This week I read ROMAN WORKBENCHES, by Christopher Schwarz (this is one of the titles Chris noted above as now available in pdf at no cost). It’s a brief work, and a surprisingly light read for a discussion of 2000 year old workbench design. There’s a few laugh-out-loud moments—that Priapus thing, as well as Chris’ inimitable style which never fails to kick me over the edge from time to time.
I did have a rough moment with the unfamiliar phrase of “traversing boards with a fore plane”—however, I do know that to traverse, say, a hill, is to ‘move across’ the slope, so it’s easy enough to deduce the context here is to move across the board, to plane across the grain. And 23 pages later we get this confirmed: “Plane across the grain, what Joseph Moxon calls ‘traversing’”. Indeed. Glad we cleared that up.
All in all it’s a lucid discussion of some of the most ancient work benches historians are aware of, and recounts Chris’ experiences in researching, re-creating, and using them today—demonstrating how they continue to be a useful model for modern times.
A worthwhile read. And it sets one to thinking: I have 7’ of 3x12” oak in the shed …
Thank you Chris for your generosity and outlook on life in general. While I will probably not own all of LAP's books in hardcopy due to space issues, I have a few, bought pdfs of others, and recently started getting the Crucible tools. I think what you, personally, and LAP in general do is noble and deserves support.
Since your post reminds me very much of his work, I thought I'd mention Cory Doctorow. While it's very likely you are familiar with him, I figured it's worth a mention in case you, or any of the readers here, aren't. "Chokepoint Capitalism" is the most pertinent to the IP issues you are raising, but a ton of his writing is surrounding the same concepts of IP ownership, corporate rent seeking, etc.
I hope I added to your reading list a fraction of what you added to mine :)
I've purchased 6 of these books. Some of them I purchased a PDF so I can search and print individual pages. I've done the same for other LAP books. As I make milk paint, I wish I could get a PDF of that book I've been transcribing too.
I might never buy physical copies of all your books. I've been downsizing my physical library and have donated nearly 6 bookshelves worth (probably more than you have in the the LAP library you've blogged about). But I have been adding physical copies of the LAP books.
This is what I meant when I said you guys are just built different. I didn't realize it until I read this article, because I never intended to buy all your books. I've bought everything that's available because "the laborer deserves his wages," and the way you publish the books is a lost art in itself. Hmmm, imagine that. If you ever order anymore copies of Roman Workbenches or The Art of Joinery, let me know. I might as well finish out the collection for the shop library.
I own the physical books, but I appreciate having the .pdf's as a split time between two shops and it's nice not to have to ferry the books back and forth!
I have many LAP books on my shelves, and I refer to them so frequently that my wife asks if I have lost my memory because surely by now I'd have remembered all I need from those pages.
And the pdf versions of your books are much appreciated as well: most recently during building a stick chair for kids I wanted to compare several of the designs for chair seats and I was getting fed-up turning pages and moving books around the bench, so I printed just those pages needed – very convenient.
A few of the LAP books aren't available from Lee Valley Tools in Canada, so I've appreciated having access to the pdf versions of those as well. Thanks Chris.
If every dollar you spend is a vote for the world you want to see, this practical expression of your generous view on life is vote buying in the most honourable way.
Chris I'm curious why you released this one last. Were there touchups you wanted to do first? Wanted to wait until it paid it's way (seems unlikely.) Something else?
Spectacular. Your home must be a lovely place with those teak, mahogany, and brass pieces. Just dove in to see which chests you said you had, and WOW! Thank you for being the historical woodworking world’s favorite drug dealer
When I order my copy on 3/7/14, I’m pretty sure there was no bundle with a pdf during ordering. An electronic copy is a great addition to ensure “Campaign Furniture” is available now and to future generations!
