Hair Clippers, Article begins on page 10 Studying ... · Contributing Editors: Bob Roger, James...

Studying, Preserving, and Sharing Knowledge of Tools

Hair Clippers, Article begins on page 10

June 2014 No. 155

William Crutchfield-PlanemakerArticle begins on page 20

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The Gristmill IndexFeaturesHair Clippers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Nicking Irons-Some Uncommon Variants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Johnson & Conaway Makers of Backsaws 1840-1857 . . . . . .16

William Crutchfield - Planemaker-Danville, Kentucky. . . . . . .20

Ivory Point Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

The 43rd Brown International Antique Tool Auction . . . . . . . .27

M-WTCA Advanced Levels of Membership & Additional Gifts for 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Early Totes… Some Variant Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Securing Saw Handles to Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Cheesman, James L.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Beneath the Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Straw Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Copyright 2014 by Mid-West Tool Collectors Association, Inc. All rights reserved.

www.mwtca.org

Editor & Advertising Manager: Bill Kolm11415 Spaulding St. Omaha, NE 68164

Contributing Editors: Bob Roger, James Goodson, John Wells

Graphic Design: Tracie Sis, Green Hat Creative Heads

The Gristmill is the official publication of the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association, Inc. Published quarterly in March, June, September and December.The purpose of the Association is to promote the preserva-tion, study and understanding of ancient tools, implements and devices of farm, home, industry and shop of the pioneers; also, to study the crafts in which these objects were used and the craftsmen who used them; and to share knowledge and understanding with others, especially where it may benefit restoration, museums and like institutions.

President LeRoy Witzel105 Knights Blvd, Humboldt, IA. 50548-1879 (515) 890-0262, [email protected]

Vice-President of Elections Hollis Feeser 1606 28th Street N.W., Rochester, Minnesota 55901-7614 (507) 282-3175

Vice-President of Meeting Planning Larry Thorson 764 Stonebridge Avenue, Onalaska, WI 54650-8813 [email protected] (608) 779-0966

Vice-President of Membership John Walkowiak 3452 Humboldt Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55408-3332 [email protected] (612) 824-0785

Vice-President of Scholarship Mark Eastlick 14530 Mount Pleasant Road, Cambridge Spring, PA. 16403-9776 [email protected] (814) 734-7818

Treasurer Vaughn Simmons3315 Clement Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22801-4723 [email protected] (540) 432-0617

Secretary Randy Knudson 8173 Lenox Avenue, Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6630 [email protected]

Elections ................................................. Hollis Feeser

Meeting Planning ................................. Larry Thorson

Membership ...................................... John Walkowiak

Scholarship ............................................Mark Eastlick

Gristmill Editor ............................................Bill Kolm

Special Publications ............................... MIke Urness

By-Laws and Policy ............................. Gary Coleman

What’s It ................................................Rob Hartmann

Directory ................................................. LeRoy Witzel

Preservation & Education ........... Doug & Paula Cox

Marion Henley Award ......................... Kerry McCalla

Displays & Awards ............................ Dick Bradshaw

Internet ........................................................Russ Allen

Address Labels .................................... Kerry McCalla

Scrapbook ............................................Mike Slasinski

Where to Send WhatPlease note where to send what so it will reach the right person.

Send changes in your address, phone number or E-Mail to: KLM Computer Services, c/o Kerry McCalla, 104 Engle Ct., Franklin, TN 37069, phone (615) 791-6198, E-Mail [email protected]

Request The Gristmill copies from: Carl Gray, 17140 28 Mile Road, Ray, Michigan 48096-2905, phone (586) 781-9467, E-Mail: [email protected]

Pay membership dues for current year: Dues are $25 for USA, $40 for Canada & $60 for Foreign members. Send your check made out to M-WTCA to Vaughn Simmons, Treasurer, 3315 Clement Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22801-4723 phone (540) 432-0617 E-Mail [email protected]. Please write RENEW and your name and address on your check. Do not use a new member application to renew an existing membership.

Submit materials and advertising information to The Gristmill: Send to Bill Kolm 11415 Spauld-ing Street Omaha, NE 68164, phone (402) 572-1238, E-Mail [email protected]

Obtain scholarship information: Contact Mark Eastlick 14530 Mount Pleasant Road, Cambridge Spring, Penn. 16403-9776 phone (814) 734-7818

The Gristmill (ISSN 2166 8078) No. 155 June 2014

Area AAllen Snyder, 2014Richard Rayburn, 2015

Area BSteve McNulty, 2014Darrell Vogt, 2015

Area CMike Stemple, 2014Jim Charvat, 2015

Area DEd Chabal, 2014Lee Kallstrom, 2015

Area EDon Snyder, 2014Bill Cox, 2015Robert Terry, 2015Eric Kennedy, 2016

Area FMark Johnson, 2014

Area GRoy Ebersole, 2014Wayne Michael, 2015

Area HAnnette Habicht, 2015

Area IEmory Goad, 2014David Hegwood, 2016

Area JJim Price, 2015

Area KDon Craig, 2015

Area LSteve Gosselin, 2014

Area MStephen Edwards, 2015Doug Fowler, 2016

Area NWilliam Morgan, 2014Randy Knudsen 2015

Area OBob Valich, 2015

Area P James Leamy, 2014Patrick Renehan, 2015Don Stark, 2015

Area QBruce Bogust, 2014Rob Zaccardi, 2015

Area R

Area SWordell Davis, 2014

Directors Committee Chairman

The Gristmill (ISSN 2166 8078) is printed by Elman Print, 6210 South 118th Street, Omaha, NE 68137 phone 402.346.0888

DepartmentsChaff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Area Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Tool Family Trees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Fall National Meeting Promo, Rockford, IL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Tool Tid-Bits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Lest We Forget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Auxiliary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

What’s It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

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FeaturesHair Clippers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Nicking Irons-Some Uncommon Variants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Johnson & Conaway Makers of Backsaws 1840-1857 . . . . . .16

William Crutchfield - Planemaker-Danville, Kentucky. . . . . . .20

Ivory Point Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

The 43rd Brown International Antique Tool Auction . . . . . . . .27

M-WTCA Advanced Levels of Membership & Additional Gifts for 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Early Totes… Some Variant Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Securing Saw Handles to Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Cheesman, James L.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Beneath the Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Straw Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Coming UpM-WTCA National Meetings

Spring 2014 June 11-14, 2014 Columbus, OH. Larry Thorson (608) 779-0966, [email protected]

Fall 2014 Oct 1-4, 2014 Rockford, IL. Larry Thorson (608) 779-0966, [email protected]

Spring 2015 June 10-13 2015 Kingsport, TN. Larry Thorson 608-779-0966, [email protected]

Fall 2015 Sept.30-Oct 3, 1015 Mars, PA. Larry Thorson 608-779-0956, [email protected]

Spring 2016 June 9-12, Holiday Inn - Airport, Des Moines, IA. Larry Thorson 608-779-0966, [email protected]

Fall 2016 Oct 4-8, Ramada Plaza Hotel, Louisville, KY. Larry Thorson 608-779-0966, [email protected]

Meeting Dates must be cleared with Jim Crammond, 734-241-0549 [email protected]

2014 M-WTCA Area MeetingsArea P June 28, Adamstown, PA Don Stark, (717) 367-5207, [email protected]

Area C July 12, Kalamazoo, MI Jim Crammond, 734-241-0549, [email protected]

Area R July 24-26, Avoca, NY Kathy Donnelly (800) 869-0695

Area E August 3, Garfield Farm Museum, LaFox, IL George Cella, (630) 377-3646, [email protected]

Area D August 10, Washington, IA Ed Chabal (319) 931-7122, [email protected]

Area O August 16, Sonoma, CA Bob Valich, (707) 545-8812, [email protected]

Area P Aug. 24, Adamstown, PA Don Stark, (717) 367-5207, [email protected]

Area F Aug. 30, La Porte, IN Randy Brown (219) 575-8687, [email protected]

Area E Sept. 7, Ottawa, IL Bill Cox, (815) 672-3874, [email protected]

Area A Sept. 7, Rochester, MN Matt Kujawa (507) 254-7864, [email protected]

Area H September 14, Barnet, VT Annette or Peter Habicht 413-229-7745, [email protected]

Area Q September 20, Raleigh, NC Ed Hobbs (919) 828-2754, [email protected]

Area D Oct. 12, Omaha, NE Lee Kallstrom (402) 981-0500, [email protected]

Area S Oct. 25, Broadway, VA Vaughn Simmons, (540) 432-0617, [email protected]

Area E Nov.2, Carlinville, IL Bob Terry (618) 377-3421, [email protected]

Area N Nov. 22, Panhandle Pioneer Settlement, Blountstown, FL Willard Smith (850) 674-2777, [email protected]

2014 M-WTCA Area MeetingsArea A Feb. 14, Medina MN Allen Snyder, (651) 485-4321, [email protected]

Area F March 14/15, McCormick’s Creek State Park, Spencer, IN Matt Borders (812) 824-9318, [email protected]

Area E April 12, Loves Park, IL. Gary Johnson (815) 494-3219

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Spring greetings to all.

M-WTCA is unusual as a volunteer organization, as it is dependent on some 48 Directors to represent the entire membership by being on site in the individual Areas. They are there to inform, guide and represent the members of their assigned Areas. They have the opportunity to plan and execute the Area activities that best fit and represent the interest of the members. The Directors are the pipeline to the officers of M-WTCA and the officers back to the membership. In short, the Directors are free to make local decisions as long as they follow the BYLAWS as printed in the membership directory. Being a Director is an honor

To all our new members I want to say “WELCOME – Glad to have you join M-WTCA”. Our total mem-bership is 3337 year-to-date. New members are up about 20% com-pared to a year ago. Vaughn Sim-mons, Treasurer, feels M-WTCA is on target to have over 3500 mem-bers by year-end. This is all due to our internet site exposure, more

Silent Salesmen with application forms spread around the country and the great job our members are doing in spreading the word of M-WTCA by urging people with an-tique tool interests to join. Carl Gray, one of our behind-the-scenes member volunteer, sends out our new member packets which include a few back issues of Gristmills, a current membership directory, and a recent special publi-cation. This introduces all of our new members to some of M-WTCA member benefits. In talking with new members the past few months, the first comment that I hear is: “I re-ally like the Gristmill!” After going to their first meeting, they say “I can not believe how friendly everyone is and how willing members are to share old tool knowledge”. Some say “I wish I would have known about M-WTCA sooner.” All of us need to keep sharing the good news about M-WTCA.

This past winter on some cold and snowy evenings in Iowa, I looked through some early Gristmills printed in the 70s. Reading some of the semi-annual meeting articles, it was easy to detect that we had a very dedicated Board of Di-rectors and Executive Committee who worked hard to set the stage for what we have in our By-Laws and 3 P’s today. It was amazing to read in one of the semi-annual meet-

ChaffFrom President, LeRoy Witzel

Special VolunteersHollis Feeser, VP Elections

ing summaries from the mid-70s that around 300 members attended a National meeting when membership was less than one-fourth of our membership of recent years.

The 2014 Directory should be in your hands by now. THANKS to Randy Knudsen, Vaughn Simmons and Kerry McCalla for coordinating all the information to get it ready for publica-tion. Things like your Directory just do not happen.

We have so many members contributing great information by writing articles for the Gristmill. This present issue is no exception. Bob Rogers always has informative articles---Lest We Forget and Tool Family Trees and now one on Hair Clippers. Other articles to check out in this Gristmill are Dave Heckel’s---Ivory Point Rule; Gary Coleman—Wil-liam Crutchfield Planemaker; John Wells—Stanley’s No. 130 and 131(Type 1); Phil Baker---Saws; and James Good-son—Early Totes. Also, be sure to check out the article on Jim and Phyllis Moffet’s apple peeler presentation at the Springfield, MO. meeting. It is good to see all the great informative and well researched articles written by mem-bers and sent in to Bill and Peggy Kolm for publication in the Gristmill.

