# The Anarchist's Tool Chest - A Review



## Andy Kev. (28 May 2015)

THE ANARCHIST’S TOOLCHEST
By
Christopher Schwarz

This book is probably on its way to acquiring seminal status if only to judge by the frequency with which it is recommended on this forum. It has therefore probably earned a review.

The first thing to deal with is any apprehension which may be caused by the title. There is no need to be alarmed: it is not aimed at poor little rich kids who think that it is fun to deface war memorials in Whitehall. Nor is it intended to celebrate extravagantly moustached gentlemen in need of a bath who were given to gathering in Viennese coffee shops prior to the outbreak of WWI. It is fairly and squarely aimed at woodworkers who are interested in the use of hand tools. The “anarchist” bit of the title will most probably fit you if you have ever examined a tool in a DIY supermarket, shook your head in a depressed sort of way and muttered, “They just don’t make ‘em like they used to any more” or if you have ever despaired of the shoddy junk which so frequently appears in modern, mass market furniture shops. Mr. Schwarz’s anarchism is about making your own furniture that will last for generations and thereby sticking it to the junk producers.

The book is divided into three parts; a general discourse on the need for hand tools to be of a decent quality and how that and other influences led the author to his approach to tools, a comprehensive treatment of the various tools which the woodworker needs in order to carry out the vast majority of the tasks with which he will inevitably be faced (the largest part of the book) and a guide to building the tool chest of the title.

Towards the end of Chapter 2, which is essentially a list of the tools which belong in the tool chest, Mr. Schwarz writes, “I wish I had this list when I started woodworking.” Therein lies the central purpose of this book and an indication of whom would most benefit from it: the beginner. This reviewer was lucky enough to stumble upon The Anarchist’s Tool Chest three months into his woodworking career and as a result was instantly well placed to stop buying inadequate rubbish which was masquerading as tools and instead to acquire, in a sensible order, a decent tool kit.

In an ideal world the beginner would read this book before buying his first tool. That would in the long run save a lot of money and spare him much frustration. Fortunately for the reader the author has already spent the money and suffered the exasperation. He is good on the matter of avoiding unnecessary expenditure and pushes strongly the idea of buying quality, second hand tools wherever possible. His advice in this respect is particularly valuable in the chapter on hand planes. That said, the beginner could conceivably find buying second hand a little daunting. How does the inexperienced woodworker evaluate a second hand tool? The answer is probably to go shopping with somebody who knows their stuff.

The author also encourages the reader to make his own tools where possible. The candidates which he describes as “easily made and should be made by the woodworker” are: panel gauge, winding sticks, 36” straight edge, 12” try square, nailsets, dowel plate, strop, bench hook, saw benches, end grain, long grain and mitre shooting boards, cork-backed sanding block, workbench, dovetail marker, fishtail chisel and trammel points. The making of some of these is described. It would make sense to add to Mr. Schwarz’s comment the rider, “once he feels he has acquired the necessary skills” as the building of e.g. a workbench is for many a serious, if not daunting, project.

The section on the building of the tool chest contains clear and unambiguous instructions backed up by plenty of photographs and excellent line drawings. This is perhaps the part which will appeal most to the experienced woodworker.

As one would expect Mr. Schwarz writes in an American idiom and he deploys this with a light style, wit and good humour.

This book does not attempt to teach the beginner woodworking. It is rather a comprehensive description of the tools he needs and in that sense it is excellent and thoroughly recommended. What of the advanced woodworker? If you want a good summary of the essential tools on your shelf then you could do very much worse than this book. You will probably not learn anything new but you will probably not regret buying it either.

Finally, the book is published under the author’s own imprint: The Lost Art Press. His philosophy of bookbinding clearly matches his ideas on making furniture: high quality and built to last. It’s only when you get this book in your hands with its high quality paper and solid binding that you are reminded of how flimsily made many a modern hardback book is.


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## Downwindtracker2 (28 May 2015)

It's a fun read, unusual in that,and worthy of study.


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## CStanford (28 May 2015)

This book is worthy of mention if one is interested in hand tools for woodworking and how they're used:

http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Tools-Woodwo ... rt+wearing


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## undergroundhunter (28 May 2015)

CStanford":2fv9y0qr said:


> This book is worthy of mention if one is interested in hand tools for woodworking and how they're used:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Tools-Woodwo ... rt+wearing




Just ordered a copy £3.36 + postage, bargain. 

Matt


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## CStanford (28 May 2015)

Enjoy!

FWIW, Bernard Jones' The Practical Woodworker has a complete set of measured drawings and accompanying how-to text for a traditional woodworker's tool chest, plus a whole lot more. There is no sizzle about metaphorically sticking it to 'the man,' just what you need to build a tool chest should you decide you want one.


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## Cheshirechappie (28 May 2015)

There are several lists of essential tools around, and even more books about tools, but the Anarchist's Tool Chest is the only one I know that explains WHY those tools are the essential ones, and WHY certain features of the many examples of those tools are desirable (or not!) - that really sets it apart from 'the rest'. It isn't a cheap book, but as Andy rightly says, it is a beautifully produced volume, and it's worth its cost even if you don't intend to build the tool chest.


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## CStanford (28 May 2015)

Wearing certainly conveys the whys and wherefores IMO. That said, a book is a book. It's not a Ferrari. Get anything that might be helpful.

Kind of weird, isn't it, an American advocating a book by a British author on a British forum with the Brits advocating a book by an American. I guess it shows our open-mindedness.  

I'd be lost without my books by British authors (and tools by British firms). I'm totally self-taught (admittedly a low achiever though) from books by British woodworkers.


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## Andy Kev. (29 May 2015)

CStanford":2gqzt3hs said:


> Wearing certainly conveys the whys and wherefores IMO. That said, a book is a book. It's not a Ferrari. Get anything that might be helpful.
> 
> Kind of weird, isn't it, an American advocating a book by a British author on a British forum with the Brits advocating a book by an American. I guess it shows our open-mindedness.
> 
> I'd be lost without my books by British authors (and tools by British firms). I'm totally self-taught (admittedly a low achiever though) from books by British woodworkers.


Curiously enough, I think that the perfect companion to the ATC is The Essential Woodworker by Robert Wearing. They complement each other well - while being utterly different in tone and characteristic of the nations they come from - and so with two books you end up knowing what tools you need and how to put them to use. Add to those a couple of DVDs by David Charlesworth and Christopher Schwarz and you're about as well equipped as you can be if you don't personally know an expert who can teach you things or if you can't get around to taking courses.


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## CStanford (29 May 2015)

I do appreciate Chris Schwarz's efforts as a publisher in bringing back the old classics. Of his own writing, I haven't seen much if anything not already covered by British authors from about 1900 to present. 

Wearing's Essential Woodworker and his book on hand tools and their use ought to get anybody but the most inept up to pretty good speed. Hayward, Jones, Joyce, Wells & Hooper, Ernest Scott, Jackson & Day more than round it out. I'm not quite sure how to arrange Schwarz's own stuff in this pecking order. It's hard for anything that comes after these fine authors to be much more than a cutesied-up rehash in my opinion.

I also appreciate VERY MUCH the fact that he buys his tools out of his own pocket, so when he's discussing them you know he's not talking about tools comp'd by a manufacturer.


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## JohnPW (29 May 2015)

I wouldn't buy or even read this book for several reasons. 

First is the title. 

Second is if I'm paying for a new book then I would like it to include metric measurements. 

Third is, as mentioned, old books by Charles Hayward, Robert Wearing etc will have all the info you need. And in any case, Chris Schwarz probably had to look up stuff in old books and magazines and re-write what he found for his own writings. 

As for Chris Schwarz buying his own tools, his blog clearly states the blog is sponsored by Lee Valley & Veritas.

Edit: 4th reason is I prefer to stick to UK woodworking terms.


