ATC Part 2 – Glue and Skirts

Posted by Aaron Henderson on Monday, August 9, 2021

Day 2 of the Anarchist’s Tool Chest (ATC) build.

To start today’s blog, I’m going to talk a bit about the workshop at Lost Art Press (LAP). This place is very special. Yes — special, special in a really good way. The folks at LAP have poured a lot of love, energy and obviously money into this place. The attention to details and the design choices complement this old structure. Each space in the first floor and the outside machine shop are set up with woodworking and efficiency in mind. They have turned a smelly, dank old bar into a beautiful and fully functional residence and workshop where they can ply their trade. It’s a real pleasure to work in such a historical and functional space. I would not hesitate to go back and take another class at this magical place. The people, the smell of wood and general atmosphere are very inviting. Also, they have the best coffee and pastries. The pastries come from local bakeries and are delicious. There are many local restaurants to choose from for lunch and dinner. This place was such a pleasure to visit.

Back to my project at hand — the ATC build. Yesterday, I had mostly chopped out the dovetails for all four sides; they just needed some cleanup and fine tuning. This is a very satisfying process — seeing your hard work literally coming together. I had to wait my turn for glue‑up as two other students were ready first and the shop only has so many clamps and one instructor.

Box Glue-up – Lots of clamps

After my box was in the clamps, it was time to start laying out the skirt boards. These wrap around the bottom of the chest and help protect it from coming apart and the case from day‑to‑day use and abuse. The choosing of the sides and the marking are pretty much the same as the box itself, except the tails are on the sides 90° out from the front to help hold the box together (on the box the tails were on the front and back boards).

By the end of the day all 5 students had their boxes glued and stacked up, ready for the next day’s activities. I had my skirt pieces marked and one corner chopped out.

Tomorrow — Part 3: More Skirts and Some Mistakes

Peace,
Aaron

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