Our Host Larry Thorson, VP of Meeting and Planning and our Hostess Carolyn List, Auxillary Vice-President have a wonderful meeting lined up for all of us in Columbus, Ohio. The Friday night auction will feature many items from the collection of the late Morris Olsen collection. Looking forward to seeing many of you in Columbus for a fun time.

Remember our motto: Studying, Preserving and Shar-ing Knowledge of Tools. This is what makes our organi-zation an important part of member’s lives.

not a chore. Yes, the Directors will be busy when planning a Meet but it is a short term job. A Director can expect to spend some 30 hours a year in planning and executing the Area activities. The Area membership will be there to as-sist in the various activities at the request of the Director. It is a responsible job, an important job, and a satisfying experience.

Director elections are coming up later this year and we need to fill 15 openings. Now is the time to encourage, pro-mote, offer help, and make sure your area is prepared to fill any open seats. I am here to help so just contact me if you have questions.

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This year everyone in our part of the country tru-ly had “cabin fever”. Hopefully our snow will be gone by the time this article is published.

Once again, the weather gave us a bit of a break for our winter Meet at Medina. 220 members and guests were reg-istered. We filled over 80 trade, display, demonstration, “What’s It”, and community tables. Trading began at 8:30 and continued to be strong until our auction in the after-noon. Prices were said to be slightly higher this year, but many reported excellent buys. We were please to have five National officers attend this Meet: President - Leroy Wit-zel, Auxiliary President - Susan Witzel, VP of Elections - Hollis Feeser, VP of Meeting Planning - Larry Thorson, VP of Membership - John Walkowiak.

Displays: The themes this year were “The Fam-ily Tools” for the men and “Family Heirlooms” for the women. We would like to thank the follow-ing members for sharing their nice displays: Susan Witzel - “Buried Trea-sures on the Mississippi” (shells, buttons, shell harvesting devices, but-ton manufacturing equip-ment, and books about buttons and the button trade on the Mississippi).

Pat Feeser - “Our Family Heirlooms” (a beautiful collec-tion of books, china, carvings, silver, and watches owned by members of her and Hollis’ family).

John Walkowiak - “New Old Tools” (a fantastic display of the elegant reproductions of rare planes, saws, and ham-mers made by John). Top Right Photo

Bob Stuefen - “November, December and January Finds” (an impressive selection of the antique treasures found by Bob in the three months prior to our meet).

Howard Mironov - “Multiple Blade Screwdrivers” (a nice assortment of screwdrivers with multiple blades and slid-ing/rotating internal frames).

Cecil Holmes - “My Fa-vorite Patented Tool; The Square” (machin-ist, blacksmith and carpenter squares and squaring tools manu-factured over 100 years ago and still used by Cecil at work today).

Area A “Cabin Fever” Meet: Medina, MN. February 8, 2014by Bob Nelson

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Jim Preusser - “The Challenge Plane” (five examples of the very rare Challenge Plane patented by Arthur T. Goldsbor-ough and manufactured by Tower & Lyon circa 1889).

Joe Preusser - “A Type 1 Bailey Victor No. 3” (this plane was invented and patented by Leonard Bailey in Hartford, Con-necticut circa 1875 after he left Stanley).

Greg Vetsch - “The Niels Jensen Plumb/Level” (one of the rarest of Minnesota’s patented tools, intricate and gorgeous; patent date of August 5, 1890 by Niels Jensen, Minneapolis).

Bob Nelson - “Grandpa Theodore’s Planes” (all of the Ohio Tool Co. Iron Planes, as shown on page 4 of the Ohio 1910 cata-log - 13 planes numbered 01 through 08; a collection started by his Grandpa Theodore in Duluth, Min-nesota circa 1905).

Allen Snyder - “Mixed Craftsman Made Planes” (a beauti-ful collection of Cuban mahogany, boxwood, burled ma-ple, pine, rosewood, and hickory craftsman-made planes circa 1800s).

Judging is done according to M-WTCA guidelines. Results were as follows:

Best Women’s Display - Susan Witzel Best Single Tool - Greg Vetsch People’s Choice - Cecil Holmes Best Out of Theme - Jim Preusser Best in Theme - Bob Nelson

Miscellaneous: Chris Schwartz and John Hoffman from “Lost Art Press” filmed a video of the tool buying experi-ence available at an M-WTCA meet. Chris is the former ed-itor of Popular Woodworking Magazine and John Hoffman is an avid home woodworker. The leading actor was Mike Siemsen, who played himself. Supporting actors were our trade table vendors (who also played themselves).

Dick Enstad, who demonstrated a full scale “rope walk” at the Science Museum of Minnesota, brought a model of the rope walk and explained the rope production process. (Next year we hope we can do the full size version at Medina).

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Bob Daudt was again the auctioneer at Medina and did a fine job. The auction helps offset the cost of the meet. Thanks to Bob, and to those who donated their lots to the Area A, and all who participated in the auction.

Once again, Eric “The Legend” Mattson hosted the What’s It session. This year seemed to have a record number of UOO’s (Unidentified Old Objects).

On behalf of Area A, I would also like to offer our condo-lences to the family and friends of Morris Olson and Tom Lamond. Morris was member #765 and was well known to all of us in the Midwest area. Thank you Morris for your ser-vice to your country and to our club. Tom Lamond, member #592, was a prolific tool researcher and writer. I first met Tom at our 2006 National Meet in Rochester when we were co-speakers. His presentation was on “Axes and Logos”. Since then, we shared lots of information, but I learned much more from him than he did from me. We will miss you, Tom.

Thank you to everyone who helped in any way with our meet. Please join us next year for our 28th Annual “Cabin Fever” meet at Medina on February 14th, 2015.

The February Area A Cabin Fever Meet was featured in a video. It showed that someone need not spend thousands of dollars to start woodworking, but can start with hand tools for a relatively small amount of money. The taping was done by member Chris Schwarz and his business partner John Hoffman. It featured Area A member Mike Siemsen on camera. Chris and John are the founders and owners of the publishing business Lost Art Press. They are focused on publishing books about traditional wood-working. In doing so, hope (and are succeeding) to bring back some of the “lost arts” to encourage folks to give traditional woodworking a try. This will be the first video they have produced, although Chris has made many with contemporary hand tool makers.

Mike Siemsen has been a woodworker all of his life, and operates Mike Siemsen’s School of Woodworking, in Chis-ago City MN. He teaches hand tool fundamentals as well as power tool use what is known as a blended shop, as well as furniture construction. Mike is a regular demon-strator at Area A Meets.

The three of them wanted to make a video showing how a tool kit could be put together, the tools tuned up ready to work, and a highly functionally workbench built for $500 - $600 including lumber.

They attended the Cabin Fever Meet and taped the “hunt” and purchase of their list of tools. We all know, attending a tool meet is the most efficient way to acquire a kit of

tools at a most reasonable price. They then returned to Mike’s shop to tune and sharpen the tools, video taping the process. Mike then used the tools to build two saw benches, which were in turn used to build the workbench. The finished product will tentatively be available in June 2014 from Lost Art Press.

The video will be a wonderful advertisement for M-WTCA. Chris, John, and Mike deserve a hearty Thank You for fea-turing Mid-West as a great source of hand tools as well as encouraging more folks to become interested in old tools.

As you start hitting the roads looking for tools to add to your collection or to use, do not forget to take some mem-bership brochures along to give to others with similar in-terests. Contact me if you need some. They can also be printed from our website and there is one in each Grist-mill and Membership Directory.

An Area A Meet in a Video by John Walkowiak, V.P. Membership

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Area P hosted another successful Cabin Fever Meet at the Holiday Inn in York, PA. on Sat., Jan. 25, 2014. Despite the threat of a major snowstorm, the meeting was a big success with 58 dealers and 160 attendees.

In addition, two new members signed up at the door and two others renewed their memberships. Trading was brisk

with many members taking new treasures home with them. Most dealers reported very good selling. There were six quality displays set up. The auction conducted by Brown Auction Service was a rousing success with over 400 lots sold. A special thanks to hosts Don and Carol Stark and event organizer Jeff Lacates.

Area P Cabin Fever Meetby Jim Leamy, Area P Director

Tool Family Trees by Bob Roger

Shown here are five members of a very collectible family. This should be easy for the ladies as they are most often associated with the applicable function.

Answer on page 45.

M-W

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September 2013 9

After a ten (10) year hiatus, the Fall meeting is returning to Rockford, IL. The meeting will be held October 1-4 at the Clock Tower Resort and Conference Center in Rockford, IL.

The hotel rate is $103 for double occupancy and includes a hot breakfast buffet Wednesday thru Sunday mornings of our meeting. Higher rates apply for triple occupancy. The rate three days prior and three days following the meeting is $95 and includes a continental breakfast (no hot break-fast buffet). With Rockford being the home of many well known tool companies, the men’s display theme is “Ma-chinist Tools”. The hotel is located on the northeast side of Rockford just off I-90/94 with a large parking lot to ac-commodate our tailgate session on Thursday.

Your Hostess and I are arranging multiple tours on Thurs-day which include the Midway Village Museum, the Lau-rent House, a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (the only home Frank Lloyd Wright designed for a handicapped person) and the Historic Auto Attraction. (Attractions) Historic Auto Attraction (Attractions) houses one of the most extensive collections of John F. Kennedy & Kennedy Family artifacts & memorabilia in the country. This tour will be of interest to both men and women.

Our Hostess Judy Gambrel has offered to hold an “open house” at her 850,000 sq ft factory/warehouse located in downtown Rockford. Enclosed in the warehouse is Judy’s

10,000 sq ft. apartment which was originally built as a hos-pital for the 6,000 factory workers when the complex was National Lock Hardware Company. This facility has twice been featured on the History Channel TV show American Pickers. The building also houses the bulk of her late hus-band Maury’s tool collection. His main collection was foot powered machines, many of which were made by WF & John Barnes in Rockford. Maury’s tool museum is 24’ x 116.’ There is also a general store, tavern, hardware store and music store. Time and date for the open house will be noted in the meeting registration materials.

Weather permitting the tailgate session will start early Thursday morning (bring a flashlight). The men’s program on Thursday evening will feature a presentation by Ce-cil Holmes on surface gauges. Early access to the Trade Room will be available on Thursday afternoon from 4-6 PM for those that would like to bring in their displays and tools. Security will be present starting at 6 PM Thursday through noon on Saturday. Tools brought in on Thursday afternoon must be placed under their trade table. On Fri-day the Trade and Display room will open at 6:00 AM for display set up and loading in of tools. At 8:30 AM displays will be ready for viewing followed by tool trading at 10 AM. Friday afternoon Shane Christen will present a pro-gram on “tools of war” with the ever popular tool auction Friday evening.

For those members that can only attend on Saturday, we again are offering registration for ‘Saturday Only” with the trade room opening at 6:30 AM. The What’s It session will be held in the Trade Room at 10:30 AM. At 2:00 PM we will have the election of officers for the next year followed by the men’s program.

Saturday evening we will close out the meeting with a short business meeting and banquet.

Rockford and the Rockford area is host to a number of historic gardens, museums and antique shops. For more information on things to see and do in the Rockford area go to www.gorockford.com.

Watch your mail for registration materials in mid-August. Judy and I look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones in Rockford, Illinois. We have arranged great programs for you and know you will have a great time. If you are interested in demonstrating a skill or tool(s) at the Rockford meeting please contact Larry Thorson at [email protected] or call 608-779-0966. We are also look-ing for program presenters for our Spring 2015 meeting in Kingsport, TN. If you are interested or know of someone that might have information on tools, etc. to share, please contact Larry Thorson.