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (29 May 2015)

> As for Chris Schwarz buying his own tools, his blog clearly states the blog is sponsored by Lee Valley & Veritas.



John, I suspect that the banner refers to sponsoring the Pop Wood Magazine blog, and not to the blog of CS, per se. CS has frequently emphasised that he purchases his own tools.

I am not sure what that has to do with his tool chest (which, personally, is not something that really interests me - although I have his book. I prefer wall cabinets and wall holders).

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## CStanford (29 May 2015)

It is a point worthy of clarification how the tool company sponsorship affects the blog. The fact that he does buy his own tools could be moot.

Wonder if it's time for Chris to publish his own blog out of his own pocket?


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (29 May 2015)

CStanford":3nioty8f said:


> It is a point worthy of clarification how the tool company sponsorship affects the blog. The fact that he does buy his own tools could be moot.
> 
> Wonder if it's time for Chris to publish his own blog out of his own pocket?



Actually Charles, he does have his own blog at Lost Art Press: http://blog.lostartpress.com

As far as I know, the Pop Wood blog is a paid job (to post regularly there).

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## CStanford (29 May 2015)

Interesting. I wonder how he decides which blog posts go where.


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## CStanford (29 May 2015)

"Towards the end of Chapter 2, which is essentially a list of the tools which belong in the tool chest, Mr. Schwarz writes, “I wish I had this list when I started woodworking.”

I'm surprised Schwarz never ran across such a list, a common and persistent feature of the books from the British authors mentioned in this thread. Hayward seemingly has one in every one of his books usually divided between a "beginner's kit" and then kit to be added as one's projects become more complex. The list in Percy Wells' and John Hooper's Modern Cabinet Work is remarkably complete.

But, IIRC Schwarz (like most of us) started out with a mostly mechanized operation so a deep and broad list of hand tools was probably not something he was overtly looking for or even wondering much about at the time, despite assertions to the contrary, though I suppose he is owed the benefit of the doubt.


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## lurker (29 May 2015)

The longer I do this craft and the more I learn the more I realise any writer in the past 40 years is just reinventing wheels.
And that pretty much goes for hand tool manufacturers too.


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## G S Haydon (29 May 2015)

I think this "reinventing wheels" has been the case for much more than 40 years. What each new publisher does is make it more easy/attractive to digest for the current generation. Not many want to wade through Moxon when there is a more enticing offering. Without subjects getting a new spin things can get a bit moribund. However, like others have alluded to I find Hayward's tool list to be very concise and easy to digest. If you are starting out all can be found here http://cornishworkshop.blogspot.co.uk/2 ... l-kit.html.


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## Downwindtracker2 (29 May 2015)

The author was at a disadvantage, culturally and age wise, which he had to overcome. I'm old enough to have spanned that time frame from when a commercial Skilsaw in'74 was a steep $135, now that model is less than$100 any day, so everyone has powertools. "There must be a router jig for that." And have seen degrade of consumerism into Walmartism. So I think the title does have merit.

But above all, he is good writer making a dry subject very entertaining . Even if you don't pick up anything, you will enjoy the book. The second half, the building the chest, is fill.


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## Mr_P (29 May 2015)

Haven't read the book and at that price I've no plans to either, more expensive than any of the bailey type planes I own.

However the chests are very marmite and this owner of two vintage examples doesn't rate them at all. One is in the hall and full of stuff I rarely use and the other is slightly more useful as its on wheels and fits under one of my benches and it doubles as an occasional seat but once again if doesn't contain anything I use very often.

Plus portable they aint, in future think I'd rather do a few trips than one back breaking attempt.

My most used tools live in drawers under then bench and in units on the bench. Keep saying I'll make a wall cabinet but the swiss cheese / breeze block garage walls put me off, maybe I'll try a chisel wall rack first.

A definite tool list doesn't exist and even if it did what's the fun in that ? 

I never would have found my favourite 4" chariot if I'd followed a list.


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## lurker (29 May 2015)

I agree mr p.
They do make lovely coffee tables though
I have my feet up on a really nice example as I type


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## James C (30 May 2015)

I for one found this book very helpful. It (along with available funds) prevented me from going down a costly rabbit hole. 

This book does also give lists from *Charles Hayward*, Joeseph Moxon, Randle Holme and Benjamin Seaton for comparison which I found interesting. I am also quite excited to find that Lost Art Press is looking to republish the vast majority of Charles Haywards wiritings soon.

http://blog.lostartpress.com/2015/05/21/the-hayward-project-v-the-blair-witch-project/

I'm looking forward to this mainly because I don't have the time or inclination to buy every copy of The Woodworker Magazine that Hayward wrote for and can't wait for this resource. 

I can understand how people who have been at this for decades might feel that a lot of what Schwarz and Co. bring forward is rehashing. I personally wouldn't have started down this road of hand tool woodwork, or even have read Wearing, if it weren't for first reading The Anarchists Toolchest. 

Hopefully this post clears up the Lee Valley Blog advert.

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog/help-blog-help


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## Carl P (30 May 2015)

I have also read this book and found it very useful. I bought a digital copy, much cheaper, although also much easier to delete when you thought you'd made a backup copy but actually hadn't (hammer) !

I don't see how it's possible to do anything else but rehash the old stuff in a more relevant way for a modern audience, especially in a subject like using traditional hand tools, except in the unlikely event of something genuinely novel coming up, or indeed, why that might be a bad thing. I'm sure contemporaries of Charles Hayward could have made the same accusation. 

I like the philosophy of tool choice in the book and the reasoning behind it and 'doing it yourself' in general- how that makes it an 'Anarchists' toolchest I'm not sure, I suspect the fact that it's a snappy title that grabs your attention had more to do with it, rather than anything to do with 'Anarchism'. 

Personally I don't like his writing style, but that is probably down to cultural differences between me and the audience he is writing for in America, also the irritating modern habit of the authors personality, whether real or assumed, infecting every page of even technical writing. But ultimately the book is not judged on whether I'd like to spend an evening down the pub with him (I suspect I wouldn't) but on how useful it is, definitely worth downloading (again!) for someone like me, who has not had the benefit of an apprenticeship/training/association with people who know what they're doing - haven't made the chest, but I've thought about stuff I wouldn't have before and generally gained from it. Enjoyed his thoughts on workbenchs also - with the same caveat about style, of course.

Cheerio,

Carl


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## AndyT (30 May 2015)

Just to add one minor point, the title seems very clear to me.

In the US, under the influence of Norm Abram and increasing availability of affordable power tools, the conventional approach to woodwork could be seen as needing a big workshop with a lot of machines, the more the better.
Schwarz presents a contrary view - that you don't need all that stuff to do good, satisfying work. Indeed, he says that you don't even need many hand tools - only as many as will fit into one box.

So he is 'breaking the rules' - hence "anarchist". I don't think he's proposing to overthrow the government; he just wanted an eye-catching, pot-stirring title.

Of course, to some UK readers, the title immediately recalls a series of articles in Good Woodworking in the 1990s, written by the late lamented chair maker John Brown, as the " Anarchist Woodworker." The aim of the series was to show how it was possible to set oneself up to do woodwork without any power tools, on a minimal budget. Does that sound familiar?


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## iNewbie (30 May 2015)

CStanford":2ylvxxyw said:


> But, IIRC Schwarz (like most of us) started out with a mostly mechanized operation so a deep and broad list of hand tools was probably not something he was overtly looking for or even wondering much about at the time, despite assertions to the contrary, though I suppose he is owed the benefit of the doubt.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e50vAjaIHs


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## CStanford (30 May 2015)

I'll try to get through it when I'm a little less queasy. The "Woodwhisperer" plus Schwarz is a little too much at the moment. Perhaps someone with a stronger stomach can furnish a synopsis.

On another note, did Jeremy Broun ever finish his Alan Peters documentary? The teaser is still up on YouTube but I can't find the full length video, or a place where it is available for purchase. TIA.

