"The Joiner and Cabinet Maker" is a huge book – with more than 370
pages of detailed handtool instruction, including many processes that
have not been covered before in the early woodworking literature. Though
this sounds impossible, please read on.

Let's begin in 1839. In that year, an English publisher issued a small
book on woodworking that has – until now – escaped detection by
scholars, historians and woodworkers.

Titled "The Joiner and Cabinet Maker," this short book was written by
an anonymous tradesman and tells the fictional tale of Thomas, a lad
of 13 or 14 who is apprenticed to a rural shop that builds everything
from built-ins to more elaborate veneered casework. The book was
written to guide young people who might be considering a life in the
joinery or cabinetmaking trades, and every page is filled with
surprises.

Unlike other woodworking books at the time, "The Joiner and Cabinet
Maker" focuses on how apprentices can obtain the basic skills needed
to work in a hand-tool shop. It begins with Thomas tending the fire to
keep the hide glue warm, and it details how he learns stock
preparation, many forms of joinery and casework construction. It ends
with Thomas building a veneered mahogany chest of drawers that is
French polished. However, this is not a book for children. It is a
book for anyone exploring hand-tool woodworking.

Thanks to this book, we can stop guessing at how some operations were
performed by hand and read first-hand how joints were cut and casework
was assembled in one rural England shop.

Even more delightful is that Thomas builds three projects during the
course of his journey in the book, and there is enough detail in the
text and illustrations to re-create these three projects just as they
were built in 1839.

Here's what you'll find in our expanded edition of this book:

• A historical snapshot of early 19th-century England. Moskowitz, a
book collector and avid history buff, explains what England was like
at the time this book was written, including the state of the labor
force and woodworking technology. This dip into the historical record
will expand your enjoyment of Thomas's tale.

• The complete text of "The Joiner and Cabinet Maker," unabridged and
unaltered. We present every word of the 1839 original (plus a chapter
on so-called "modern tools" added in a later edition), with footnotes
from Moskowitz that will help you understand the significance of the
story.

• Chapters on the construction of the three projects from "The Joiner
and Cabinet Maker." Schwarz built all three projects – a Packing Box,
a dovetailed Schoolbox and a Chest of Drawers – using hand tools. The
construction chapters in this new edition of "The Joiner and Cabinet
Maker" show the operations in the book, explain details on
construction and discuss the hand-tool methods that have arisen since
this book was originally published.

• Complete construction drawings. Lost Art Press drafted all three
projects in SketchUp to create detailed drawings and cutting lists for
the modern woodworker. This will save you hours of decoding the
construction information offered in "The Joiner and Cabinet Maker."

Like all Lost Art Press books, "The Joiner and Cabinet Maker" is
hardbound, printed on quality paper and made entirely in the United
States.

About the DVD

There are three narrated slideshows on the companion DVD that you can play on your personal computer (not on a standard television). Each slideshow is a QuickTime movie (a .mov file) that you can play with a wide variety of free media players available on the Web.

Each of the slideshows walks you through the construction of a project in “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker” – the Packing Box, the Schoolbox and the Chest of Drawers. The slideshows include color photos that were not included in the book (for space reasons). I think these are great for visual learners, plus they will give you a good overview of the whole process of building each project, and they help amplify the text in the book.

SketchUp Drawings

Also included on this disc are complete SketchUp drawings for each of the projects. These detailed drawings reflect how I built each project and should prove helpful to anyone who wants to become familiar with traditional construction or want to modify the existing drawings to suit their taste.

Our Shipping And Return Policy

Shipping for this product is $4. If you wish to return an item, simply return it to us by ground mail within 30 days of your order. We will promptly refund your money and the cost of the ground shipping. Send all returns to: Returns, Lost Art Press LLC, 26 Greenbriar Ave., Fort Mitchell, KY 41017. Please be sure to include your return address and a phone number so we can contact you in case there is a problem with your return. If you have questions about a return, send us an e-mail at sharon@lostartpress.com or call (317) 603-3605.