M-WTCA Fall Meeting - Rockford, IL Larry Thorson – Host, Judy Gambrel – Hostess

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Interested in small, elegant mechanical gadgets that are easy to display? Try collecting hair clippers. A general progression of hair-shortening tools would go from sin-gle-blade knives and razors to double-blade scissors to singeing lamps (covered in another article) to hand-held/hand-powered clippers to mechanically-powered clippers to electric clippers. This article focusses on the hand-held, hand-powered clippers that were invented beginning in the 1850s and continuing into the 1950s. These ‘improved clipping machines’ were first used on animals, grass, hedg-es, etc. and then on people. They are a pleasure to hold and often are found at very reasonable prices.

Clippers were made in various sizes for different jobs. For example, a larger clipper would be needed to shear sheep or cut grass than to trim behind a man’s ear. But size is only one way of grouping them. There are also many other fea-tures to look for when collecting clippers, and sometimes a number of mechanical designs within a basic feature.

If who invented it or manufactured it is of interest, there are several names that appear often in the clipper patents and on the clippers themselves - Coates, Priest, Hotchkiss, Oster, Clark, Carleton, Brown & Sharp – and relation-ships between many of them. For example, the John Os-ter Manufacturing Company of Racine, WI. made clippers having features of earlier patents by Priest, Carleton, and Noble. Noble was a witness on one of Carleton’s patents, and both Carleton and Noble assigned their patents to the Brown & Sharp manufacturing Company of Providence, RI. However, those earlier patents would have expired by the time John Oster opened his business in 1924. Oster ob-tained a patent in 1930 for a clipper having the designs of Priest (1892) and Noble (1884) with very slight variation – just enough to obtain a patent. In 1925 Christian Scheerer of Germany was issued a patent for a clipper that contains the features of Noble’s (1884) patent and Carleton’s (1892) patent with very minor differences, and Oster also pro-duced that clipper.

The first U.S. patent for a hand-held, hand-operated shears having multiple shearing positions and a reciprocating blade appears to belong to L. B. Fisher for his sheep shears. It is Patent number 14,354 issued on March 4, 1856 and his drawing is shown in Figure 1. His clippers have a spring re-turn and are for one-hand use. Fisher’s description stated “Although these shears are described for shearing sheep, they may be used as shears generally, for trimming hedges, flowers, lawn, or margins of flower beds, or for any other purpose to which shears are applicable.”

The next patent, and the first with pivoted handles, was number 16,720 issued on March 3, 1857 to E. G. Chambers for his sheep shears. His drawing is shown in Figure 2, and the clippers have no spring return.

The first patent for pivoted handle clippers with a spring return and also with a means for applying blade tension (pressing the cutting blade against the lower blade) is number 65,077 issued on May 28, 1867 to C. F. Harlow & E. F. Perry. It was for a ‘machine for cutting hair, grass, & c’. Their drawing is shown in Figure 3.

Figure 1. Fisher’s Shears

Figure 2. Chambers’ Shears

Figure 3. Harlow & Perry’s Hair Cutting Machine

Several of the basic early clippers had two handles pivoted together, one attached to each blade. One handle was fixed to the bottom blade (sole), and the other handle worked a mechanism that caused the upper (cutting) blade to slide

Hair Clippers by Bob Roger

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back and forth across the lower blade (reciprocate). One handle was held in one hand and the other in the other hand, however, the one-hand designs predominated.

Figure 4 shows two clippers illustrating a size difference and also two-handed versus one-handed designs. The large two-hand clipper is Brown’s ‘Newmarket Clipper’ patented in England in 1874 and in the US in 1878. Brown was both the patentee and maker. The tiny clipper has a cutting edge only 7/8 inch wide and was made by Marks in Germany.

Many of the improvements, such as Priest’s 1903 friction reduction roller bearings, are mechanical designs that may not be easy to distinguish without disassembly and careful inspection. But some features are easily observ-able. Among the more visible are:

Thumb & finger horns and/or loops. These keep the clipper in a stable position in the hand, and some like Priest’s 1885 thumb horn are adjustable.

Spring return. The spring returns the cutting blade to the starting position, and the blade often cuts in reverse as it returns. Some types are leaf (Figure 3) or coil (Figure 1) springs between the handles, coil springs on vertical posts above or below the cutting blade, and push springs in hori-zontal cylinders. The existence of a leaf spring between the handles is not an accurate guide to age.

Adjustable pressure between blades. This is called blade tension in the patents, and allows the space between the blades to be adjusted. This is often accomplished by a nut (knurled or wing) on a post or by nuts on studs.

Grooved sole plate. This was patented by Noble in 1884 to reduce friction with the skin and to achieve a closer cut.

Curved or variable thickness sole plate. The plate may be thinner or curved up in the back to allow more ma-neuverability for getting into recesses. Carleton patented this in 1879.

Figure 4. Big/Little and 2-Hand/1-Hand

Dating clippers can be complicated unless they are marked. We know they began in the 1850s, but electricity did not bring an end to the hand-powered clippers – there were patents for them as late as the 1950s.

Let us look at a few examples to whet your appetite. Fig-ure 5 shows three two-handed clippers. The one on the left with the guard is Priest’s 1903 patent (roller bearings) made by the American Shearer Mfg. Company. The center clipper is Brown’s (discussed above), and the right clip-per is unmarked but also has roller bearings (but differ-ent containment mechanism) so probably dates to 1903 or later.

Figure 5. Three Two-Handed Clippers

Figure 6. Open Mechanisms & Leaf Springs

Figure 6 shows two clippers having open mecha-nisms and leaf springs. The top clipper is Clark’s 1874 patent for blade pressure. The bottom one is Peugeot’s French toilet clipper.

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The top clipper in Figure 7 is the Juno made by the Pilot Tool Co. of NY. The guard with it is Redman’s 1927 patent which was assigned to Boker (NY). The bottom clipper is Hauptner’s (Germany).

Figure 8 shows a Hotchkiss clipper (top) and a Coates Clipper Mfg. Company clipper having two (1885 & 1895) of his many clipper-related patents.

Figure 9 shows the grooved sole-plate that was the subject of Noble’s 1884 patent.

Figure 10 shows an Oster clipper having Dean’s 1924 pat-ent for a rounded sole-plate add-on, and Oster’s 1931 pat-ent for a thumb rest add-on.

Figure 11 shows two tiny clippers, the left one is Boker’s ‘Jewel’ and the right one is Shumate’s ‘Imp’.

Figure 12 is Priest’s Clipping Machine. It is marked with two of his many patents – 1884 for fulcrum design and

1885 for the adjustable thumb horn and the thumb loop combina-tion. This clipper uses a coil spring on his pat-ented center post for the return mechanism.

Figure 13 shows two post-1924 clippers con-taining Carleton’s 1892 patent push spring re-turn which was copied

Figure 7. Pilot’s Juno & Hauptner’s Clippers

Figure 8. Hotchkiss & Coates Clippers

Figure 9. Noble’s 1884 Patent

Figure 10. Oster’s Additions

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by Sheerer in 1925. The spring is housed in the horizontal cylinder behind the large slotted cover on the side. That cover is threaded and allows adjustment of the spring ten-sion. The clipper on the left is marked ‘Oster’ Style, indi-cating that the maker was probably someone other than Oster. Notice that its cover and the non-movable handle are all one piece while they are separate pieces in the ex-ample on the right, which was made by Oster using Car-leton’s and Sheerer’s patents. Both of these clippers also have Noble’s 1884 patent sole plate.

So the next time you see one of these clippers, stop and take a closer look. You will see that there is more to look at than you might have previously thought.

Figure 13. Carleton’s 1892 Patent Spring

Figure 11. Jewel & Imp

Figure 12. Priest’s ‘Clipping Machine’

Do you sell in a shop, do shows or demonstrations? We have available a Silent Salesman for you to display at these or any other venues. They are lightweight and sturdy self-standing sign holders. They hold a small poster and a pocket that holds

the tri-fold membership brochures and are available in two sizes. It is an effortless way for you to promote membership in M-WTCA. You can contact me at [email protected].

Please consider placing an M-WTCA membership promo-tion in your listing or on your web site. This will be good for M-WTCA by providing the thousands of eBayer’s and online collectors who are looking at old tools and do not know about us, an easy means to make contact with our organization. This will also improve your credibility as a seller by showing your affiliation with M-WTCA. It will be a Win-Win situation for everyone.

Just go to http://mwtca.org and click on the Selling on eBay bar on the left side of the homepage. Then simply copy and paste the promotion and add it to your listing where it best fits. It is simple and easy and will be a great help in exposing our great organization to the world. Also, do not forget to include a membership brochure in all the tools you send out. Please contact me and I will send a supply of membership brochures to you.

Selling on Ebay by John Walkowiak

M-WTCA Silent Salesman by John Walkowiak

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14 The Gristmill

Rather like a satellite cours-ing an orbit, the proverbial nicker iron faithfully traces a dedicated pathway clearing and defining the way for each successive determining plane iron cut. Unheralded as they are, these pint sized modified

versions of a plane’s cutting iron play a critical role in the iron’s ability to perform its given task. Designed to sever the wood grain just ahead of the plane’s iron (sometimes found on both sides such as a dado plane), this knife in-corporates a razor edge to great advantage. Commonly occurring, little acknowledged and greatly ignored, this little warrior can on occasion be found in some unusual locations and be put to some unusual tasks as well.

I have on rare occasion acquired a plane where the nicker iron is let through the shoulder of the plane. This anomaly has occurred several times over some 30+ years of collect-ing various types of woodworking tools and I have on each occasion acquired the selection to ponder. I have not seen any other examples, which brings me to this discussion and inquiry. If you have a similar example of this type of application of a nicker iron, please bring it to the table as I would be quite interested in furthering the discussion in this article concerning this unusual application. Its func-tion in this location is not in question here.

The first example on hand is a rather com-pact plane ‘From John Moseley & Sons, London’. It is a rather select issue of beechwood with a boxwood wear in-sert incorporating the profile. The nick-

er and its wedge are let through the shoulder of the plane. This particular nicker terminates in a forked tip which clears the way for the very tiny dado shaped projection of the plane iron.

The second example is likely English also, its stamp reading Js Gilinders in italics. Once again the body is of beechwood with the nicker iron and tiny wedge projecting through the low shoulder of the plane to effect their cut. The nicker iron which cuts a tiny dado, is not original to this piece. The plane also displays a stamp bear-ing my very initials…. Js G. This matches the plane makers stamp as well. Might the maker be the owner / user of this particular copy as well?

The third example is unmarked as to maker but is a fine specimen of complex moulder from an excellent cut of beech. It shows only light use and extremely crisp de-tail as many of the special-ly made complex mould-ing forms were made for a specific and singular ap-plication only. Once again, the nicker iron and wedge are let through the low shoulder. The wedge is a replacement and the iron, hidden but still in place, is quite short and protrudes only slightly from its slot.

The fourth example may not actually incorporate a nicker. Through the low shoulder is a small wedge secured by means of a tiny sliding dovetail feature. It could incorpo-rate a rather wide and thin nicker iron within its confines as there is about a 16th of an inch of available space for just such a fitting. It Is quite comfort-able on its own as well though but I have no clue as to

Nicking Irons - Some Uncommon Variants by James Goodson

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what it would be for other than some sort of depth stop. Some more help here? This plane appears English and is stamped with the date 1790 on the toe end. Again, it in-corporates a fine selection of beechwood into a complex moulding profile.

Pulling this brief article together reminded me of a few other nicker applications on some other tools in my col-lection. This little workhorse of a feature could be modi-fied to fill some very specific requirements when the occa-sion arose. Consider the following examples which I am sure only touch the surface of additional imaginative uses expanding the capabilities and utility of this humble little feature.