In earlier posts about tool lists I forgot to mention Alan Peters' list in his book Cabinet Making: The Professional Approach. Granted, it's a list of hand tools used in a blended power/hand operation, but still. Don't read it if your bent is chest's worth of tools. I think Alan Peter's hand tool kit would have have fit in a banker's box (cardboard file box in the U.S.). It is audacious in its brevity.

I think Schwarz still uses power tools in his work (never actually stopped), so in point of fact the Peters' list probably is relevant. I could be wrong though. I'm sure a fan of his will correct me if so.


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (30 May 2015)

CStanford":5w2gnd31 said:


> I'll try to get through it when I'm a little less queasy. The "Woodwhisperer" plus Schwarz is a little too much at the moment. Perhaps someone with a stronger stomach can furnish a synopsis.
> 
> On another note, did Jeremy Broun ever finish his Alan Peters documentary? The teaser is still up on YouTube but I can't find the full length video, or a place where it is available for purchase. TIA.
> 
> In earlier posts about tool lists I forgot to mention Alan Peters' list in his book Cabinet Making: The Professional Approach. Granted, it's a list of hand tools used in a blended power/hand operation, but still. Don't read it if your bent tends to three full chest's worth of tools. I think Alan Peter's hand tool kit would have have fit in a banker's box (file box in the U.S.).



Charles, 

I like what Chris Schwarz has done for woodworking. I may not share his interest in building workbenches (but I did read his books before building mine), or tool chests (I prefer to hang mine on the wall), but anyone with an interest in Campaign Furniture can't be a bad bloke (even if he did not give credit to me starting this fashion a year or so before he did  ). 

Yes, he is in the business of selling books. And he may not be professionally trained as a furniture maker. It is clear that you consider him a pretender. But he has done a considerable amount of good generating interest for many hobbyists in woodworking. And bringing them pleasure and a sense of accomplishment ... Interestingly, he does not take himself as seriously as you seen to take him. 

Now on the matter of the Alan Peter documentary by Jeremy Broun ...

I have it. I have long been a fan of Alan's and corresponded briefly with Jeremy when he was completing the video, and when Alan passed. I did try and contact Jeremy about a year ago, but did not receive an answer. 

Alan Peters "The Maker's Maker". by Jeremy Broun (DVD 47 minutes)
"Furniture Today" by Jeremy Broun (double DVD 106 min)

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## CStanford (30 May 2015)

Certainly hard not to be a fan of Alan Peters. Glad to hear the Broun DVD is complete. I'll try to lay hands on a copy soon.

To the extent Schwarz reinforces fairly easily stumbled-upon truths he doesn't do much harm.

If you're interested in campaign furniture you need the book below. I've had it a while, though certainly not at the current price(s) being asked on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/British-Campaign- ... +furniture


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (30 May 2015)

Charles, tell you what, I'll trade you my DVD on Alan Peter's for that book! 

It was recommended to me several years ago, but even then cost an arm and a leg. 

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## CStanford (30 May 2015)

Well, if copies are actually moving at the current prices shown on Amazon I'm going to put it in our safe deposit box when the bank opens Monday morning! I set a mug of hot coffee on it the other day. That won't happen again.


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## JohnPW (31 May 2015)

AndyT":2ync6ixl said:


> Just to add one minor point, the title seems very clear to me.
> 
> In the US, under the influence of Norm Abram and increasing availability of affordable power tools, the conventional approach to woodwork could be seen as needing a big workshop with a lot of machines, the more the better.
> Schwarz presents a contrary view - that you don't need all that stuff to do good, satisfying work. Indeed, he says that you don't even need many hand tools - only as many as will fit into one box.
> ...



My bold, and that is why I don't like it!


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## CStanford (31 May 2015)

It's my understanding that Chris Schwarz is not an all-handtool woodworker all of the time. I'm happy to be corrected on this. Is it only the book projects that get done by hand and everything else is knocked out with machines? If so I think it's a fact worth noting.

Norm Abrams certainly used machines but the joints were traditional (if machine made) and sound. He did not make what appeared to my eye to be curb furniture. The reality is that mortise and tenon joints are probably cut more successfully by machine than by hand. Dovetails aren't quite as attractive when jig cut, but they're tight and sound.

John Brown acknowledged using a band saw at his lumber supplier to cut chair parts to rough size. He never quite went 'completely organic' as he urged in some of his writings. He had no power equipment (nor electricity) on premises but it seems a distinction without a difference to me.

I giggle as I write this since my next door neighbor took delivery of what looked to be a vintage Delta Unisaw yesterday. He doesn't know it yet, but WE have a new tablesaw!


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## JohnPW (31 May 2015)

I've glanced over lots of workbench builds on the web and most of them, certainly all the USA ones (therefore all the ones connected with Fine Woodworking magazine), were completely made with power tools and machines!


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## CStanford (31 May 2015)

It would seem, then, that the narrative as I understand it surrounding The Anarchist's Tool Chest, is a little contrived when one considers the author's own practices.

If hand tools are so wonderful then why not use them all of the time, period? I mean period. Full Stop. I guess they're wonderful until the sweat starts flowing, the back starts aching, and deadlines start looming. "Well, but, ahem, ahem...." and so on and so forth.


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## iNewbie (31 May 2015)

CStanford":2ef2wc8n said:


> It would seem, then, that the narrative as I understand it surrounding The Anarchist's Tool Chest, is a little contrived *when one considers the author's own practices.*
> 
> If hand tools are so wonderful then why not use them all of the time, period? I mean period. Full Stop. I guess they're wonderful until the sweat starts flowing, the back starts aching, and deadlines start looming. "Well, but, ahem, ahem...." and so on and so forth.



The Lost Art Press is his mission to promote Hand Tools. He sells books. 

https://hocktools.wordpress.com/2012/03 ... s-schwarz/


That doesn't mean he has blinkered vision with tool usage or his workshop must only run via candle-light because some net-numpty has an issue with him... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btl6D7huAo4


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## G S Haydon (31 May 2015)

Charles, from what I can recall the book has a section machines and recommends bandsaw etc. I can't remember how far it goes as I sold my copy to Toby Tools. Perhaps the Anarchist's Machine Shop could be a nice follow up!

I would never want to be without machines, if I no longer had access to them I'd find a local merchant/joiner/club that could provide wood cut to size and planed as an option. When starting out that is what folks do when buying planed all round pine from the big box stores.


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## CStanford (31 May 2015)

I guess at the end of the day most everybody is a blended woodworker. Nothing new there. The task for writers like Schwarz is to shape-shift enough to appeal to a wide audience. Perhaps his next offering will be a book of tablesaw tips, tricks, and techniques. Oh wait, that's been done to death. Cue the next installment of The Anarchist.

I remember when Garrett Hack put out a couple of books in what seemed like quick succession about hand tools and one specifically about hand planes that a lot of people on the boards at that time thought he did most of his work by hand (a natural assumption when you realize that most of the photos in these books were of his staggering collection, easily enough to outfit three or four all hand tool woodworkers), when quite the converse is the actual truth. Schwarz seems to have (sort of?) ripped a page out of his playbook. 

If one chooses to emphasize a portion of a process over another that came before it, it can leave an impression that borders on disingenuous about the depth, breadth, and extent of the process that's being emphasized. And then there's the stuff that happens 'off camera.' 

It likely comes down to the simple calculus of another book about tablesaws and bandsaws being a hard sell, and/or wanting to capitalize on the mini-Renaissance in "hand tool woodworking." Dog Bites Man, or Man Bites Dog? Which headline would get your attention?

Simple matter-of-fact woodworking instruction is one thing. What substantially consists of advocacy of AN APPROACH to woodworking, which turns out to be largely illusory in actual fact, is quite another. But then, there's always the next book and by golly it just could be about using a tablesaw.