I appreciate your sentiment about the need for information to be free. But, in another vein, I recently had a family member in her early twenties express shock that I refused to plug into Spotify for my music listening. I replied that I think that artists should be paid for their creativity. If all you want to listen to is free, soon you'll only be listening to crap that can't find a marketplace. The idealism behind free information needs some green energy somewhere along the path to maintain content quality. There are plenty of online books presenting free birdhouse plans studding the corners of the internet already.
By the way, I purchased Campaign Furniture back during the First Edition. In those days you got an autographed insert card instead of an autographed volume.
I don't use Spotify. For the most part, I buy the music (from the artist if possible). And I buy the physical version if at all possible.
Every person who makes information should be able to choose how it is distributed and sold. If you want to take a fraction of a penny for a music stream in exchange for exposure, that's your right, and I support you. If you want to give away your work electronically, that's also your right.
To have control of your work, however, you have to own it. And that's a hard hard crappy road. We work without distributors or mass marketers, and it's an enormous effort. But it can be done.
There are a number of musicians that are able to find an audience and make a good living while owning their music nowadays.
Some of them follow what you have been doing. Ex: Elle & Toni (Reina del Cid) had "Sunday Morning Sessions" where they would release a new cover song every Sunday morning. When they produced an album for sale, it went up on youtube for free. I purchased their albums and attended one of their concerts. An attendee told me he came because of the Sunday Sessions. Listen to some of them (even recorded near roadways!) and judge the quality yourself. Free doesn't mean low quality recording.
My kids listen to many on spotify that you will never hear on the radio. They've purchased vinyl and gone to concerts. The artists may have produced everything in their bedroom. They've been able to travel from overseas to perform in the US.
Musicians no longer have to make a deal with a loan shark to be heard or make a living.
This week I read ROMAN WORKBENCHES, by Christopher Schwarz (this is one of the titles Chris noted above as now available in pdf at no cost). It’s a brief work, and a surprisingly light read for a discussion of 2000 year old workbench design. There’s a few laugh-out-loud moments—that Priapus thing, as well as Chris’ inimitable style which never fails to kick me over the edge from time to time.
I did have a rough moment with the unfamiliar phrase of “traversing boards with a fore plane”—however, I do know that to traverse, say, a hill, is to ‘move across’ the slope, so it’s easy enough to deduce the context here is to move across the board, to plane across the grain. And 23 pages later we get this confirmed: “Plane across the grain, what Joseph Moxon calls ‘traversing’”. Indeed. Glad we cleared that up.
All in all it’s a lucid discussion of some of the most ancient work benches historians are aware of, and recounts Chris’ experiences in researching, re-creating, and using them today—demonstrating how they continue to be a useful model for modern times.
A worthwhile read. And it sets one to thinking: I have 7’ of 3x12” oak in the shed …
Thank you Chris for your generosity and outlook on life in general. While I will probably not own all of LAP's books in hardcopy due to space issues, I have a few, bought pdfs of others, and recently started getting the Crucible tools. I think what you, personally, and LAP in general do is noble and deserves support.
Since your post reminds me very much of his work, I thought I'd mention Cory Doctorow. While it's very likely you are familiar with him, I figured it's worth a mention in case you, or any of the readers here, aren't. "Chokepoint Capitalism" is the most pertinent to the IP issues you are raising, but a ton of his writing is surrounding the same concepts of IP ownership, corporate rent seeking, etc.
I hope I added to your reading list a fraction of what you added to mine :)
Happy new year to all!
I've purchased 6 of these books. Some of them I purchased a PDF so I can search and print individual pages. I've done the same for other LAP books. As I make milk paint, I wish I could get a PDF of that book I've been transcribing too.
I might never buy physical copies of all your books. I've been downsizing my physical library and have donated nearly 6 bookshelves worth (probably more than you have in the the LAP library you've blogged about). But I have been adding physical copies of the LAP books.
Thank you. It is the way.
Simply outstanding.
Really appreciate this! It’s nice to thumb through a book before you buy it and this is an elegant way to do that (and more) digitally.