The adjustable croze. With ingenious modification of the nicker feature alone, a three arm or adjustable arm croze could forgo the twin wedges, fitting slots and nicker irons for cutting across the grain of the oak staves. In their place on this occasion is fitted a threaded shaft with wing nut for vertical adjustment. Forged at one end into a split edge, this threaded shaft now terminates into that split edge each segment sharpened and filed to a serrated (saw tooth) blade. A single ‘nicker’ now does the work of two and incorporates a considerable amount of mass to the effort which must substan-tially improve its prog-ress through hard oak staves. A drilled hole would fit the threaded post with only slight mortising in the base for the addition of the cutting head.

An archaic and quite rare tool from the Alsatian region of France found pri-marily in the 18th c. and earlier is the ‘trusquin traceur’ or ‘rabot a rainures d un tonnelier’. A device used by the cooper for cutting out the heads and bottoms of pails, buckets and other smallish stave constructed stock. Its heavy iron and the necessary nicker irons needed were constructed into a sin-gle unit whereby twin blades, one each end, were forged between two nicker irons, one each side to form a single cutting assembly. The adjustment mechanism used on this example rather favors the form of the French guillo-tine. Two heavy forged uprights with a threaded spreader bar atop, anchor a threaded post with a shamrock shaped turning handle. The frame is rigidly at-tached to the wood-en stock all set at a very very slight angle off of the ver-tical.

The ‘trailing’ nicker iron fitted into a plane of Mediterranean oak

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16 The Gristmill

There is some question as to the start up date of this firm. I have chosen the dates in the title based on the differences of 15 Johnson & Conaway backsaws in the Baker collec-tion. EAIA’s Directory of American Tool Makers has two references to Johnson & Conaway of 1840 as a start up date. 1840 is in line with my estimated date of manufacture of the earliest saw in this study. I believe that many early makers made the back saw soon after starting up, to il-lustrate their ability to make a fine tool. If so that helps in the dating game.

McElroy’s Philadelphia Directory published companies manufacturing in Philadelphia. That list contained names of companies that paid for their listing, therefore listing by McElroy is not all inclusive.

Charles Johnson was in all probability, one of the John-son’s that Henry Disston apprenticed under. William Con-away was born in Massachusetts in 1822.

Research has unearthed very little of the lives of these two saw makers. Hopefully this information will come to light as so many of us look for answers.

The manufacturing date of each saw is based on the han-dle design, wood types, and the different markings found on the back of each saw. The handles on these saws vary in degree of design and quality of workmanship. Usually a maker follows a pattern which possibly may be traced. Not so with J. & C. They are all original work except for #10 in which each handle has been removed. Enhance-ment of bluing has been done unless noted. Original bluing found under the wood is saved.

All the saw screws are of the split nut type except #3, #13 and #15. There are no label screws on any backsaws in the study. I am looking for a Johnson & Conaway label screw on a backsaw. J. & C. only used label screws on hand saws.

All handles have the hook and carving at the base which is often called the “lambs tongue”. I know of no other maker that changed their basic saw design so little through the years of their existence. They used the hook and carving on all saws in the research and it is interesting to see how this firm would mix design of different periods through the 17 years they worked.

There has been a study conducted in England that con-cerns the use of a dot between cast steel on saws up to 1835. The first type saw in this article has this dot, making it one of the reasons it has been chosen #1. Note the use of the dot between spring and steel on #4 and #14.

#1 - 14” steel back–CAST*STEEL is stamped on the back. Johnson & Conaway mark is in a low arch–PHILADA is all capital lettering. Under the handle is original bluing and the number 3. The handle was drilled for the saw screws and located in place then at this point holes were punched through the blade. Removal of the handle required much care due to the spurs caused when the holes were punched through the blade. The handle is beech. The nib at the top between the hook and horn is rounded. The grip is 30 de-grees off a plumb line from the teeth, the chamfer stop is early. The cheeks of the handle are large and have a heavy chamfer. All of these points indicate work typically found 1842 or earlier. This saw was made ca 1840.

Johnson & Conaway Makers of Backsaws 1840 -1857 by Phil Baker

#1

#2

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#2 - 14” steel back–marks on the back now is spring steel. It is the first to be marked extra. 5/16” high eagles either side of Johnson & Conaway arch. Philada is the same as #l. The apple handle is not as nice as # l and the chamfer stop and nib at the horn remain the same. The cheek is not quite as full with less angle on the chamfer. The angle of grip is unchanged. This saw was made ca 1843.

#3 - 6” brass back–beech wood open handle. The cone shaped brass screws contribute to my manufacturing date and they are similar to Disston’s which when first used were not raised as high and had a larger flat surface top for a short time ca 1844. Note--the screws have the slotted side on the face side and this is the original work. The slot side requires a larger hole than the finish side and the holes in handle dictate placement. Chamfering of the cheek is heavy with the nib at the horn rounded, Philada remains. The two eagles measure 1/8” in height which may be a record. Note-- the angle of grip on the open handle is now nearer 45 de-grees. The angle of the grip is greater than #2 and #4–all open handle backsaws I have seen (no matter the date), had the grip at this angle. The top of the back looks like three sides of an octagon. This is the earliest use of this I have seen. Others using this in the collection are Hasenclever & Son ca 1844, Cresson, Plat & Holroyd, W.B. Sears, Bakewell and Affiliates, all ca 1850-1860. This saw was made ca 1844.

#4 -14” brass back--beech wood for handle. The cheek is a little smaller with medium chamfer. Philada still be-ing used. The horizontal chamfer under the hook is more decorative and 1/2” wide. Marked on the back are spring steel, warranted and extra. There is a dot between spring and steel.

#5 - 16” brass back--change in marking in brass back. The arch is steeper and now 7/8” wide at the base in width. It was 1 1/8” and the print is smaller. Under the arch is Phila, a change from previous Philada. 5/16” eagles flank arch, l” taper to blade and the handle has heavy cheek and larger chamfer than #4 adding to the design of the handle changes question. It has been repaired--apple wood. The saw was made ca 1846.

#6--12” brass back--beautiful apple handle at the angle ad-opted by Disston ca 1846. The angle of grip in relation to the tooth line is 45 degrees. Same approximate angle as #3. The cheek and chamfer angle are not as large. Double eagles flank arch, it has a 3/8” taper to the blade. Excep-tional stamping on brass with an arch and “Phil” the same as #5. Width of chamfer stop is 3/16”--3/8” taper to blade. The saw was made ca 1846.

#7 - 12” brass back–much the same as #6. Phila is still un-der arch with Double Eagles. The nice figured apple han-dle at first glance similar to #6 but the skill of the maker

#3

#4

#5

#6

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is superior to #6. Look closely, the chamfer stop under the hook relates back to it’s first use on #4. The saw was made ca 1847.

#8 - 10” steel back–open handle of beech–great condition. Bluing on back is original, the blade is clean on both sides with no imperfections. Chamfer stop similar to #7 but only 3/8” wide. Double Eagles flanking the arch are not struck well, showing only the right side. 3/8” taper to blade and the last of Phila. This saw was made ca 1847.

#9 - 14” steel back--spring steel mark on back first ap-peared on #2 and continues. Philada is under arch which is not as steep as #8. Note--the use of the lower case at the end of Philada is not used as Disston and others did. Blade is not marked extra. At the 1/2” chamfer stop, the base of the hook rises more than the others and is a little longer. The cheek has become fuller and the handle opening de-sign has not been used since #5. This shows the lack of consistence in handle design. The blade is parallel. Start-ing at #2 all saws have been marked extra but #9 is not. This saw was made ca 1848.

#10 - 14” brass back–low arch with Philada ending with a smaller capital a. It is the only strike in the collection like it. There are Double Eagles with extra and spring steel in the brass back. Handle has been repaired. This saw was made ca 1849.

#11 - 12” steel back–original bluing. There are no Eagles and the cheek is much smaller. The diameter of the saw screw heads has been a constant 7/16” until #11 which has one 9/16”. There is no taper to the blade. The chamfer stop very clean. Back is marked extra and spring steel. Handle is made of apple wood and the nib is pointed for first time. This saw was made ca 1850.

#12 - 12” brass back–Double Eagles are over spring steel and warranted that bracket the arch. #12 and #13 are the only two with the Eagles over spring steel and warranted and it looks like there was not enough room for a good mark. This handle is not as fine as #11 ¬back to the 1/2” chamfer stop. 1/2” blade taper. Handle made of apple wood. This saw was made ca 1851.

#13 - 12” brass back–markings on # 12 back are identical to those on this one and the cheek is similar to # 11. The three doomed steel screws and the rise (did the workman that made #9 handle have anything to do with this one??). A smaller hook and Cuban Mahogany wood sets this han-dle apart. Richardson Bros. Ca 1874 made a backsaw very similar with the rise to the hook out of Cuban Mahogany wood. These are the only two seen. The difficulty in strik-

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

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ing the Eagles over spring steel and warranted may have led to a change on #14. This saw was special and made ca 1852.

#14 - 14” brass back--ca 1854. First sighting of a single Ea-gle strike under the Johnson & Conaway arch. There is no mark on saw for Philada. A dot between spring and steel centered on an elliptical mark may be seen when magni-fied. The interior design of the apple handle is last seen

on #5. A single pointed nib at top with the chamfer stop which is a little different than earlier types. 1/2” taper to the blade.

#15 - 14” brass back–single eagle under arch is one of two known and ca 1855. Note–there is no mark on saw for Phil-adelphia. There is a dot between spring and steel centered on an elliptical mark. Just the dot early on, up to the 1850s by others and used occasionally into the 1880s by Disston & Sons. Origin was in England prior to 1835. The wood is walnut and the conical brass screws have not been used since #3 that I know of. Note the flats on the heads are smaller than those on #3, they are 1/32” higher. The use of three flutes as a chamfer stop front and back have not been seen by the author before. On the face side 1/2” of the flute under the hook was intact. Two flutes were gone. A circular piece was broken out down to the top screw due to a defect in the wood grain and the piece was missing. It was replaced with walnut with a nice grain for repair by the author. There is a single nib at the top of saws in the study at the juncture of the horn and all nibs have been rounded up to #12 & #13 which are pointed. This saw has a pointed nib top and bottom that is a bit smaller, maybe another special saw?

In conclusion, this study hopefully will be the start of ac-quiring more examples of Johnson & Conaway saws and other information that will help pull together the history of this maker.

Mike Stemple and I are collaborating on the study of hand saws and back saws by Johnson & Conaway.

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Background: After the American Revolution, Central Ken-tucky saw exponential growth in population, commerce, education, medicine, politics, and the arts. Lexington was called the “Athens of the West”.

One reference book (Ref 1) names over 2,000 Central Ken-tucky cabinetmakers from 1775 to 1855. You can find on page 23 of that reference book the following entry: MERCER COUNTY 1803 CRUTCHFIELD/ Wm/ master house jointer/ carpenter/ took apprentices. (Deeds Book 5/ page 6).

The 1840 Census for Mercer Co, Kentucky (Danville district) has the following entries: Wm. Crutchfield/ age group: 50 to 60/ employed: manufacture and trade. W. L. Epperson age group: 20 to 30/ employed: manufacture and trade.

An interesting side note: W.L. Epperson was born in 1814 and died in 1900 in Louisville. It is believed that he was a planemaker in Louisville as early as 1845. In 1840 at age 26, he probably had finished his apprenticeship and was a business partner with Wm. Crutchfield. They were prob-ably house jointers, carpenters, and planemakers.

In 1842 Boyle County was formed from parts of Mercer and Lincoln Counties. The county seat of Boyle County is Danville, Kentucky.

The 1850 Census for Boyle Co, KY. (Danville district) has the following entry: William Crutchfield/ age 70/ male/ oc-cupation: planemaker, born in VA.

The steps in my discovery: I was in New Albany, Indi-ania in 2005 antiquing for Kentucky marked wood planes, when I found an early (ca 1835) adjustable sash plane (Figure A). The embossed mark was W. CRUTCHFIELD. My first impression was that he might be an early Lou-isville planemaker.