Weighing the merits of a true scrub vs. a heavily cambered English jack with a vintage 5hp 20" Powermatic planer visible in the background is always good for an arched eyebrow, if not a little chortle. Ditto comparing and contrasting plough planes when the latest Festool with plunging facility is only a few steps away in the tool cabinet. That is at its essence what most of this is boils down to: a parlour (had to throw in the "u") trick for the public and for the sake of book sales (or internet "street cred") and likely not how things get done in private.

After all, we watched Norm build furniture with power tools for a couple decades. No do-overs allowed these days. Unless nobody is watching.

Brand management eventually comes down to making something old new again. Putting a heavy gloss on blended woodworking to the point it actually starts to look like something else is just good brand management, a new box for the same old washing powder.


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## Andy Kev. (1 Jun 2015)

AndyT":20d7jcyn said:


> Just to add one minor point, the title seems very clear to me.
> 
> In the US, under the influence of Norm Abram and increasing availability of affordable power tools, the conventional approach to woodwork could be seen as needing a big workshop with a lot of machines, the more the better.
> Schwarz presents a contrary view - that you don't need all that stuff to do good, satisfying work. Indeed, he says that you don't even need many hand tools - only as many as will fit into one box.
> ...



There's more to the use of the word "Anarchist" in the title than a wish to be eye-catching. In the book he makes it quite clear that he's not referring to what we in the UK and Europe usually understand by the term i.e. an extremely radical political movement. He uses it to refer to an attempt to break the cycle of consume, throw away and consume again, something which is pushed by big business: sell something which is barely fit for purpose, in the knowledge that it will break down/fall apart after a while and then sell the replacement. In his view, to make furniture or to use tools which will last for a century or more is to break the cycle of endless consumption.

Hence my reference in the review to us often bemoaning the fact that they don't make things like they used to. If big firms did make them like they used to, they would soon collapse as their current business models can't cope with that. Smallish firms like Clifton, Lie Nielson and Veritas produce products to old fashioned standards at the kind of price you would expect but that in the long run is cheaper. You can buy a junk tool for a fifth of the price but you'll buy it five times in your lifetime, especially if it is electric.

It's also worth pointing out that, as mentioned above, Schwarz does indeed discuss what he believes to be the most essential power tools for the woodworker who predominantly uses hand tools. In other words he is neither dogmatic nor purist.

Finally, the book describes how he slowly made the realisation that there is a world outside power tools (which is where he seems to have started) and how he moved more to hand tools. I get the impression that power tools came to dominate in the USA a generation before they did in the UK and he no doubt started writing the book in an entirely American cultural context.


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## CStanford (1 Jun 2015)

Schwarz's approach might have made sense ten or fifteen years ago, or maybe never. Exactly who is his audience? Likely an audience who never has had a desire to build throwaway furniture and never will. I don't see much throwaway furniture from the early days (really any era for that matter) of Fine Woodworking, American Woodworker, or any of the other major publications from this side of the pond. How 'bout your side? Surely people who would own a copy of The Anarchist never had an intention to tool up (hand or power or both) in order to build junk did they? I simply don't get it, do people really need reassurance that it's ok to build a nice piece of furniture and gain enjoyment from doing so? Fine Woodworking built its brand on the backs of woodworkers who almost to a man had a very blended operation (and a pretty pedestrian lineup of power equipment) with plenty of hand tool work a feature of all their projects (Tage Frid, et al.)

He's preaching to the choir it seems to me, or railing against third-rate sources the majority of which people don't pay attention to in the first place. If any magazine has a bit of specious history with regard to the quality of its projects over the years it's Popular Woodworking. Maybe it's all just an exercise in crapping in one's own nest, a savior complex, or something else. Somebody should also remind Schwarz **newsflash** that Norm Abrams retired three or four years ago and his show is no longer on television.

With regard to the 'machine issue' Schwarz may say you don't need a whole lot of power equipment to do good work (of course you don't, this isn't new news) yet he has all of it and more. And what he didn't, or doesn't, personally own he had access to for years in Popular Woodworking's shop, along with lumber store, supplies, and assorted accoutrement.

It's all just a tarted-up, quasi-polemical repackaging of material covered decades ago in the woodworking classics and better magazines, and proof that squeal sells.


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## AndyT (1 Jun 2015)

Andy, thanks for the extra explanation of the title.
I just wanted to make the point that I found the title intelligible, but I had missed the point about reducing avoidable consumption, so thanks for that.

It would be nice to see some more comments from members who have read the book.


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## JohnPW (1 Jun 2015)

> There's more to the use of the word "Anarchist" in the title than a wish to be eye-catching. In the book he makes it quite clear that he's not referring to what we in the UK and Europe usually understand by the term i.e. an extremely radical political movement. He uses it to refer to an attempt to break the cycle of consume, throw away and consume again, something which is pushed by big business: sell something which is barely fit for purpose, in the knowledge that it will break down/fall apart after a while and then sell the replacement. In his view, to make furniture or to use tools which will last for a century or more is to break the cycle of endless consumption.



All the more reason to object to the title! Why not called it "The Sustainable Tool Chest", "The Anti-Consumerist's Tool Chest" or "The Anti-Capitalist's Tool Chest" if that's what he really means, instead of misusing a word just to grab attention.


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## CStanford (1 Jun 2015)

JohnPW":3t40dr50 said:


> > There's more to the use of the word "Anarchist" in the title than a wish to be eye-catching. In the book he makes it quite clear that he's not referring to what we in the UK and Europe usually understand by the term i.e. an extremely radical political movement. He uses it to refer to an attempt to break the cycle of consume, throw away and consume again, something which is pushed by big business: sell something which is barely fit for purpose, in the knowledge that it will break down/fall apart after a while and then sell the replacement. In his view, to make furniture or to use tools which will last for a century or more is to break the cycle of endless consumption.



Again I ask, when has this ever been an issue with small shop woodworkers -- amateur or small shop professional furnituremakers? Is the book intended for the CEO of Ikea or Ikea's customers? It doesn't make sense. It's a nonsensical rant given the book's intended audience. If he thinks this book is making some wider social statement or impact he really is full of himself.


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## Andy Kev. (1 Jun 2015)

JohnPW":1080xr42 said:


> > There's more to the use of the word "Anarchist" in the title than a wish to be eye-catching. In the book he makes it quite clear that he's not referring to what we in the UK and Europe usually understand by the term i.e. an extremely radical political movement. He uses it to refer to an attempt to break the cycle of consume, throw away and consume again, something which is pushed by big business: sell something which is barely fit for purpose, in the knowledge that it will break down/fall apart after a while and then sell the replacement. In his view, to make furniture or to use tools which will last for a century or more is to break the cycle of endless consumption.
> 
> 
> 
> All the more reason to object to the title! Why not called it "The Sustainable Tool Chest", "The Anti-Consumerist's Tool Chest" or "The Anti-Capitalist's Tool Chest" if that's what he really means, instead of misusing a word just to grab attention.


Not when he's discussing a specifically American brand of anarchism. He describes Josiah Warren's experiment with the Cincinnati Time Store (google it as it makes quite interesting reading). Should you overcome your aversion to the title and read the book there is a fair possibility that you will modify your opinion.


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## Andy Kev. (1 Jun 2015)

CStanford":1vvvt174 said:


> JohnPW":1vvvt174 said:
> 
> 
> > > There's more to the use of the word "Anarchist" in the title than a wish to be eye-catching. In the book he makes it quite clear that he's not referring to what we in the UK and Europe usually understand by the term i.e. an extremely radical political movement. He uses it to refer to an attempt to break the cycle of consume, throw away and consume again, something which is pushed by big business: sell something which is barely fit for purpose, in the knowledge that it will break down/fall apart after a while and then sell the replacement. In his view, to make furniture or to use tools which will last for a century or more is to break the cycle of endless consumption.
> ...


It seems fairly clear to me that the books is aimed at beginners. Much of what he describes is simply uneconomical for professionals. He's quite clear in one part that it is amateurs who are best placed to keep the traditions of hand work alive. I'm sure there are many criticisms of the book one can make but "nonsensical rant" is not one of them. There is nothing ranting in its tone whatsoever.


