that the tables won’t allow it. Almost every modern dining table is 30″ tall. And almost every modern chair has a seat that is 18″ off the floor. That ...
For Sale: Irish Armchair in Red Elm & Sycamore (& Green Socks)
This Irish armchair is one of the most comfortable chairs I make, and I built this particular example in elm and sycamore for an upcoming revised edition of “The Stick Chair Book.” This ...
Factory-edge Test with Elmer’s Glue Max
After learning the epoxy has enough gap-filling properties to make a great edge joint with “factory” edges, we decided to see if Elmer’s Glue Max could also do the trick. James Wright of Wood by Wright has been ...
Hayward Collection Back in Stock (& Extended Intro Offer)
In late February when we got our new Hayward four-volume collection in stock, we offered a $100 special on the set with free domestic shipping through April 30. But we ran out ...
Crucible Engraving Tool
The Crucible Engraving Tool is a simple, easy-to-use tool that allows you to slice straight and curved decorative lines on almost any wooden surface. The Engraving Tool was designed to create geometric patterns found on old Scandinavian and Eastern European furniture. But we found it also is excellent at carving modern geometric patterns – even animal shapes.
The Engraving Tool consists of two pieces: a handle and a replaceable cutter (we include two cutters with the handle). The handle can be held like a pencil and used against a straightedge to engrave shallow lines (about 1/16” deep) in hardwoods or softwoods. The handle can also be installed into any compass that holds a pencil (more on that below). Used with a compass, the cutter creates clean arcs. You can also install the handle in a trammel to make large arcs.
The aluminum handle has a special round collet at its tip that holds the pear-shaped cutter. The high-carbon steel cutters are easy to sharpen and keep polished with simple tools (sandpaper, honing compound). The two included cutters should last more than a lifetime. (Full instructions for sharpening and using the tool are included.)
The Crucible Engraving Tool was developed during Christopher Schwarz’s research for “The American Peasant.” The book is an introduction to European peasant furniture and the decorative protective spells engraved on the furniture pieces. The original spells were made with a pair of tools. One tool was a wing compass where one of its legs had a rounded cutter (instead of a metal point or a pencil point) to engrave curved arcs. The other tool was a knife handle with a cutter (like a hoof knife) to engrave straight lines.
The Crucible Engraving Tool does both operations – curved and straight cuts – because it can be installed in a compass. The only requirements for the compass are it can accept a standard pencil (about 0.295” in diameter) and that you can lock its legs in place. The cutting action requires the legs be locked – a compass that uses only friction won’t hold its setting while cutting.
You can download the instruction sheet for the tool here.
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