Over the next seven years, I found three more molding planes in Stanford, Bur-gin, and Harrodsburg, Kentucky with his embossed mark. Each city is within ten miles of Danville, Kentucky. I also found one of his planes in Tennessee and another one of his planes in Saint Louis (Figure B).

In November 2006, Mike Urness, President of The Great Planes Trading Company conducted the estate sale in In-

dianapolis of life-long Louisville tool collector Tom Full-er. The catalog Lot #599 listed the following wood plane: Round Plane / marked W.L. EPPERSON / W. CRUTCHFIELD. I saw the plane at the sale. A M-WTCA member and friend Robert St. Pe-ters, Alton, Illinois pur-chased the plane (ca 1845) (Figure C). Wm. Crutchfield has two siz-es of embossed marks (Figure D). His planes do not have a location mark.

I recently was doing family genealogy re-search on Ancestry.com, when I found the above census reports. I found the Crutchfield entry af-ter purchasing the above mentioned cabinetmak-ers reference book.

In conclusion: Let it be known that William Crutchfield of Danville, Kentucky was a master house jointer and carpen-ter circa 1800 to 1849 and a planemaker circa 1835 to 1861.

References:

Whitley, Edna. A Checklist of Kentucky Cabinetmakers from 1775 to 1855 with Addendum. 2nd ed. Paris, KY., 1982.

U.S. Census 1940, Mercer County, Kentucky. U.S. Census 1950, Boyle County, Kentucky.

William Crutchfield (B 1780 - D 1861) Planemaker - Danville, Kentucky by Gary R. Coleman

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

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Stanley Numbers 130 and 131, Type 1.

This article explores Stanley Rule & Level Co’s Type 1 Double End Block Planes, No’s 130 and 131. It is not a type study; it focuses on the earlier types of each model which I believe are the most interesting. Type 1 tools add a link to the period in time when the tool was first con-ceived, designed and manufactured; they bring the past alive. In most cases it was a time when a good tool made the craftsman more productive, earned respect by being a joy to use, and was lovingly cared for.

The double end block plane was intended to serve two functions: that of a standard block plane and the more spe-cialized task of a “bull-nose” plane: i.e. working very close to a vertical obstruction. Doing two jobs with a single tool was important because it saved both the expense of buy-ing a second plane, and the weight of second plane in the tool box.

The Stanley No. 130

The No. 130 Double End non-adjustable block plane was offered from sometime in 1883 until 1955. It was invented by John Campbell of Sheffield, England, living at that time in Walden, New York. He applied for a patent August 9, 1882, and was granted Patent No. 271,219 on January 30th of 1883. It covered a plane with two cutter seats facing in the same direction: one at the front end of the plane for bull nose work, and a second one near the center of

the plane, for general work. Campbell sold his Patent to Stanley; they revised it and filed an application to have it reissued on March 23, 1883, which was granted as reissued Patent number “re10,394” dated October 23, 1883. The re-issued patent clarified and broadened its scope to cover two cutter seats: one behind the other, as on Stanley No’s. 78 and 78W rabbet planes; and two back to back as on No’s. 130 and 131 Double End block planes.

The first version of the No. 130 Double End Block Plane, Type 1, (Figure 1) was introduced shortly after the patent

was reissued on October 23, 1883. All of the examples that I have seen have had a cutter stamped with the makers name and the original and reissue Patent dates. This cut-ter could not have been made prior to issuance of the reis-sued patent. Early in 1884 Stanley’s management decided to have their name and the model number of the plane cast in raised letters on the beds of all new castings made for No’s. 110, 120, and 130 block planes. Many of the compo-nent parts used on the No. 130 are identical to those used on Stanley No. 120 block planes made at the same time: i. e. the Type 1 No. 130 used some of the same parts that were used on the Type 6 No. 120, and the Type 2 No. 130 used some of the parts used on the Type 7 No. 120. (The author’s type study on the Stanley No. 120 block plane was published in The Gristmill, No. 124, Sept. 2006, pp. 14-19 and March 2007, pp. 18-19.)

The No. 130 Type 1 Double End block plane was first pub-lically offered in Stanley’s January 1884 Price List. It had two cutter seats back to back: one was placed near the front of the plane for bullnose work and had less than a quarter of an inch of bed in front of it. The other was po-sitioned more centrally for regular work and had two and a half inches of bed in front of it. The top edges of the planes high sidewalls follow a gentle flowing curve for the full length of the plane, giving the plane a pro-file consistent with de-sign preferences of the time. The bed does not have identifying mak-ings for the maker or model number. The le-ver cap has a six point star with a 5/16 inch diameter cylindrical recess at the center of the star. The front knob is the same as FK-3 used on the Type 6 No. 120 block plane.1 It is fruitwood and has a bulbous upper section that gives it a “Rubenesque” look. The knob is 1¼ inches high, 1-5/32 of an inch in diameter, and has a thick waist,13/16th of an inch in diameter. The cutter (TM P-4) is stamped “Stanley Rule & Level Co.” in a semicircle above the dates of the original and reissued patents in four lines: “Pat’d / Jan. 30, 83 / Reis’d / Oct. 23, 83”. (Figure 2)

The No. 130 Type 2, (Figure 1) was offered from 1884 until 1888.2 It is the same as the Type 1 plane except the bed has “No. 130” and “STANLEY” cast in ¼ inch high letters in two lines behind the front knob, corresponding to the mark-ings cast in the bed of the No. 120 Type 7 block plane made at the same time. It is likely that Stanley made only one lot of castings for the No. 130 in 1883 without markings on the bed. When they ordered new castings in 1884 they ordered

Tool Tid-Bits by John G. Wells

Figure 1: Stanley No. 130, top Type 1, 1883 – 1884; bottom Type 2, 1884 to 1888.

Figure 2: Cutter TM-P4 showing the original and reissued Patent dates for

the No. 130.

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22 The Gristmill

them with the markings. This is the last model to have a le-ver cap with a 6 point star. The front knob is now like FK-3 or FK-4 used on No. 120 block planes. FK-4 is the same height and diameter as FK-3 but the waist is much smaller, only 11/16th of an inch in diameter. The trade mark on the cutter is the same as on the Type 1 plane.

The Type 3 No. 130 appeared in the Stanley January 1888 Price List. It had a redesigned lever cap, which was ½ inch longer and extended further down at the rear over the lever cap locking screw. (Figure 3) The top of the lever cap was completely smooth; it no longer had a star on top. The front knob and cutter are the same as those on Type 2 planes.

In 1892 the body of the Stanley No. 130 was completely re-designed making it Type 4. It appeared for the first time in Stanley’s January 1892 Price List. (Figure 3) The top edg-es of the side boards are flat and at each end they swoop down in an “S” curve to a little above the sole. The body is 1/8th of an inch longer than previously, the toe end is a flatter curve, and now “STANLEY” is in front of the front knob and “No. 130” is behind the knob. The front knobs were made of rosewood beginning in 1911.

The Stanley No. 131

The development of the adjustable version of the double end block plane is an interesting story. At first it appeared to have been invented by two people at the same time working thousands of miles apart: Albert William Camp-bell of Glastonbury, England and Justus A. Traut of New Brittain, Connecticut. Both inventors consigned their in-ventions to the Stanley Rule and Level Co, both used the same patent attorney, and both were granted Patents on the same day. But that sounded so unlikely that it deserved more attention, so I tried another scenario, it is really a surmise. Albert W. Campbell, who was living in England, sent rough sketches and a description of his design to Stanley. They offered to make a prototype and a Patent

drawing, and if the Patent was granted, they would buy it. Meanwhile, Justus Traut, who was making the No. 130 in his shop at Stanley — and may or may not have seen the prototype being made for Campbell — could have been working on an adjustable version of the No. 130 himself.

The more likely event is that on receipt of Campbell’s rough sketches, Stanley immediately consulted Traut on the feasibility of Campbell’s design. Campbell’s system of a pivoting frog awakened design thoughts that may have been roaming around in Traut’s head. He had considered both a removable frog and a pivoting frog but now the so-lution became clear. Traut’s final design used a frog with a double cutter seat mounted on the adjustment mecha-nism’s control rod; the control rod was threaded into a yoke that pivoted on a cross rod mid way between the two mouth openings. The bed had a supporting seat for each of two positions the frog parked in when being used with either the standard or bullnose mouth opening. Conceptu-ally, Traut’s basic concept was very much like Campbell’s but Traut’s operating mechanism was more refined. Traut

Figure 3: top, No. 130 Type 3, 1888 – 1892, and bottom No. 130 Type 4 1892 and later.

Figure 6: Prototype of Albert W. Campbell’s design for an adjustable double end block plane made by the Stanley Model Shop.

Photo courtesy of Brown Auction Services.

Figure 4:A. W. Campbell’s Patent No. 766,491.

Figure 5: Justus Traut’s Patent No 766,473.

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had a Patent drawing made of his design and applied for a Patent on January 7, 1904. Campbell’s Patent application was submitted a month later, on February 19, 1904; the delay was caused by the time required to send the Pat-ent application to England for Campbell’s signature and its return to the United States. Traut was granted Patent No. 766,473 on August 2, 1904. (Figure 4) Campbell was granted Patent No. 766,491, on the same day. (Figure 5) This was a remarkable occurrence; it would have been even more remarkable if Traut had had no knowledge of Campbell’s design.

The surmise is made even more likely by the emergence of the prototype for Albert W. Campbell’s design which had undoubtedly been made in the Stanley Model Shop. (Fig-ure 6) It is actually a Stanley No. 130 Type 4 double end plane body with Campbell’s cutter adjustment mounted on a cross rod centered between the two mouth openings. Campbell used a direct drive screw cutter adjustment which would have required a very fine screw thread to equal the sensitivity of Traut’s adjustment. Traut’s design provided better support for the center of the cutter which would be helpful in controlling plane iron chatter. In the end, Stanley chose to use Traut’s design. It had several

advantages: it used the same adjustment mechanism, lever cap and cutter that Stanley was using on its line of low angle block planes, it would be made in Traut’s shop at Stanley, and although Stanley would pay Campbell for his Patent they would not have to pay royalties to him.

The No. 131, adjustable double end block plane was of-fered from1905 until 1941. As previously described it was

made under Justus Traut’s patent for the very clever pivot-ing mechanism that moved the frog be-tween two frog seats: one for the bullnose

position, and the other for the regular block plane position. The Patent drawing clearly shows every detail of the plane and its pivoting mechanism. (Figure5) Although the mech-anism is ingenious it is also fragile. The yoke threaded on to the lower end of the cutter adjustment screw is particu-larly prone to breakage.

The No. 131 used Justus Traut’s Patented endwise screw cutter adjustment No. 645,220 dated March 13, 1900. This adjustment was used on Stanley’s No. 60 – 65½ series of low angle block planes. It is an unusually sensitive and smooth acting adjustment, which advances the cutter only 1/28th of an inch when the adjustment screw is turned one full revolution. This ad-justment is fully described in the authors type study “The 60 Series of Low Angle Block Planes made by Stanley” published in The Gristmill, No.101, December, 2000.

Type 1 No. 131 planes were made for a very short period, from 19053 to 19094. (Figure 7) They can be identified by the two Patent dates cast in the bed under the lever cap and cutter, “Pat 3-13-00.” and “Pat 8-2-04” (Figure 8 ) and by cutters with Roger K. Smith trade marks “J” or “T”5. The lever caps had “Pat’d. 10-12-87” cast around the pivot point for the lever cap locking cam. The cutter adjusting knob was cast iron and had five equally spaced holes cast in its face. (Figure 9)

Type 2 No. 131 planes were made from 1909 until approxi-mately 1929. They were the same as Type 1 planes but did not have the two Patent dates cast in the bed under the cutter. The 10-12-97 patent date was not cast in the lever cap after the patent expired in 1914.