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## CStanford (1 Jun 2015)

Perhaps not, but the title itself is inflammatory. 

I'm about to go out to the shop and rebel against the tyranny of .... something. Maybe we can all kill the big furniture manufacturers and wanton consumerists off -- a death by millions of tiny cuts. Every time I cut a dovetail, somebody somewhere with a houseful of plywood curb furniture lets out a little yelp.

Otherwise, if anybody needs plans for a traditional woodworker's tool chest free of political/social diatribe Bernard Jones' The Practical Woodworker has a very complete set of them. The rest of the book isn't too shabby either. A quality tool chest done reasonably well really isn't a beginner's project, IMO.


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## James C (1 Jun 2015)

I think that if the main problem that you have with a book is a slightly misjudged title, then maybe its your problem and not a problem generally?

It is a good book, and as I have said before it prevented me from going down the road of expensive tools that are potentially unnecessary for me.

Personally after looking at what I have made, the sense of accomplishment is always greater when I have utilised hand tools to a greater degree. That's what it's all about in the end for me, enjoying the process. Many others agree and that's why books and DVD's on the subject prove to be popular still.


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## CStanford (1 Jun 2015)

Fifth post in this thread, and other responses that followed:

newbie-wanting-to-start-a-workshop-t18502.html

Searching this site on string "what tools to start"


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## Cheshirechappie (1 Jun 2015)

To re-iterate what several commenters who have read the book have already said, the book is not political in the slightest. Schwarz does set out how he started woodworking, how he ended up working for the publishers of Popular Woodworking and his tool experiences whilst in that employment, how his basement workshop filled up with machines, power tools, jigs and handtools, how he came to research the old woodworking texts, and how that research eventually led him to clear out the junk and distil his experience and toolkit down to just what he really needed to do what he wanted to do.

I recall reading in Woodworker magazine back in the late '80s and early '90s a series of articles by David Savage entitled 'The Craft of Cabinetmaking'. In one such article, Savage remarked on how few tools a really skilled cabby needed to do his job, but also noted that those tools would be carefully chosen, well tuned and cared for. Schwarz's tool list and advice is really just the same, but reached by a different route - but both are the result of extensive experience.

The book is written in a down-to-earth style (albeit in an American idiom as AndyKev noted - not wholly surprising since Schwarz is American). There's no ranting, just the (sometimes rather rueful) recalling of the string of events that led him to his thoughts and conclusions set out in the book. His advice on tool selection is also informed by long experience and his many mistakes. His advice is not just limited to handtools, but to other workshop necessities such as benches, saw-horses, bench hook, shooting boards and the like.

To those commenting who have not read the book, I strongly commend it. I've read enough woodworking literature over the last three decades to be fairly confident in sorting the wheat from the chaff (and there's a lot of chaff around). As a book for the relative beginner, it could save you a small fortune, and get you doing productive work with decent tools far quicker than you might otherwise (especially if read in conjunction with Robert Wearing's 'The Essential Woodworker'). I wish it had been around thirty years ago when I started. For the experienced woodworker, you maybe have made all the same mistakes, worked it out for yourself by now, and moulded your own woodworking philosophy. Fair enough, but by making sweeping and incorrect assumptions about a book you haven't read, there is some danger of making yourself look a bit of a loadmouthed chump in the eyes of those who have read it.

In conclusion, the review was a fair one. I would heartily endorse AndyKev's recommendation that anybody starting out on the path of home woodworking read this book. Those of us that have been bothering bits of wood for a while also found much of value in it, too.


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## G S Haydon (1 Jun 2015)

Nice summing up CC. 

What impresses me is the ability to capture peoples thoughts and get people interested. Paul Sellers has a similar skill of drawing people in. That is a good ability to have as it increases the interest in woodworking. Many did that before and after they and we are gone someone will do it again.


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## iNewbie (1 Jun 2015)

Alternatively borrow it from the local library - if it pains you to spend a little.


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## CStanford (1 Jun 2015)

Would somebody who owns the book be willing to share a passage or two from the book or perhaps a few tool recommendations or sage advice that they found particularly novel compared to some of the other titles and authors that have been mentioned in this thread?

I don't think this violates any sort of copyright. Book reviewers quote selected passages in their reviews all the time.


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## Downwindtracker2 (1 Jun 2015)

Not just an American, but one from the south. I don't think it's book you would want to borrow, rather one that you would want to read and reread. That's high praise from me. He does have a machine list in the book.


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## Cheshirechappie (1 Jun 2015)

CStanford":2lr8mkxd said:


> Would somebody who owns the book be willing to share a passage or two from the book or perhaps a few tool recommendations or sage advice that they found particularly novel compared to some of the other titles and authors that have been mentioned in this thread?
> 
> I don't think this violates any sort of copyright. Book reviewers quote selected passages in their reviews all the time.



There's a synopsis on this link - http://lostartpress.com/collections/boo ... tool-chest

(PS - If you're not in North America, check the nearest stockist. For example, the UK stockist is Classic Hand Tools.)


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## JohnPW (1 Jun 2015)

Cheshirechappie":3ikw7pzx said:


> ... the book is not political in the slightest.



Then why the title?


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## Cheshirechappie (1 Jun 2015)

Oh FFS. Just f***ing read it!


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## CStanford (1 Jun 2015)

Cheshirechappie":1apgoef9 said:


> CStanford":1apgoef9 said:
> 
> 
> > Would somebody who owns the book be willing to share a passage or two from the book or perhaps a few tool recommendations or sage advice that they found particularly novel compared to some of the other titles and authors that have been mentioned in this thread?
> ...



I was hoping to read a passage or two that you personally found edifying.


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## CStanford (1 Jun 2015)

"This book, “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” paints a world where woodworking tools are at the center of an ethical life filled with creating furniture that will last for generations. It makes the case that you can build almost anything with a kit of less than 50 high-quality tools, and it shows you how to select real working tools, regardless of their vintage or brand name."

Less than 50 tools? Good Lord, I've been working that way for years. I should have written a book. Don't know about the ethical life bit. I guess that's for others to judge.

"And it will make the argument that building a chest and filling it with the right tools just might be the best thing you can do to save our craft."

Maybe it needs saving, maybe not. Sounds a little treacly and overly dramatic.


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## Cheshirechappie (1 Jun 2015)

CStanford":3exit3fd said:


> I was hoping to read a passage or two that you personally found edifying.



You can do. Just buy a copy of the book and read it. 

I am not spending a large chunk of my evening typing out sections of somebody else's book just so that another commenter can make snarky remarks about it.


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## CStanford (1 Jun 2015)

I'm sorry, you're right. Didn't really mean to tweak your nose.

The less than 50 tool thing though, I mean really. I don't think I'm even close. Maybe if you counted individual carving tools - I think I may have fifteen or so, but surely that's not how he's counting the tools that go into the chest.

This guy is way over the limit (but works wood professionally entirely by hand):

http://tonykonovaloff.com/?page_id=48


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## richarnold (1 Jun 2015)

Just wanted to say that I bought this book some time ago Read it from cover to cover, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Did it change my life or the way I work wood? Probably not, but that made it no less an enjoyable read. As to the author, I have met Chris in person and found him to be an enthusiastic and intelligent fellow woodworker who in my opinion has done more to inspire folks to get out there and get into a workshop and make things for the pure joy of it than anyone else in a long time, and if that's anarchy it gets my vote :lol:


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## JohnPW (1 Jun 2015)

Cheshirechappie":yay061p2 said:


> Oh FFS. Just f***ing read it!



I've already said why I won't:

I wouldn't buy or even read this book for several reasons.

First is the title.

Second is if I'm paying for a new book then I would like it to include metric measurements.

