[{"id":262360563775,"handle":"all-books-1","title":"All Books","updated_at":"2024-11-12T02:15:21-05:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2021-11-06T08:19:16-04:00","sort_order":"created-desc","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"type","relation":"equals","condition":"Book"}],"published_scope":"global"},{"id":14049653,"handle":"books","title":"Books","updated_at":"2024-11-12T02:15:21-05:00","body_html":"All books from Lost Art Press are produced entirely in the United States. We use acid-free paper and tough bindings – our books's signatures are sewn and glued for durability whenever physically possible.","published_at":"2013-12-16T11:31:00-05:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"type","relation":"equals","condition":"Book"}],"published_scope":"global"},{"id":158051598399,"handle":"chairmaking","title":"Chairmaking","updated_at":"2024-11-11T23:10:04-05:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2020-02-02T19:22:22-05:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Chairmaking"}],"published_scope":"global"},{"id":267678711871,"handle":"furniture-projects","updated_at":"2024-11-11T23:10:04-05:00","published_at":"2023-10-05T13:39:12-04:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"global","title":"Furniture Projects","body_html":""},{"id":262488719423,"handle":"gifts-for-your-woodworker","updated_at":"2024-11-12T00:20:01-05:00","published_at":"2021-11-19T11:37:28-05:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"global","title":"Gifts for Your Woodworker","body_html":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eGet the woodworker in your life something they didn’t know they needed – or something they would never buy for themselves.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eLost Art Press and Crucible Tools makes everything – everything – in the United States and has been providing quality books and tools since 2007. Here are some of our new and classic items that are available for immediate shipment.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.com\/collections\/tools\/products\/big-protractor-from-firstlightworks\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.com\/collections\/tools\/products\/big-protractor-from-firstlightworks\"\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCrucible Big Protractor\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eMost woodworkers use small protractors intended for students. Our protractor is almost 12” wide, making it easy to use in the shop and shockingly accurate. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.com\/collections\/books\/products\/the-handcrafted-life-of-dick-proenneke\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.com\/collections\/books\/products\/the-handcrafted-life-of-dick-proenneke\"\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Handcrafted Life of Dick Proenneke\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOne of our newest books, this amazing story of Dick Proenneke chronicles his 30-year adventure in the Alaskan wilderness through the objects he built and used to survive – from all of his furniture to a berry picker made from an oil can. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.com\/collections\/books\/products\/the-anarchists-workbench\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.com\/collections\/books\/products\/the-anarchists-workbench\"\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Anarchist’s Workbench\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eEvery woodworker deserves a good workbench. And this book represents more than 20 years of research into ancient, simple and highly effective workbenches. The bench shown in the book can be built with construction lumber and simple tools – and works far better than expensive commercial benches.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.com\/collections\/apparel\/products\/lost-art-press-beer-steins\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.com\/collections\/apparel\/products\/lost-art-press-beer-steins\"\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLost Art Press Steins\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOne of our newest products, these 20-ounce steins are great for coffee and are handmade by an artists’ collective in Minnesota. We cannot believe how nice and reasonably priced these steins turned out.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.com\/collections\/books\/products\/the-essential-woodworker\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.com\/collections\/books\/products\/the-essential-woodworker\"\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Essential Woodworker\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eFor any woodworker looking to get started in hand tools, “The Essential Woodworker” is the easiest and fastest path to truly understanding handwork on a fundamental level. It’s one of the most important and influential books we’ve published. And one of our personal favorites.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.com\/collections\/books\/products\/make-a-chair-from-a-tree\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMake a Chair from a Tree: Third Edition\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOne of the most influential woodworking books of the 20th century, “Make a Chair from a Tree” launched an explosion of interest in building things using wood that was green from the forest. For the last 20 years, the book has been out of print. But thanks to the original author and a team of woodworkers, this brilliant new third edition is available again for a new generation.