Type 3 No. 131 planes were made from 19296 until 1941. They were the same as Type 2 planes except the cutter adjusting knob was turned steel with a knurled edge.

1 John G. Wells: “Early Models of the Stanley No.120 Adjustable Block Plane: 1876 – 1947”, The Gristmill, No. 124, Sept. 2006, pp. 14-19 and Mach 2007, pp. 18-19.

2 Ibid.

3 Stanley’s 1905 Catalog No. 34, shows the No. 131 on page 70.

4 Smith trademark “T” was used 1907-1909 on No.4 planes.

5 Roger K. Smith, P-TAMPIA, Vol. I, pp. 280-282.

6 Stanley dealers catalog No. 120 © 1925 shows the No. 131 with a cast iron knob on the cutter adjustment, as does catalog No. 34 © 1927. Catalog No.129, ©1929, p.57 is the earliest illustration we found of a turned steel cutter adjustment knob on the No. 131.

Figure 8: Patent dates cast in the bed of Type 1, No. 131 planes.

Figure 9: Nickel plated cast iron cutter adjustment knob

on No. 131.

Figure 7: Stanley No. 131, Type 1, 1905 to 1909.

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aTool TradingaPig RoastaOpen HouseaAuction

Please Join us...July 24, 25, & 26, 2014

Annual Open House & Antique AuctionThursday, Friday, and Saturday

July 24, 25, & 26, 2014Martin J. Donnelly Antique Tools l 5223 County Route 8 l Avoca, New York

www.mjdauctions.com l [email protected] l (800) 869-0695

Please plan to make a long weekend of it and bring the family for a great time in the country. It will be high Summer in the beautiful Finger Lakes Area.

PLEASE COME PREPARED TO FILL YOUR VEHICLE WITH TOOLSMartin J. Donnelly Auctions - A Division of Martin J. Donnelly Antique Tools - (800) 869-0695

Let's talk about Marketing Your Antique Tool Collection......

(We have arranged for balmy, eighty degree weather beneath a nearly cloudless sky.)

Fall 2014 Auction ScheduleSeptember 20 & 21: Nashua, New Hampshire l October 25 & 26, Indianapolis, Indiana

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Antique Fair Each Day · FREE AdmissionAntique Show of 40 Dealers Beginning ThursdayAuction Schedule:

July 24 600 Lots 2:01 p.m. July 25 1250 Lots 9:01 a.m. July 26 1251 Lots 9:01 a.m.Preview all day Wednesday and before during and after the sale each day.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner On SiteQuestions: (800) 869-0695

Our Summer sale has, over the past twelve

years, become a destination for buyers from around the country and around the world. Please plan to join us for High Summer in the beautiful Finger Lakes.

THREE DAYS OF DISCOVERYMARTIN J. DONNELLY AUCTIONS Specialist Auctioneers of Nineteenth Century AntiquesSale Located at: 5223 County Route 8, Avoca NY 14809

Auction of 3101 Lots · July 24, 25, & 26, 2014 in Avoca, NY

Photographs, Secure Online Absentee Bidding & Hotel List at www.mjdauctions.com · Questions?: [email protected] · (800) 869-0695

WeMarket

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Antiques for Auction? Call (800) 869-0695

A Genuine, Old-Fashioned Country Auction

Eighty Tons Sold in Two and One-Half Days!

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26 The Gristmill

In typography, a point is the smallest unit of measure. It is a subdivision of the larger pica. The point has been the unit for measuring font size from the original era of foundry metal typesetting and letter press printing.

In metal type, the point size of the font described the height of the metal body on which the typeface’s charac-ters were cast. The defined length of a point varied over time and location until the late 1980s. Then the traditional point was supplanted by the desktop point (DTP), which was defined as 1⁄72 of an inch or 0.0138 inch. In either sys-tem, there are 12 points to the pica. Twelve points make up a pica, and six picas make an inch.

The traditional typographic point was invented in France by a clergyman, Sébastien Truchet (1657–1729). The size he chose had 1728 of these points that made up one Pied du Roi, or “Foot of the King.”1 Also in France, François-Ambroise Didot (1730–1801) used Truchet’s idea, but chose a point size that was twice as large. 864 of his points made up one Pied du Roi. The Didot point has been now replaced by the DTP system throughout the world. In the traditional American point system a typographic foot also contains 72 picas or 864 points, just like the French Didot point. The traditional American printer’s point was also re-placed by the current DTP system.

Fonts originally consisted of a set of moveable type let-ter punches purchased from a type foundry. Traditional point-size names for many of the historically popular fonts have become English language shorthand to refer to the corresponding point sizes usually available for letterpress printing.

• 5 pt: Pearl

• 6 pt: Nonpareil

• 7 pt: Minion

• 8 pt: Brevier

The pictured ivory 12 inch four-fold rule has German silver fittings, arch joint, middle plates, and no manufacturer’s name. However, it appears to be of English manufacture of the late 19th Century. This rule has eight type point size scales on all four of its faces and edges. Pearl is one-half of Long Primer and Nonpariel is one-half of Pica, so these sizes share the same scales. The rule was probably utilized to check font sizes by hand or in laying out the type for a printed page.

1 Nicholas Bion: Instrument Maker, The Gristmill, June, 2013, pp. 46-47 for more information on the Pied du Roi, or “Foot of the King.”

Ivory Point Rule by David E. Heckel

• 9 pt: Bourgeois

• 10 pt: Long Primer

• 11 pt: Small Pica

• 12 pt: Pica

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June 2014 27

The Brown 43rd was another terrific auction with great diversity. It had several mint items and boxed lots from the Wirtenson collection, tools and miniatures from Bill Baader, some of Hamler’s miniatures, and attractive plow planes from Western New York State.

Prices quoted include the 13% buyer’s premium. A 3% discount was available for cash or a good check. Photos are courtesy of Brown Auction Services.

The Sparklers

The Ohio No. 110 self regulating center wheel plow plane in Lot 306, in beautifully figured rosewood, was the star of the show. Boxwood was used for the center threaded arm because it was less prone to chipping. It was in Fine condition and was awarded to a determined bidder for $7,684. An Ohio Tool Co. center wheel plow plane was shown on the rear cover of a 1860s Ohio Tool Co. catalog and was credited with winning the First Premium Award at the 1853 New York World’s Fair. This establishes that the Ohio Tool Co. made center wheel plow planes well before the Sandusky Tool Co. was founded in 1869, and 16 years before Vanbus-kirk’s Patent No. 97,328 for the Sandusky self regulating plow was granted on November 30, 1869.

The Leonard Bailey No. 3 size, series B-2 split frame plane in Lot.498 was made in Winchester, before Bai-ley moved his shop to Boston in 1858. It was in Fine condition, ex-cept for a small bump on the end of the handle’s horn; it sold on a bid of $6,328.

Lot 618 was a reproduction by the talented Jim Leamy of the only known example of the single arm plow plane made by Z. J. McMaster & Co. It can be seen in a beautiful color plate in Roger K. Smith’s P-TAMPIA Vol. II, pp. 63-64.

The original was probably made of totally black Mada-gascar Ebony which was very dramatic. The reproduction was made of a heavy black wood with bold cream choc-olate streaks. It was in mint condition and sold on a bid of $4,746.

The very rare sash fillet-ster in Lot 611, by E. W. Carpenter, had his pat-ented arms (Patent No. 954, Feb. 6, 1838), and was stamped “Yarnall & McClure, Phila” dating it to about 1840. It had a rosewood body, boxwood fence and arms, and a brass depth stop on each side of the body. It was in Fine condition and brought $3,842.

The handled Sandusky No. 140, boxwood, three arm self regulating plow plane in Lot 622, had eight cut-ters. It was in Fine condi-tion and sold for $3,616.

The 26-1/2 inch rosewood stuffed infill jointer in Lot 317 was made by the well known, highly regarded, con-temporary English maker Bill Carter. It was based on a similar plane by Norris but had more decorative features including a “cupid’s bow” cut into the top edge at the cen-ter and ends of each side board as well as on the front and rear ends of the bed. It is a thing of beauty that can make tissue paper thin shavings that float lazily in the air. This marvelous plane was in fine condition and was an excep-tionally good value at $3,107.50.

18th Century American Wooden Planes

Lot 579 was a birch astragal plane stamped “F Nicholson Living in Wrentham” (on the left). It was 9¾ inches long by 1-1/8 inches wide, was in fine condition and sold for $4,294.

Lot 581, (on the right) the 10 inch long birch fluting plane stamped “C. E. Chelor Living in Wrentham” had a small

The 43rd Brown International Antique Tool Auction by John Wells

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28 The Gristmill

crack in the back of the mouth. It was otherwise in Good+ condition and sold for $4,520.

Stanley and other Patented Metallic Planes

Lot 201 was a display model of the Stanley No. 4 bench plane with the side cut-a-way to show how the bottom of the frog seats into the plane’s body. It was marked “Ex: the Stanley Model Shop”; and was from Chuck Wirtenson’s collection. It had a nice even mellow patina, was in Fine condition, and brought $3,842.

The Stanley No. 1 smooth plane in Lot 209, bore the sweetheart trademark, had 100% of a Stanley decal on its handle and was in near new condition. The original labeled box was in Fine con-dition making this one of the nicest pairs of a plane and its box that I have seen. It sold for $3,616.

The Stanley No. 110 Block plane in Lot 505 is the very rare Type 3b1 – only a few are known. The bottom of the front knob is pressed into a cylindrical cast iron receiver and the lever cap has a six point star having a small 3/16 inch threaded hole in its center. 90% of the japanning was present; it earned a rating of Fine for condition and sold on a bid of $734.50

The Bailey Victor No. 1-1/2, 6 inch tailed block plane in Lot 501 had 95% of the japanning and 98% of the nickel plating.

The finishes were so nice that it made the plane ex-ceptional. It was a very rare and beautiful plane and sold for $6,102.

Lot 502 was a lovely little Bailey Victor No. 12-1/2 block plane. It was fully nickel plated; and the in-side of the bed was paint-ed gold rather than the more often seen vermil-lion. It was in Fine condi-tion and brought $6,102.

The Stanley No. 57 core box plane in Lot 526 was the rare black japanned model. It was totally complete with three sets of extension beds, cross rods and connecting turnbuckles. It had 99% of the japanning, was rated Fine, and sold for $1,073.50.

The 24 inch long Stanley Bedrock No. 608C in Lot 550 came with its original box. The plane was near mint, the

face paper on the box exhibited some distress around the label end and the label was a little fad-ed. It was otherwise in Fine condition and sold on a bid of $3,616.

The E. H. Morris scissor arm self regulating plow plane in Lot 636 was made under Morris’ March 31, 1871 patent and was manufactured and marketed by Sandusky. There were several versions of this plane and this was the best. It had a wide socket for a nicker or vertical scrap-ing cutter and the fence had cast brackets to hold it upright. It came with nine original cutters and the nicker. The fence had 65% of the japanning and the plane was rated Good+. It brought $1,808.

Lot 650 was a rare Me-tallic Plane Co. Auburn, New York filletster with the adjustable cutter and simple fence – four ver-sions of this plane were made. It was in remark-able condition. It had 95% of the japanning and the wood was fine. It brought $1,130.

The rare C. S. Irwin, 20-1/2 inch Knowles type cast iron fore plane in Lot 626 was in Good+ condition; it sold for $1,695. This interesting tool from Pittsburgh, PA. was featured in the fas-cinating book Plane Makers of Western

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June 2014 29

Pennsylvania and Environs, by Charles W. Prine, Jr. It was probably made in 1857, thirty years after the first pat-ent for a cast iron plane was granted to Knowles.2

Other Items of Interest

Lot 729 was a set of very rare Stanley No. 6 adjustable tram-mel points in the original box with all of the points and cali-per rods; they were all mount-ed on the original wooden bar stamped “PAT. APP’D. FOR”. The tool was in un-used, near mint condition; the box had some minor water stain. It sold on a bid of $1,299.50.