Third is, as mentioned, old books by Charles Hayward, Robert Wearing etc will have all the info you need. And in any case, Chris Schwarz probably had to look up stuff in old books and magazines and re-write what he found for his own writings.

4th reason is I prefer to stick to UK woodworking terms.

To answer suggestions it's my loss; I'm a beginner but I don't mind finding out things for myself (reading books, forums etc, watching other people, practicing hand skills etc) , and making mistakes is all part of learning. I normally only buy 2nd hand tools and if there are any duds it's not a big deal and they can be repaired or used for parts. I don't have any power tools or machines and from the start Ihave no interest in buying or using them.


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## G S Haydon (1 Jun 2015)

Lol Charles, you must have been a terrier in a former life :lol:. A chap called Mafe did a review http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/2291. 

Anyone can take some writing and see it two different ways. On balance I think it is a very good source for the new woodworker. As I mentioned seeing the interest Chris took in an old style tool chest really drew me back into woodworking for fun. I think if I had to come up with a one word review I would say "catalyst". I can't quote from it as Toby has it now. Not sure on his thoughts on it.

You can't fault his choices, if I was presented his tool choice I'd be more than happy. However I personally prefer other things. David Savage has a good list on his website tool.


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## CStanford (1 Jun 2015)

I think I'd get along really well with Mafe. If anybody reads the review that Graham linked, know beforehand that English is not Mafe's first language. He's a Danish architect apparently.

Definitely a Terrier Graham, most definitely.

The images of the chest I see when doing a search on on the book title are pretty much of a classic English chest as featured in Bernard Jones, et al. Pretty slick job of repackaging. I will give him that. So you get a tool list, a set of recycled plans, and a bit of Schwarz philosophy on life all for $35. I'll pass fellas.


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## iNewbie (1 Jun 2015)

JohnPW":vdq7afa3 said:


> Cheshirechappie":vdq7afa3 said:
> 
> 
> > ... the book is not political in the slightest.
> ...



As annoying as the video can be. This should clear it up.

http://video.pbs.org/video/2265289533/


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## G S Haydon (1 Jun 2015)

That's the one! Terrific video.


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## CStanford (1 Jun 2015)

Oh gawd not Cornpone Roy. Watching that guy makes me want to go out and buy $50,000 worth of power tools in a fit of binge shopping and dump all my Record gear into the Mississippi River.

OK I watched a portion. Is Schwarz asserting that his entire kit will fit into that chest? Watch it for the first few minutes. Sounds like it to me. Do they, I wonder? Is this true?


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## iNewbie (1 Jun 2015)

Its like watching a dog chase its tail...


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## G S Haydon (1 Jun 2015)

Watched the whole thing again. Great stuff! I like that video more than the book. I think they make a very good duo.


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## CStanford (1 Jun 2015)

You're a saint Graham. Truly a saint.


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## G S Haydon (1 Jun 2015)

Lol, I'm far from a saint . I do truly mean it when I say I like this video a lot.


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## Phil Pascoe (1 Jun 2015)

Three minutes was enough for me. #-o


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## Andy Kev. (2 Jun 2015)

JohnPW":37zm3tug said:


> Cheshirechappie":37zm3tug said:
> 
> 
> > Oh FFS. Just f***ing read it!
> ...


I had a think about this last night and I think a number of points can be made.

First, your aesthetic, subjective and possibly political dislike of the title is effectively an absolute and it is of course your right to take that view. It does however, have little bearing on the content of the book.

Consider your second point in the light of your fourth. You want to stick to UK woodworking terms and there is, in my experience, nothing in the reading of the book which would be likely to deny you that wish. I found after reading it that my rebates had not made the orthographic hop into becoming rabbets and although I did acquire a mild case of the dadoes, after somebody on here pointed out that in British English they are housing joints (which I did not previously know), I can assure you that in future all my cases will be so equipped. All this however, leads me to find your adherence to the metric system to be amusing because it is so damned foreign, having been imposed upon us some time in the seventies (I think). The N. Americans have preserved our tradition for us. FWIW I think that metric makes sense if you are an astronomer, nuclear physicist or mathematician but the woodworker is probably better served by imperial (even Europeans think in terms of halves and quarters in every day life). And there's something soulless, vaguely EU-ish and faintly treasonous about metric (a judgement as subjective and as valid as your dislike of "Anarchist" in the book's title).

As for your third point, of course one can be perfectly content with the works of the authors you mention and I'm sure that Chris Schwarz himself would never claim that he is offering dazzling new insights. Indeed, he frequently mentions and praises other authors in the book, including Wearing and he cites Hayward as being his great hero. He is doing what many authors in specific fields do: providing his own take with a few original observations. That is why the books is probably as good as any and better than many for the beginner while being of less obvious value for the experienced. His great strength is, as described by Cheshire Chappie, to provide a comprehensive survey of the necessary hand tools, to explain in depth why they are necessary and to offer useful observations on the qualities they should possess.

And of course if you do not need that survey, then this book is most definitely not for you.

Here, for those who may be interested, are two quotes from the introduction:

_This book is the result of my experience with tools for the last 30 years, from the time I acquired my first coping saw at age 11 until the day I decided to sell off many of the tools I'd amassed as an adult. It is the tale of my sometimes rocky relationship with my tools and how these hand-held pieces of iron, steel, brass and electrical wire have changed the way I approach my work and life. _

and,

_The "anarchist" in the title is me. I dislike that word quite a bit but it is the right one. I hope to make the case that most woodworkers I've met are "aesthetic anarchists" - people who work with their hands, own their tools and seek to live in a world where making something (anything) is the goal of each day.

Woodworkers generally labour alone, producing objects that are the result of just our tools, our minds and our hands. And the objects that we build are a slap in the face of the chipboard rubbish that is forced down our throats at every turn.

So though woodwork might seem a traditional, old-time skill, it is quite radical in this consumerist age where buying stuff is good and not buying stuff is considered fringe behaviour._


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

Of course the central problem with this line of reasoning is that one has to buy a whole helluva lot of stuff in order to build things so as to "not buy" other things. And the vast majority never quit buying. To the extent that Schwarz is saying 'buy these tools and not any or many more' then I agree with him. But that's not a new message either. The old classics don't tell you that you need three jointers, four smoothers, five sets of bench chisels, fifty screwdrivers, a four figure investment in grinding and honing kit, then do it all over again in a bevel-up configuration, etc. etc. Schwarz is not only recycling the tool chest plans from these old books, but the underlying philosophy as well. 

Bottom line is this: if one cut their teeth on Hayward, Jones, and the others mentioned in this thread then they would already be in a place where Chris Schwarz appears to have just arrived. 

By the way, Taunton Press published a great tool chest (tool box) book by Jim Tolpin and of course a workbench book several years ago. Notice a pattern?


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (2 Jun 2015)

Gad, Charles, don't you know a different tune? :? 

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

Not really Derek. Do you for one second believe that all of Chris Schwarz's woodworking hand tools fit in the chest featured on Roy Underhill's show?


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (2 Jun 2015)

CStanford":1bo8wxjw said:


> Not really Derek. Do you for one second believe that all of Chris Schwarz's woodworking hand tools fit in the chest featured on Roy Underhill's show?



Hell No, Charles ... I think that he would struggle to fit his bandsaw and drill press.  

I read the book some time ago, but I took the whole thing differently from you. I recognise CS's schtick and it does not bother me. I accepted that he is caught somewhere between being a modern teacher and a publicist. He is a teacher in the modern idiom insofar as he uses the internet and DVD as classroom, and he is a publicist for his company spreading the word by touring. I do not have a problem with this. Everyone has a right to to build a business, and CS does this while bringing pleasure to many. His audience is the hobbyist, and I do not hear any complaining. You are not a hobbyist and appear to find him offensive. However CS is pretty ethical in that he acknowledges his sources ... Hayward, et al. What happens is that the hobbyists on the forums take the comments and quotes he offers on his blog and attribute them to him, rather than the original author. I can see that gets up your nose. You can continue to rave about the forums turning him into a cult leader, but it will not change anything. Anyhow, as I have mentioned before, I like Chris and doubt that he takes himself as seriously as you.

