Christopher Schwarz’s fascination with workbenches and workbench design history continues in his new offer from Lost Art Press, Ingenious Mechanicks. Norm Reid reviewed the book, here are a few of his initial thoughts:
A recent release from Lost Art Press, this book is an homage to Christopher Schwarz’s love for workbenches and his dedication to understanding them in all their manifestations. On the surface, Ingenious Mechanicks is a beautifully-illustrated treatise on ancient workbenches. But while it does illuminate our understanding of how woodworkers from Roman times forward did their work, it contributes much more than that. Readers will find here guidelines for crafting several styles of low workbenches that are both beautiful (they can serve as furniture!) and surprisingly functional. In doing so, it turns our heads toward new directions for approaching hand tool woodworking that may well shake up practices well-enshrined in Western tradition since before Joseph Moxon and André Roubo came on the scene.
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