Lot 167 was a Stanley No. 210 set of nine No. 40 bevel edge Everlast-ing Pocket Chisels with 4-1/2 inch blades and hickory handles. The blades were 1/8th to 1-1/2 inches wide and the chisels were in the original canvas roll. They had had light use, retained 65% of the Stanley decals and were rated Good+. They sold for $791 – almost $88 each.

Lot 169 was a set of thirteen Stanley bev-eled edge No. 40 pock-et chisels with 4-1/2 inch long blades that

were 1/8 to 2 inch wide; plus a cut away chisel showing how they were made. They were in Fine condition and sold for $932.25 – $71.71 each.

Lot 170 was a set of ten Stanley No. 720 beveled edge Firmer Chisels with 6 inch long blades. They were in Fine condition and brought $649.75 – almost $65 each.

The Stanley Walnut Tool Cabinet No. 8513 in Lot 105 was 19-1/2 inches wide and 26-5/8 inches tall. It had a pair of paneled doors with a small drawer at the bottom, bore a

brass Sweetheart logo, and still had 21 of its original set of 35 tools. The tools were overall, in G+ to fine condition. Stanley tool cabinets were made in walnut for only about a year when tool cabinets were first introduced

late in 1921 or early in 1922 and are seldom seen with any of the original tools. Having one with 60% of the tools is a real prize. It was rated Good+ and sold to a lucky buyer for $1,017. Now the new buyer will have a lot of fun looking for the 14 missing tools.

J. A. Rabone & Son ivory 2 foot four fold extra broad Iron Mon-gers Rule in Lot 466 had many ta-bles with useful information for iron merchants such as the weight per square or linear foot of various iron and copper shapes; even the thin edges of the rule had useful scales.4 It also had a 6 inch Gunter’s slide to calculate the cost of it all. It was in Fine condition, except for a very small chip at the end of the slide, and sold for $904.

Lot 474 the boxwood two fold two foot rule by Hedge & Co, New York had a Gunter’s slide as well as E, M, and inch scales. It was in Good+ condition and sold on a bid of $2,373. Rules bearing Lemuel Hedge’s name are quite rare even though he patented an unusual circular rule joint (not used on Lot 474) called the “Car-penter’s Rule Joint”5 which was used by S. Morton Clark. This rule joint turned on a pair of brass discs with concentric circular ridges; they were mounted on the sur-face of the rule. Hedge also patented a dividing engine6 used by Clark and the Stanley Rule & Level Co. in their rule shop in New Britain, Connecticut. It is said that Hedge’s original dividing engine remained in use there as late as 19237.

1 John Wells: Type Study on Stanley No. 110 early block planes, The Gristmill of the M-WTCA, No.81, December 1995, p. 13.

2 Charles W, Prine, Jr. Plane makers of Western Pennsylvania and En-virons, pp. 95-96.

3 The first edition of the catalog: Stanley Tool Assortments, May 1923 and the 1925 edition of Stanley’s Catalog No. 34 stated that the No. 851 Tool Cabinet was made of oak and stained dark; they also listed the 35 in-cluded tools. John Walter in Antique & Collectible Stanley Tools, p.614: said the No. 851 Tool Cabinet was walnut in 1922 and oak in 1923.”

4 Philip E. Stanley: Source Book for Rule Collectors, p.204.

5 Patent No. 8783X, issued April 22, 1835.

6 Patent No. 4799X issued June 20, 1827.

7 Web site of Philip A. Cannon: Tools and Rule Collector. Also see Cliff Fales: The Hedge/Clark Connection, an unusual Rule Joint, The Grist-mill, M-WTCA, No. 47, June 1984. http://www.mwtca.org/the-gristmill/sample-articles/79-the-hedgeclark-connection-an-unusual-rule-joint.html

“Carpenter’s Rule Joint” used by S.

Morton Clark. Photo Courtesy of

Cliff Fales

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30 The Gristmill

M-WTCA Advanced Levels of Membership& Additional Gifts for 2014

BENEFACTORS

Roger BourgeoisThomas R. BruceJ.B. CoxAndrew D’EliaBob FieldsJudy GambrelPeter J. HathawayJared IsaacsThomas KluwinPaul S. MatisWilliam J. MorganJoel MoskowitzWayne OestreichCharles L. PettettBill Youart

SUSTAINING MEMBERS

Bob AustinEric BernardA. Dwayne BroddleLarry E. BrownMichael ChristensonDavid DellJames F. EarnhardtRoy EbersoleSteven EckersGeorge ElsassJohn FitzgeraldJoseph FrendreissChalmers GordonSteven GretterKarl GurckeTerry HaverRonald HolwagerBob JoersPatrick A. LeachHarold J. LibertyLon LindseyRobert R. LlewellynVernon F. MeyerRobert W. MustainJohn NelsonHerbert Nerge

Bob NuttBruce PerryJohn RobinsonGary StudebakerRoy UnderhillCarl UnderwoodPaul E. VanHornDarrell VogtGene WalbridgeJon WhitneyScott WilsonGary L. WrightThomas WymanLawrence E. Yopp

CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS

Jim AckelsonBill AdsitDavid AlexanderHarry A. AudleyWilliam C. AuldJames BarbieurWilliam BeardsleyJoel BlasiusEdward BlatnickDon BoyerAlan W. BrownVince BrytusWalt BuieRobert (Buz) BuskirkGlenn A. CampbellHerbert G. CaudleDonald CavnerRichard L. ChapmanWilliam CoffinBill CollinsJeff ConnDr. John ConrardyJack CopeNelson CoresselBruce DeLongJack DevittSteven F. DiceHenry DisstonDavid Dodson

Peter DordalDick EnstadJohnathan EricsonGuss EshamCarlton K. FahlerGlen FergusonJames FerrellAlan L. FettySally FishburnJohn FiteJack FitesJoe FranklinDennis FullerAlvin FurrerRick GayleGene GibsonColleen GildeaRobert GlazierRonnie GloverThomas A. GottRon GrabowskiCarl HakalaGeorge HallGeorge HaroldJohn M HarperDavid HegwoodEd HennessyThomas A. HenryTimothy HernlyPaul HonoreRonald HowardRoy A. HunterDale JamisonMichael JohnsBruce JohnsonDuane JohnsonFrank JohnsonPaul JonesPatrick KellyAshley KennedyJohn W. KinnemeyerRandy L. KnudsenBryan A. KonslerJames P. KullmerJoe KunzRichard KurshanDavid La Touche

J. Steve LandTom LandonWalter T. LaneDennis LarsonEdward LaughlinDavid LawsonPaul LeagueMark LevanwayTed LollyHoward LoomisLeo MaackJames MauMichael E. McGeeRoselyn V. McKittrickPat MedleyMike MeunchPatrick MeyerEileen M. MikatRod MinterDavid MischkeScott MoffettRoss R. MorcombSanford MossMichael MuellerDavid L. MurdochSteven W. NealeDon NicholsonPete NiederbergerBert E. OrcuttLeeroy J. OsterbauerNorman P. OttoGeorge PaivaJohn ParkerRobert L. PetrovicDaryl PettyGreg PhillipsWilliam PickettTom H. PointerHans PorcherMichael PowerMillard PricePaul P. PyrcikGlen RabeO.Fred RayClayton RayV. Leon RidenourRobert C. Riese

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Bill RobertsDavid RogersJoseph RossinWilliam H. RypkaHoward SandsClifford SapienzaPaul SchaffnerFrank J. ScheibertNanette SchulteRonald SharkoB. Dwaine SimmonsVaughn SimmonsIrwin J. SitkinVincent L. SoukupArnold F. StalderLeo StambaughRobert StidfoleBill StoneRobert StoxenJohn StuartJudd SulfridgeDon TaylorRobert TerryPaul TerwqilligerJohn ThoeleFrederic S ThompsonBerry ThompsonDavid Paul TruebloodRichard TurpenJack WagonerFranz WeckesserArthur B. WhiteEdmund L WilkinsOliver P. WilliamsDonald WingLeRoy E. WitzelWalter WoltersDonald E. Wood

ENDOWMENT FUND

Brent AkerleyGlenn AndersonDavid AudetteHarris V. BartineCarl BilderbackJim Bindon

Eric BleasePaul BoldtRoger BourgeoisRichard BradshawRobert A. BrownDean BroylesRalph D. CarlsonHenry L. CaudleJohn CellucciRobert ClarkeDon CraigDale CubranichJohn DavisLarry DeWolfSteven F. DiceRichard D. DickersonGail DielemanJames DurochiaPhilip EberhardMark FirleyKirk FoellerKevin FoleyHarry FowlerThomas FriedlanderDennis FullerThomas L. GalleraniMichael GarlichJeff GrothausWerner H. GumpertzGeorge HabererThomas M. HaffnerGregory HamHarold E. HardenChuck HartmanRudolph HaussRobert M. HawkinsMichael HeaneyThomas A. HenryAlan HochhalterRobert T. HoggLyle HoofnagleDana HortonFord HudsonDavid JeffersJoe JerkinsThomas JohansonTom Jordens

Ron KaplanRoger D. KingJohn KingElroy A. KlugKen KranzuschNorm LangeEdward H LebetkinJames S. MackeyWilliam McMillenEd MeixnerGerald L. MielsScott MillerBen MixonRobert W. MustainJim ObrienWayne OestreichDavid J. PangracMack L. PeelRoger PhillipsPhilip L. PlattJohn PorrittBruce PriebeGlen RabeJohn RauthJohn A. ReedMel RingBret L. RochotteRobert J. SauerL. Samuel ScheidererGerald C. SchmidtDavid SchollVaughn SimmonsEldon SimonsRoger K. SmithFred SmithHarry SpoorMike StempleElly Sullivan-WoodBill TennantGene TerrilFrederic S ThompsonLouis R. TiltonMarsha Vander HeydenDarrell VogtVerne E. VollrathJ. Kurt Von AchenJack Wagoner

Tim WamhoffJohn G. WellsSidney H. WhitakerCharles N. WilliamsNathan WolfenbargerLon WoodsLynn Wooten-BarteeDavid Young

In Memory of Frank “Pete” Tolford:

Olga BaronGeorge CellaMary ConwayDan and Nancy EngelMilena HughesPhil and Mary RodenDouglas and Martha WeberVirginia TolfordBill and Jane WilkinTasia Young

PRESERVATION AND EDUCATION CONTRIBUTORS

Doug CoxPaula CoxJudy Gambrel

MOUNT VERNON CONTRIBUTORS

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32 The Gristmill

Once conceived, the evolution of the handle and its design on early European planes de-veloped from the pierced style of early Roman and Greek planes through a succession of ‘totes’ designed to facilitate and ease handling as well as to provide control.

Historically we find evidence of many occurring styles such as the leather strap, Roman, flatiron, shepherd’s crook, galley, slotted (both pierced, indent or otherwise) eventually evolving into the handle or ‘tote’ as we recog-nize it today. There were countless variations based on each of these styles and to the collector’s delight, many were inspired with an artistic element of design. It is easy to see that some of these design elements did not nec-essarily lend themselves to better handling and control.

But art in any form is an expression of an individual and nature, history and legend were all topical springboards for artistic expression found in the design of plane stocks and handles.

The early offset tote found on this small jointer sized plane (likely of Swiss origin) has an obvious and captivating pierced heart style. It is imme-diately attractive but quietly of-fers a second design character-istic incorporated into it. The post and loop of the handle fits only a smaller hand but when grasped by a larger hand as you can see to the right, the heart shaped design functions as a comfortable and secure ex-tended alternative grip.

The front grip is also a frequent focal point for handle de-sign in that the ‘peg’ and later the ‘horn’ must have seemed the perfect component for individual artistic expression. Dragons, dolphins, seal pups, etc. even human figures became incorporated into an often not too comfortable

though stylishly decorated grip. But a delight to the user they were and the fashion of whimsy estab-lished a popular new plat-form on which to expand an artistic and expressive desire.