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

Read the post. I said "woodworking hand tools."

He appears to have gone to some length to make an ethical argument. One can't help but wonder if he follows his own advice. Has he really divested himself of tools down to a grouping that will fit in his chest? I suppose so. When I read Hayward, et al. they never mention building a chest that will only hold half of one's tools. The presumption is that they'll all fit in there I guess. Otherwise, what would be the point? We're obviously excluding clamps, shooting boards, etc. that are considered shop fixtures and not hand tools, per se.

What difference does it make that Schwarz's audience is hobbyists? Hayward's audience was hobbyists. Bernard Jones too for the most part.

I don't like or dislike Chris Schwarz. I've never met him. Never spent one minute with him. We're discussing what he writes.

If he's actually proposing a comparatively abbreviated kit of tools to the hobbyist (which I guess he is) I'm a bit surprised your back isn't arched up.


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (2 Jun 2015)

CStanford":2hktm0y2 said:


> Read the post. I said "woodworking hand tools."
> 
> He appears to have gone to some length to make an ethical argument. One can't help but wonder if he follows his own advice. Has he really divested himself of tools down to a grouping that will fit in his chest? I suppose so. When I read Hayward, et al. they never mention building a chest that will only hold half your tools. The presumption is that they'll all fit in there I guess. Otherwise, what would be the point? We're obviously excluding clamps, shooting boards, etc. that are considered shop fixtures and not hand tools, per se.



I was teasing you. So, no, his chest does not hold all his handtools. For example, I cannot imagine that he has his LN #51 inside it. There are no doubt other handtools that he has acquired since. I'm sure that his collection has not stood still. 

In my understanding the issue is not about fitting a certain number of tools into a box .. tool chest. It is really to make one think about what tools are capable of, and how you can make tools work for you ... how to extract the maximum from each ... and in the end it turn full cycle and becomes about the skills of the user, not the capability of the tool, per se. 

I have a great number of tools - more than I need in this lifetime and the next, enough for several members here ... at least (no letters please  ). But it is just a hobby for me. I like experimenting with them, learning from each .. and I try and pass on this information for the benefit of others. However, I never think that I must have this or that tool in order to do the work. Often I ignore the specialist or premium tools and just use what is at hand. When it comes to work one does what one needs to get the work done. Special tools are sometimes helpful, but more often it is a mindset and hand skills. You know this. On the forums there will always be those who aspire to being "a woodworker" and believe that they "need" that special tool. Chris Schwarz' scribblings are an argument against this stance. The trouble is, what many see are that the tools he keeps are premium tools. There are few, if any, old and worn tools. He, like others (and myself), get pleasure from using "nice" tools. So what? For myself, in the end it is always going to be what one does _with_ the tools, and _not_ the tools themselves. 

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

The L-N 51 is only 15" long and at $500 an accommodation probably ought to be made for it. But, I'm specifically excluding shooting boards as being shop fixtures so sure I could see the 51 and board being stored somewhere else. It's beside the point. I guess.

Beyond this, why wouldn't the rest fit in there? Did you read the book and come away with the impression that the chest was not to hold all of one's hand tools? I thought this was the central thesis given the ethical, philosophical, and anti-consumerist overlay he chose to present in the book. If this isn't the central thesis, then what is? Not just a set of tool chest plans, obviously. That sort of thing is done in a magazine-length article.

Did he by chance mention in the book that the reader might need to make two, three, or four chests? If not, how to make a choice about which tools to leave out in the wide-open spaces, or even better which ones he left out in the wide-open spaces?


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## bugbear (2 Jun 2015)

CStanford":3mmff1nm said:


> If he's actually proposing a comparatively abbreviated kit of tools (which I guess he is) I'm a bit surprised your back isn't arched up.



Why?

Minimal tool kits are discussed with great knowledge, enthusiasm and wit on OLDTOOLS from time to time.

Desert island, car trunk (boot, Jeff), camping, etc.

No-one actually *has* one, obviously.  

BugBear


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

You're right BB!! It's all theoretical, a running joke, or in books by long-dead authors. I just figured if Schwarz was enthusiastic enough about the concept to have written a book about it that he might be the exception rather than the rule. Must just be the thinnest of veneer over cheap particleboard. The thing he professes to hate.


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## bugbear (2 Jun 2015)

CStanford":lf0zz67r said:


> You're right BB!! It's all theoretical, a running joke, or in books by long-dead authors. I just figured if Schwarz was enthusiastic enough about the concept to have written a book about it that he might be the exception rather than the rule. Must just be the thinnest of veneer over cheap particleboard. The thing he professes to hate.



If you're looking for arched backs, Charles, I suggest a mirror. You do sound awfully peaked.

BugBear


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

Yep, a little. But asking questions that seem obvious to me. Have to get to work. UPS just pulled up with a little smidgen of lumber. Cheerio!


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## G S Haydon (2 Jun 2015)

I think the reason I liked the video over the book as there is more of the ethics within the ATC book. Those ethics are pretty sensible although I chronically overthink and personally have different thoughts. That does not detract from the book from being very good! I wish I could capture the imagination the way Schwarz can.

However something Charles mentioned "buy a whole helluva lot of stuff in order to build things so as to "not buy" other things" grabbed me. There is significant depletion of resource when making new tools (that does not overly concern me). When the market is full of tools that have passed through multiple hands already why make any more? Who ever wore through the sole of a Bailey? That feels a more ethical, even radical stance against consumerism. 

Also, when this book was mentioned a while back someone else (forgive me I can't recall who) said something along the lines of they were expecting a book named the "ATC" would be about fixing up old tools and making your own. Logical as the changing face of "the trades" have left a plethora of professional grade tools on the market that are not too difficult to bring back to perfect working order.

I just liked a neat chest and fine tools. I personally don't need a message about the ethics of it all. I think that's why I like http://www.amazon.com/Tools-woodwork-Ch ... 0237445441 as it is neutral. 

Although this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jEj5cTJzZ0 (and my point) are perhaps off the beaten track now I think this is more radical thinking.

Instead of using the bridge example think of it in plane irons and cap irons. With that line of thinking Stanley perfected the ultimate less with more. Also, benches with aprons, using less material with excellent results. However drivel like I've just written is not likely to excite in the way taking a shot at IKEA would.

I would recommend anyone pick up the ATC book and digests it for themselves.


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## Andy Kev. (2 Jun 2015)

CStanford":mb3gwi74 said:


> The L-N 51 is only 15" long and at $500 an accommodation probably ought to be made for it. But, I'm specifically excluding shooting boards as being shop fixtures so sure I could see the 51 and board being stored somewhere else. It's beside the point. I guess.
> 
> Beyond this, why wouldn't the rest fit in there? Did you read the book and come away with the impression that the chest was not to hold all of one's hand tools? I thought this was the central thesis given the ethical, philosophical, and anti-consumerist overlay he chose to present in the book. If this isn't the central thesis, then what is? Not just a set of tool chest plans, obviously. That sort of thing is done in a magazine-length article.
> 
> Did he by chance mention in the book that the reader might need to make two, three, or four chests? If not, how to make a choice about which tools to leave out in the wide-open spaces, or even better which ones he left out in the wide-open spaces?


But he does not maintain in the book that one should attempt or even think of putting _all_ one's tools in it. He cites his scorps and travishers as not getting a look in. What he does say is that the chest holds a tool kit which will enable the woodworker to complete everything but the most specialised tasks (my wording not his).

You might want to consider nipping down to your local library and borrowing a copy. You would perhaps get more out of the discussion had you read it first. It's not exactly a work of the devil.


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

Oh Gawd, now it's getting good.

"But he does not maintain in the book that one should attempt or even think of putting all one's tools in it."