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.com\/collections\/tools\/products\/crucible-bench-square\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCrucible Bench Square\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThis deceptively simple wooden square is a remarkably useful tool at the bench for marking out crosscuts and miter cuts. Based on ancient wooden squares, our version is made with modern materials and laser precision so it is accurate and remains that way through years of use.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.com\/collections\/apparel\/products\/new-tee-shirt-draft\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Blackout’ T-shirt from Lost Art Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe spent years finding a U.S. manufacturer that could make us a durable T-shirt with our logo using a true discharge print – the ink is soaked into the cloth and won’t flake off. This dark-blue shirt features a subtle black logo on the front and is designed for decades of hard wear.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.com\/collections\/books\/products\/kitchen-think\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eKitchen Think\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eMost woodworkers have the tools and skills to remake their kitchen. But they don’t know how to go about designing the space so it feels like an integrated part of the home. Professional cabinetmaker and designer Nancy R. Hiller dispenses a lifetime of experience into this fascinating full-color book. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","image":{"created_at":"2021-11-19T11:37:27-05:00","alt":null,"width":1000,"height":1333,"src":"\/\/lostartpress.com\/cdn\/shop\/collections\/LAP_wreath_IMG_0633.jpg?v=1637339847"}},{"id":69078843455,"handle":"green-woodworking","title":"Greenwood","updated_at":"2024-11-11T18:05:26-05:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2019-04-03T09:50:24-04:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Green Woodworking"}],"published_scope":"global"},{"id":267665539135,"handle":"historical-texts","updated_at":"2024-11-12T02:05:55-05:00","published_at":"2023-10-04T15:24:33-04:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"global","title":"Historical Texts","body_html":""},{"id":267664621631,"handle":"joinery","updated_at":"2024-11-12T00:20:01-05:00","published_at":"2023-10-04T14:13:04-04:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"global","title":"Joinery","body_html":"","image":{"created_at":"2023-10-04T14:13:03-04:00","alt":null,"width":635,"height":476,"src":"\/\/lostartpress.com\/cdn\/shop\/collections\/dovetail_done_IMG_0754.jpg?v=1696443183"}},{"id":13382609,"handle":"frontpage","updated_at":"2024-11-12T02:15:16-05:00","published_at":"2013-11-26T15:57:00-05:00","sort_order":"created-desc","template_suffix":null,"published_scope":"global","title":"New Products","body_html":""}]
In 2014, Jennie Alexander somewhat reluctantly agreed to a third edition of her 1978 seminal book on green woodworking, “Make a Chair From a Tree” – a book that launched the careers of thousands of woodworkers and helped ignite a green woodworking movement in this country.
Her reluctance wasn’t due to a lack of passion for the book’s subject – the simple but gorgeous object that we now call a Jennie Chair had been an obsession of hers for decades. She simply didn’t know if she was physically and mentally up to the task of essentially starting from scratch on a new book – she had learned so much since the first two editions were published that this is an almost entirely new book.
Thus, "Make a Chair From a Tree: Third Edition" is the culmination of a lifetime's work on post-and-rung chairs, covering in detail every step of the green-wood chairmaking process – from splitting and riving parts to making graceful cuts with a drawknife and spokeshave, to brace-and-bit boring for the solid joinery, to hickory-bark seat weaving.
With the help of Larry Barrett, one of her devoted students, she worked on this new version of the book until just weeks before her 2018 death. Larry polished Jennie's final manuscript, then built a chair in Jennie's shop using her techniques and tools as we took many of the photographs for this book. Nathaniel Krause (another of Jennie’s devoted students), wove the hickory seat for this book. Longtime friend and collaborator Peter Follansbee helped to edit the text into the intensely technical (but easy to understand) and personal (but not maudlin) words that ended up in this third edition.
We know Jennie would be delighted by the contributions from the people she taught and who, in turn, inspired her. (Though we also suspect she'd say we should just start rewriting the book at the beginning…. again.)
Like all Lost Art Press books, “Make a Chair from a Tree: Third Edition” is produced and printed in the United States. The book is 184 pages and measures 9″ square – the original trim size of the 1978 edition. Unlike the original edition, our version is in full color and the book is hardback. The text is printed on acid-free paper in signatures. These signatures are sewn and reinforced with fiber tape. The interior is then wrapped in hardcover boards and cotton cloth.
Contents
Publisher's Note vii Contributor's Notes ix Introduction xv Chapter 1: Hardwoods for Post-&-Rung Chairs 1 Chapter 2: Wood, Moisture & Movement 10 Chapter 3: Tools 10 Chapter 4: Work Surfaces, Holding Devices & Jigs 32 Chapter 5: Splitting, Riving & Hewing 46 Chapter 6: Drawknifing Posts & Rungs 62 Chapter 7: Steambending, Slat Mortising & Finishing the Posts 76 Chapter 8: Finishing the Rungs & Forming the Tenons 84 Chapter 9: Introduction to Post Mortising & Chair Assembly 92 Chapter 10: Mortising & Assembling the Side Frames 102 Chapter 11: Mortising the Side Frames for the Front & Back Rungs, & Assembling the Chair 112 Chapter 12: Slats 120 Chapter 13: Finishing Up & Finishing 130 Chapter 14: Seating 136 Afterword 150 Bibliography 152