The Anarchist's Apprentice

Articles

Advice for the New Apprentice

1 week ago | theanarchistsapprentice.substack.com | Kale Vogt |Christopher Schwarz

My daughter Katherine started work for Lost Art Press this week with a bang. Monday was fulfilling orders (300 came in over the weekend). Tuesday was all about learning to edit video (including this one) and making a carved woodblock. And today she learned all about keyways and pulleys to fix the band saw at our warehouse. It is never dull here. I wouldn’t call it chaotic, but there is always lots to do.
Fantasy Land

3 weeks ago | theanarchistsapprentice.substack.com | Kale Vogt

Kale VogtJune 2, 2025In two days I will be en route to Vermont to take a settee class with George Sawyer. This will be my second chairmaking class of the year outside of Lost Art Press and my first time working with George. Yesterday I swapped vehicles with my dad in preparation for the trip north. Unfortunately, my nimble, gas-friendly hatchback isn’t big enough to haul a settee. So this morning I got a taste of what it’s like to drive an ’06 Toyota Tundra through the skinny streets of Covington.
Part of the Apprenticeship: Catbus

1 month ago | theanarchistsapprentice.substack.com | Christopher Schwarz

One of the aspects of Kale’s apprenticeship that is important but not obvious involves “Catbus” – our 1996 Mitsubishi Minicab. It’s a Japanese import, right-hand drive and has a manual four-speed transmission. The little truck is invaluable for gathering and moving materials around the city. The back flaps of the truck all fold down, offering a low flat-bed truck. When we need to move books, T-shirts, lumber or tools, Catbus is almost always my first choice.
And Then There Were Two

1 month ago | theanarchistsapprentice.substack.com | Christopher Schwarz

One of the informal “rules” of traditional apprenticeships is that you don’t take your own children on as apprentices. Of course, we’re already breaking a lot of apprenticeship rules (for the better) with Kale, so why not break the nepotism rule as well? On June 16, my daughter Katherine will join Lost Art Press as an associate editor. And she plans to sign apprenticeship papers to do the same program that Kale is close to finishing.
New Experiences, New Opinions

1 month ago | theanarchistsapprentice.substack.com | Kale Vogt |Christopher Schwarz

Kale VogtMay 12, 2025Three nights ago I rolled up to my apartment around midnight after having driven more than four hours from Hendersonville, Tennessee. I was utterly exhausted but the feeling of accomplishment I felt from the chair lying upside down in my passenger seat made the drive all worthwhile. I spent last week at Greg Pennington’s workshop building the George Peddle chair with Jon Grant, a talented and knowledgeable chairmaker from Tasmania.
Another Episode of ‘Tool Hospital’

1 month ago | theanarchistsapprentice.substack.com | Christopher Schwarz

This entry is not intended to make you feel shame. One of the funniest woodworking jokes out there was first published on the oldtools usenet. It goes like this: “Stop anthropomorphizing your tools. They hate that.”The Anarchist's Apprentice is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I constantly anthropomorphize my tools. In fact, I have closer relationships with my tools than I do with some members of my extended family.
Am I More Than You Bargained For Yet?

2 months ago | theanarchistsapprentice.substack.com | Kale Vogt

Kale VogtApril 28, 2025Sometimes you build something that fights you at every step. Physically and mentally, it challenges you and beats the question “why” into you over and over again until it keeps you up at night. No matter what you do, you can’t seem to make this project sing to you — but you have to finish it.
What if the Design Lesson is the Physical Book Itself?

2 months ago | theanarchistsapprentice.substack.com | Christopher Schwarz

Kale has almost finished the third chair of their apprenticeship (I’ll let Kale show off the chair and discuss it). So, soon they’ll start the fourth and final chair. Here’s the brief on the fourth chair: It must be a new design and made without consult or assistance. That’s a tall order, and I know Kale is ready. This substack entry was supposed to be a discussion/lesson I planned to have with Kale last week. But last week went by in just seconds.
Deliberation Station

2 months ago | theanarchistsapprentice.substack.com | Kale Vogt

Kale VogtApril 14, 2025Little evidence from my time in college remains today. There wasn’t much proof I ever attended to begin with. I dealt with college for only about a year-and-a-half before I asked myself, “Why am I doing this?”There is one college notebook, though, that somehow dodged all my closet purges over the years. It’s a notebook from my “Design Fundamentals” class.
Shop Symbols & Jargon

2 months ago | theanarchistsapprentice.substack.com | Christopher Schwarz

When you work with other woodworkers – even when picking out wood at the lumberyard – it helps to know some of the marks and special words that will help get the job done right. These symbols are helpful to even the lone woodworker. When you return to the bench after a hiatus, the symbols will help you pick up where you left off. (Note: I made these marks in ink to make them easier to see. Typically, I use pencil.)True Edge: This edge has been jointed by hand or machine.