Then what the hell is all the anti-consumerist yingyang about? Buy like crazy as long as it's not something made from particleboard?


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## bugbear (2 Jun 2015)

CStanford":ysjekb9t said:


> Oh Gawd, now it's getting good.
> 
> "But he does not maintain in the book that one should attempt or even think of putting all one's tools in it."
> 
> Then what the hell is all the anti-consumerist yingyang about? Buy like crazy as long as it's not something made from particleboard?



http://www.don-lindsay-archive.org/skep ... html#straw

BugBear


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## Andy Kev. (2 Jun 2015)

I'm sorry but that's a bit too much of a non-sequitur for my logic systems.

Let me put it simply: there's a suggested tool kit. With that kit and having acquired the necessary skills, you can do almost every joinery task you are likely to be confronted with. There's also a suggestion for a box which will accommodate that tool kit quite nicely.

This does not exclude nor proscribe the possibility of you owning other tools in addition to those in the box. What's to argue with in that?


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## iNewbie (2 Jun 2015)

Oh he'll find something. Its like a hobby...


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

Andy Kev.":24t4e8on said:


> I'm sorry but that's a bit too much of a non-sequitur for my logic systems.
> 
> Let me put it simply: there's a suggested tool kit. With that kit and having acquired the necessary skills, you can do almost every joinery task you are likely to be confronted with. There's also a suggestion for a box which will accommodate that tool kit quite nicely.
> 
> This does not exclude nor proscribe the possibility of you owning other tools in addition to those in the box. What's to argue with in that?



A lot.

It makes no sense to house some hand tools in a chest and arbitrarily exclude others, like the scorp and travisher from your earlier post. It also makes no sense to winnow down a kit (Schwarz isn't just starting out) and then proceed to build a chest that won't accommodate the results of the process.

Otherwise, the obvious answer is to build as many chests as one needs or one, big honking standing cabinet but that would start to erode the 'anarchist' and Howard Roark-ian ('aesthetic anarchist') theme of the book I suppose.


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## mouppe (2 Jun 2015)

You can't review a film that you haven't seen. How can anyone comment on a book they haven't read?


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

Edit.


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

mouppe":1pnvv6sw said:


> You can't review a film that you haven't seen. How can anyone comment on a book they haven't read?



Easily, when it comes to Schwarz.

Something by David Pye, not doable. Lightweight vs. a heavyweight.


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## G S Haydon (2 Jun 2015)

For those that do like a good looking tool chest this recent short video https://vimeo.com/129499128 is a good one. I must say I do rather like it.


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

Lot of saws on the wall back there.... :lol: wonder why they're not in a chest?

Not sure I would have had a few of those brass tools sharing the same tray as a sixteen ounce claw hammer, especially if the chest is going to be carried around. The router plane needs it's own small box as does the plough (then trap them between battens or uprights) especially in a traveling box. If you hit a bad pothole with that chest in the trunk something is coming out damaged. The trays need removable subdivisions with housings cut to offer several different configuration options. 

It's nice work if you like your tools shaken, not stirred. The time spent on the veneer and the on-lay would have been better spent providing more secure internal accommodation for the tools - either individual boxes or more compartments. It's a magazine piece, not something somebody would build to frequently move the kit of tools in the video to and from a job.

The Tony Konovaloff chest is built to accommodate the movement of the box without fear of the tools being damaged or even getting the slightest ding. Of course, this is the crux of the matter.


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## Andy Kev. (2 Jun 2015)

CStanford":2m7mt16h said:


> Andy Kev.":2m7mt16h said:
> 
> 
> > I'm sorry but that's a bit too much of a non-sequitur for my logic systems.
> ...



It seems to me that almost every hobbyist and professional in almost any field (except maybe yachting) is likely to own more key bits of tools than they actually need. For instance a photographer might have 10 cameras. Will he take all of them with him when he goes out a clicking? Unlikely.

Schwarz is not saying that he has built a chest to hold all his tools. He is saying that he has built a chest to hold all the tools which he regards as an essential but comprehensive set for a cabinet maker/joiner. I can't imagine that anybody from the Honourable Company of Cabinet Makers is going to kick him in the nuts for having a few extra ones which he doesn't think necessarily belong in the chest.

Anyway, I'm off down the pub.


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

OK.

Which ones go in and which ones stay out? Build another chest, standing cab? Leave 'em out?


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## Cheshirechappie (2 Jun 2015)

CStanford":1d3yjj3g said:


> OK.
> 
> Which ones go in and which ones stay out?



Well, if you just read the book, you'd find out....


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## Downwindtracker2 (2 Jun 2015)

I'll let you guys in on a secret, he is writer, first and foremost, trying to make a living. It doesn't matter the subject matter, woodworking or hunting, but the first skill is the writing. If he was a woodworking professional , he would be extolling the virtues of something like a wide belt sander, how it paid for itself and made him money. 

Tools. I'm in the "He who has the most tools when dies, wins" camp. I'm retired now, but first as a carpenter, then a millwright, I made my living with tools. Good quality tools, but not the finest. A Canadian made Grey instead of a Snap-on wrench, er spanner. After reading the book and picking up that Footprint 1/2" chisel, a light went on.


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

I'm dubbing it "The Book About the Too Small Tool Chest" in your honor CC.


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## Cheshirechappie (2 Jun 2015)

CStanford":3knr0tjy said:


> I'm dubbing it "The Book About the Too Small Tool Chest" in your honor CC.



If you had read the book, you'd realise just how silly that remark is!

Actually, Schwarz has done quite a bit of research over several years into toolchests, mainly by looking at antique examples, but also by building and using several. From that experience (note the word!) he distilled the knowledge of a successful and useful all-round tool store for a pretty comprehensive set of furnituremaking tools. He found out, by observation and by trial and error, what worked well and what didn't, both in the structure of the chest, and in way tools are kept in it. Since writing the book, he's researched, built and used a couple of other designs (the Dutch toolchest and the smaller travelling chest) which allow him to transport about (to classes and the like) a slightly less comprehensive, but still very capable kit of tools.

I think it's fair to say that Schwarz has done the slog of research and made the tool and toolchest mistakes, and then written about his experience so that others don't have to spend twenty years finding out. Isn't that the mark of a useful book when you're inexperienced and seeking knowledge?


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## AndyT (2 Jun 2015)

CStanford":1rihemus said:


> Yep, a little. But asking questions that seem obvious to me. Have to get to work. UPS just pulled up with a little smidgen of lumber. Cheerio!




That's nice! Will you be sharing your experience in the Projects section?


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

Sure will.


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

Cheshirechappie":2og0yw9b said:


> CStanford":2og0yw9b said:
> 
> 
> > I'm dubbing it "The Book About the Too Small Tool Chest" in your honor CC.
> ...



In the context in which they were used, when would it ever have been an advantage for them to not hold an entire kit, or purposefully built to hold less than an entire kit? An itinerant journeyman would have no use for such a chest. A settled-in craftsman might have a chest he'd outgrown, but he wouldn't subsequently build one too small for his entire kit unless it was clearly a scaled-down traveling chest for offsite work. For a guy with a shop, and little site work, why in the heck would he build something that would hold only 60 or 70 percent of a kit (unless he planned to build more than one)? Would you? Why? For what purpose and to what end?

Posted this in its own thread a while back. This one would easily hold my entire kit with room to grow but I won't need any new tools unless one breaks:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/323 ... fts-legacy


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## iNewbie (2 Jun 2015)

AndyT":sovfj367 said:


> CStanford":sovfj367 said:
> 
> 
> > Yep, a little. But asking questions that seem obvious to me. Have to get to work. *UPS just pulled up with a little smidgen of lumber.* Cheerio!
> ...



Enough lumber for an Anarchists tool chest with systainer add-ons no doubt.


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## CStanford (2 Jun 2015)

Just a little cherry settee for my own home. I needed a little 8/4.


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