PS Curious about the full blind dovetails. I’m basically ignorant of them but they seem like a lot of work to be hidden.
PDF format is appreciated by those of us who live in far away countries, given postage costs. Thank you.
This is what I meant when I said you guys are just built different. I didn't realize it until I read this article, because I never intended to buy all your books. I've bought everything that's available because "the laborer deserves his wages," and the way you publish the books is a lost art in itself. Hmmm, imagine that. If you ever order anymore copies of Roman Workbenches or The Art of Joinery, let me know. I might as well finish out the collection for the shop library.
I own the physical books, but I appreciate having the .pdf's as a split time between two shops and it's nice not to have to ferry the books back and forth!
I have many LAP books on my shelves, and I refer to them so frequently that my wife asks if I have lost my memory because surely by now I'd have remembered all I need from those pages.
And the pdf versions of your books are much appreciated as well: most recently during building a stick chair for kids I wanted to compare several of the designs for chair seats and I was getting fed-up turning pages and moving books around the bench, so I printed just those pages needed – very convenient.
A few of the LAP books aren't available from Lee Valley Tools in Canada, so I've appreciated having access to the pdf versions of those as well. Thanks Chris.
Again Chris, thankyou.
Looking forward to discovering another new world thanks to your generosity.
If every dollar you spend is a vote for the world you want to see, this practical expression of your generous view on life is vote buying in the most honourable way.
Chris I'm curious why you released this one last. Were there touchups you wanted to do first? Wanted to wait until it paid it's way (seems unlikely.) Something else?
The honest answer: I forgot that I hadn't made this one free until Megan reminded me.
The book broke even on the first press run. So it's not a money metric. I just started making my books free about 2020, and now we are here.
Okay so now I have to ask: which three pieces do you use everyday at home?
Spectacular. Your home must be a lovely place with those teak, mahogany, and brass pieces. Just dove in to see which chests you said you had, and WOW! Thank you for being the historical woodworking world’s favorite drug dealer
Two campign chests and the officer's chest.
When I order my copy on 3/7/14, I’m pretty sure there was no bundle with a pdf during ordering. An electronic copy is a great addition to ensure “Campaign Furniture” is available now and to future generations!
I appreciate your sentiment about the need for information to be free. But, in another vein, I recently had a family member in her early twenties express shock that I refused to plug into Spotify for my music listening. I replied that I think that artists should be paid for their creativity. If all you want to listen to is free, soon you'll only be listening to crap that can't find a marketplace. The idealism behind free information needs some green energy somewhere along the path to maintain content quality. There are plenty of online books presenting free birdhouse plans studding the corners of the internet already.
By the way, I purchased Campaign Furniture back during the First Edition. In those days you got an autographed insert card instead of an autographed volume.
I don't use Spotify. For the most part, I buy the music (from the artist if possible). And I buy the physical version if at all possible.
Every person who makes information should be able to choose how it is distributed and sold. If you want to take a fraction of a penny for a music stream in exchange for exposure, that's your right, and I support you. If you want to give away your work electronically, that's also your right.
To have control of your work, however, you have to own it. And that's a hard hard crappy road. We work without distributors or mass marketers, and it's an enormous effort. But it can be done.
There are a number of musicians that are able to find an audience and make a good living while owning their music nowadays.
Some of them follow what you have been doing. Ex: Elle & Toni (Reina del Cid) had "Sunday Morning Sessions" where they would release a new cover song every Sunday morning. When they produced an album for sale, it went up on youtube for free. I purchased their albums and attended one of their concerts. An attendee told me he came because of the Sunday Sessions. Listen to some of them (even recorded near roadways!) and judge the quality yourself. Free doesn't mean low quality recording.
My kids listen to many on spotify that you will never hear on the radio. They've purchased vinyl and gone to concerts. The artists may have produced everything in their bedroom. They've been able to travel from overseas to perform in the US.
Musicians no longer have to make a deal with a loan shark to be heard or make a living.