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.
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.
