Lost Art Press books--your favorites?
#11
It's a good thing that Chris Schwarz urged us in The Anarchist's Tool Chest to simplify our tool collections. That way we have more money to buy books! Nonetheless I'm frustrated by the frequency with which Lost Art Books puts out titles I'd really love to read and have in my library, such as Schwarz's new design book and the collection of articles by Charles Hayward. This is a happy dilemma, of course, but I can't afford to keep up. Hence my question.
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#12
Be happy that when you're ready to buy a book, there will be a good one waiting for you. Which one to buy first of course depends on what you want to learn about. However, if you are asking which has the most content per dollar, I would give that award to "Chairmaker's Notebook".

Edit: The Roubo books are obviously contenders, and depending on what you want to learn could top the list. The book of plates has a pretty high price, but for what you get is a great deal. The most convenient way to study Roubo's works may be to buy the book of plates on paper, then the others in searchable electronic form. I have not yet seen the Hayward books.
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#13
Chairmaker's Notebook for me. It's likely to be my next added skill. I'm considering taking a class from one of the schools that are out there. Right now, I'm in the process of moving from SoCal to Texas, so it won't be soon. I hope to have better access to green wood for chairmaking when I arrive in Texas. Where I'm going, there is plenty of oak and osage orange. I haven't a clue whether osage orange (or as they call in in Texas, Bois d'arc) bends well or makes good chairs. It does turn nicely and it makes wonderful mallets.
Still Learning,

Allan Hill
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#14
I have too many interests to get into a book collecting endeavor. Others would call it hoarding if I did. Even digital will go viral. Schwarz' Bench books were of direct interest.

My go-to has always been the Public Library. I have purchased when my renewal and checkout habits felt like ownership. So far my creaky shelves have been spared the LAP fascinations.
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#15
Oh man. I know what you mean!

I've given up trying to keep up with Lost Art Press's output, much as I would like to. There are probably half a dozen books at the top of my wish-list there right now.

I'm happy, though, that they haven't yet let titles go out of print, so I think I can afford to keep behind the publishing curve for a good while yet. I'll probably keep buying one or two titles a year, and maybe I'll get lucky and pick up a used copy once in a while.

To answer your initial question, ATC is right up there (I re-read it over Christmas), but The Joiner and Cabinet Maker is probably my favorite thus far. It can hardly be beat for historical information and practical advice.
Steve S.
------------------------------------------------------
Tradition cannot be inherited, and if you want it you must obtain it by great labour.
- T. S. Eliot

Tutorials and Build-Alongs at The Literary Workshop
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#16
I've bought three LAP books, but I read ATC with a copy I got through inter-library loan. I think the book came from somewhere in California. Amazingly the Chicago Public library has no LAP books in its collection, though I have taken it to task more than once for this omission. The problem is, LAP books just keep getting more interesting. Maybe I should do more woodworking and less reading about it.
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#17
I agree with Alan and AHill. Chairmaker's Notebook is the magnum opus of the LAP collection. Other favorites include ATC (which has had as profound an effect on my woodworking philosophy as any book) and Make a Joint Stool from a Tree (I've yet to make a joint stool, but the book is heavy with information on processing and working with green wood, mortising, drawboring, and plenty of great historical info.)
"If I had eight hours to cut down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my axe."

My Woodworking Blog: A Riving Home
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#18
My favorites are The Art of Joinery, Make a Joint Stool From a Tree and The Joiner and Cabinetmaker. All three are excellent works. I also enjoyed The Anarchist's Tool Chest but it isn't in my top three from LAP.
Zachary Dillinger
https://www.amazon.com/author/zdillinger

Author of "On Woodworking: Notes from a Lifetime at the Bench" and "With Saw, Plane and Chisel: Making Historic American Furniture With Hand Tools", 

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#19
The biggest effect of ATC was the idea of forming a complete, cohesive toolkit and then getting good with it. I was still in the stupid "buy as many tools as possible" stage before reading it, which is fine I suppose if you're a tool collector, but is counterproductive for someone who actually has plans to work wood. The book helped me identify the real gaps in my toolkit and convinced me to sell many of the superfluous tools that I'd needlessly accumulated.

I have a toolchest (antique, I didn't build it) but honestly I don't really use it. Most of my tools live on the shelves and only the rarely-used things stay in the chest. But I felt that the toolchest itself was really a minor point in the book. More important I think was the discussion about your relationship to your tools.
"If I had eight hours to cut down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my axe."

My Woodworking Blog: A Riving Home
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#20
Not only at Lost Art but check out http://toolemera.com/Shop/index.html He has some great books there with a TON of info. Plus he is a Woodnetter.

I have the Mechanick Exercises: Or, The Doctrine Of Handy-Works and Woodwork Joints: Carpentry, Joinery, Cabinet-Making: The Woodworker Series

Great books and much needed to know info

Arlin
As of this time I am not teaching vets to turn. Also please do not send any items to me without prior notification.  Thank You Everyone.

It is always the right time, to do the right thing.
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