The handles on this 18th c. Dutch stair saw both fore and aft are depictions of acanthus foliage unfurling into fresh new growth. The design was restricted by necessary func-tional limitations since its intended purpose was to be a grip. The two holes seen through the stock would indicate that additional ‘galley’ styled handles were deemed neces-sary to add at some point.

Early Totes… Some Variant Features by James Goodson

17th c. Bavarian Cooper’s jointer with an unusual Roman style handle. This ‘monoxyle’ or single piece construction handle design tapers toward the top for comfort.This plane is dated 1653

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Lest We Forget is a series of short articles, each about a tool or implement that was once a common household, farm, or trade necessity, but whose use or existence may soon be forgotten.

Shawl Straps

Today we have a proliferation of soft-sided luggage to select from when heading out of town. Travel-ers during the Victorian period also used soft-sided containers for their belongings, but those containers were their shawls, overcoats, and ponchos. The shawl was laid flat and the traveler’s other belongings were placed upon it, and then the shawl was folded or rolled up to make a tidy package. A shawl strap was then used to keep it securely wrapped

and to carry it. There were many patents for these straps and also for the very similar book straps used for carrying school books. When I see a shawl strap in a shop or show,

it is usually labeled as a book strap which indicates we may have all but forgotten shawl straps.

The two shawl straps shown here were patented by Max Rubin of NYC and assigned to Marx & Son, also located in NYC. The bottom strap is Patent # 221,616 (Nov. 11, 1879) and the top strap is Patent # 228,942 (June 15, 1880). Let us not forget them – they were useful and neces-sary tools for the traveler.

Halfway between no handles and a substantial handle and grip lies this unlikely example of a small 18th c. French cormier smoothing plane. It has aesthetically pleasing de-signs incorporated fore and aft which could only (with a slight stretch of the imagination) be considered a cursory attempt at handle design. Part of the scalloped design in-cludes a buildup behind the blade for its support (a fre-quent feature incorpo-rated in the design of some 18th c .and earlier long planes). Perhaps the ‘roll’ of the handles both forward and aft are an effort to visu-ally balance the buildup supporting the iron.

Individual decorative design treatments applied to the handles and totes of wooden planes, readily give each of these tools an appeal and identity that through the centu-ries has lost little of its ability to convey an artistic mes-sage. This decoration of ancient tools is likely the primary reason they have survived… often for hundreds of years.

Here is a mid 19th century panel raising plane whose front grip resembles a food tin whose top is peeled back to expose its contents.

Lest We Forget by Bob Roger

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Several years ago I acquired a backsaw by Henry Disston & Sons. On the face side there were two common screws and a label screw. A close up of the handle (photo #1) shows a label screw ca 1875 and two common screws. The heads of the common screws were slightly rounded stamped “PATENT AUG 29 76. To this point conventional screws were split nuts with flat heads. The nuts were also slightly rounded and the slot to receive a screwdriver was the same width as that used on split nuts. Note--Disston continued the narrow slot up to the Glover Patent in 1887. Most other makers went to a wider slot in the mid 70s.

Recently a backsaw with the ca 1875 label screw found it’s way into my shop. It had the narrow screwdriver slots that require thinning the blade of the screwdriver to enter the slot. Any tool that comes in the shop must be dismantled and examined. The label screw was the same as saw #1 but the common screws were unmarked. With the handle removed the under side of the nuts as seen in photo #2 had “PAT AUG 76” cast when the nuts were made.

The markings of the Disston Patent No. 181,648 found on these two saws are rare. I have seen the underside of the nuts marked on a Disston # 43 handle. They are the only ones I know of. I gave the #43 screws and handle to Roy Ebersole for his collection. Roy had not seen screws of this type.

From my observation at the time the Patent was enacted, the stem of the screw was similar to those found on split nuts (about 1/8”). The Patent drawings show the narrow stems. Note– the thickness of the stems found with split nuts may vary slightly depending on who made them. The narrow stems--this is my guess--did not last more than a year or two. The reason was the full slot in the nuts en-abled a mechanic to apply much more pressure when tightening them down. The narrow stems could not take the strain and broke. The fix was to add 1/16” diameter to the stems.

The “Directory of American Tool and Machinery Patents” summarizes Patents. Information from their summary of Disston Patent 181648 appears below. Some material has been edited out.

Heads of the screw and nut are slightly domed. Outer edges are beveled to flare outward toward the face. The screw is received by a nut having a blind threaded socket in the tubular projection of the nut. The Patent paper says the tubular projection may or may not, be long enough to engage the saw blade. Disston expresses a preference for those long enough to engage the blade making a firmer connection.

Writers Note– Those who have worked and repaired saw handles would find it too difficult to employ the accuracy necessary to have screw holes in the handle and blade line up with the long tubular projection of the nut to fit neatly in the blade. I have not seen a screw with the longer pro-jection. Also the hole in the blade would require that it be enlarged along with the new heavier stem. Would the larg-er hole be a good thing? Another purpose of the patent is to allow the handle and screws to be finished and polished prior to assembly. After use if the handle became loose the screws may be tightened without it showing.

Photo #3 shows the mark in the steel back of the two saws that may be used in dating.

As always feedback is welcome.

Securing Saw Handles to Blades by Phil Baker

#1

#2#3

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Handsaw makers sprang up across America during the 19th Century. Early makers might assemble parts made from various sources into a finished product. Thus the “Cottage Industry” became a factor in the production of our early saws. A lack of provenance today was the result of this system.

The majority of makers were not destined to last for long. There were exceptions. The background behind Chees-man seems to give one an idea of how inter-related the saw industry was in this period of growth.

Saw makers Platt & Holroyd began saw making ca 1840. In 1855 the business was sold and James L. Cheesman be-came their successor.

There is a brass back Cheesman in the collection. At this time I know of no others. Records indicate he also made three models. Shotwell, Henderson, and Wm. J. Hoyt.

Photos #1 & #1a show James L. Cheesman in the brass back and the handle as found. A close look at the handle reveals a 5/16” space around the cheek in the blade that indicates it was covered by a heavier handle when new. The common wood screws that hold the existing blade use the same holes in the 12” blade as original work.

Photos #2 & #2a shows the Shotwell saw with 12” blade and steel back. The Cuban Mahogany handle with domed steel head screws is high quality. This handle is an exact copy of a Cortland wood brass back. Saw screws are the same except for the finish.

Photo #3. Henderson–at this time, we do not have an example. Yes, it would be real nice to have one.

Hoyt, Wm, J.--Irv Schaffer and the EAIA list Hoyt as one of Cheesman’s models with no other info. There were Hoyts listed as tool makers in the 1850s and 60s but nowhere else have I found a Hoyt saw maker with one exception.

Photo #4. Unlisted is a H. G. Hoyt in the collection. It has an 1867 patent date on the saw screws. That is 25 years plus or minus from the time of Cheesman’s start up. It has split nuts and looks to be ca 1870. Could there be a connection here?

So we have something to start with such as--did Cheesman make the saw with his name stamped in the brass back? Was he a saw maker or business man?

What if any, is the possible relationship between Cortland Wood and Shotwell? Their handles definitely were made by the same source.

Is there a Henderson saw known? There are several saws in the collection that are in the Henderson class. They seem to be made in this era with no provenance. They are American, in my opinion and have been checked by Brit-ish authorities.

To sum it up--as information is gathered and shared, more pieces of a puzzle are found increasing our knowledge of the history of American saw making.

Cheesman, James L. by Phil Baker

#2

#4

#1

#3

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This saw was a “give-a-way”, no character at all. So I paid $10 to get the split nuts and ca 1854 H. Disston label screw. I was in no hurry to play with it.

It’s home was under the workbench, out of sight. Got on a tear to make the shop presentable and this saw was the very last to get my attention. Before removing the screws I gave it the once over.

Actually to my surprise, the blade looked like it could be salvaged. I could not resist taking fine sand paper to see the marks on the blade. There were no marks of any kind. Marks are usually found formed with a stamp on the blades of most makers of this period. There was nothing on the backside either.

The tool was straight and would make a good user. So I re-moved the screws and handle. There to my surprise were some letters that with cleaning could be deciphered. The rest of the photos tell the story.

My guess is Henry Disston is responsible for the-- H.D. mark. The larger single “g” and smaller letters “c.s.” at this time are a mystery.

Until proven wrong, I offer this explanation. Henry had guests one Sunday. To kill time, he took them over to the shop and gave a lesson on making a saw. All three of them marked it. They put the handle back on and “g” or “cs” went home with it. Sounds reasonable to me. Comments welcome.

Beneath the Wood by Phil Baker

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All of the straw presses that I have seen are homemade and of different sizes and designs. The staw press is made completely from wood. The rollers are designed to exert firm pressure on the straw. The knob at the top, screws down on a block of wood that applies firm pressure on the two wooden rollers. Some straw presses I have seen have two tapered wedges that are used to put pressure on the wooden rollers.

The most common types of straw used after threshing were rye, oat, and wheat straw. The straw was passed between the wooden rollers to flatten and remove the moisture from the straw. The straw would then be used to make rye straw baskets, summer straw hats, or straw mats.

Information obtained from:

The Chronicle The fiftieth Anniversary Publication 1983Pages 711-713

Straw Press by Henry L. Caudle

Notice of upcoming auction Saturday, August 30, 2014 in Pilot Mound, Iowa. John Deere two cylinder tractors, Oliver tractors , Threshing machine, Large

amount of smaller farm related antiques. Check dencklauauction.com after

July 1 for complete listings. ~ Daryl Petty

Early Tools and EquipmentBy Elmer L. SmithApplied Arts Publishers 1973Page 20

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Auxiliary

As a wife, why should I attend M-WTCA Semi-Annual Meetings?

In the beginning of my husband Leroy’s fascination with tools, I found I needed to find a “tool of some sort” so I could have fun in the trade room too. It was the start of my first tool collection - spill planes. “Necessary” antique stops on travels became more fun.

There is “something for everyone” at the Semi-Annual M-WTCA Meetings! Events are planned with the women in mind. Women are an auxiliary member if their husband is a member of M-WTCA. To attend the women’s programs, they will have to pay on the registration form when it is sent in, as well as for the tours they wish to take and the ladies’ luncheon. These programs and tours are planned well ahead of time and are always a highlight of any meet-ing I have attended. You will go places, see things, and hear speakers from all over the country that an ordinary tourist would not be able to access on just a vacation. Our group seems to command respect as an intelligent, recep-tive and polite audience.

Specific women’s events planned for every meeting include:

Meet and Greet: This coincides with the men’s first meeting on Thursday evening. Our first time attendees are honored and presented with a M-WTCA membership pin. Everyone attending is welcome to bring something along to share with the group. It can be a vacation picture, an item from a collection or an example of your hobby - just something to help folks get to know you better. Who knows what you may have in common with someone else? This has been a beginning place for many new friendships. We are a friendly, fun group. Come and share.

Book Review: Reading is a hobby for many auxiliary members. There is a book chosen to read ahead of time for each meeting. Our discussion leader will guide us. Do not stay away if you have not read the book. You will have fun and enjoy being one of these lively ladies.

Tours: These will need to be registered and paid for ahead of time. This is prime visiting time. It is difficult to see our friends for any length of time once the tool room opens. Destinations are always special and tour guides are knowledgeable. It is hard to tell what may pique your in-terest. Many husbands prefer us on tours as they wander the parking lot to “do tools.”

Friday Evening Speaker: Women have a separate speak-er at the same time as the men’s program. We “meet up” again in the hospitality room provided for members each night. Hostesses procure speakers who are fascinating and give us new insights on various subjects. It is a fun way to learn new things and see something different. Come listen.

Displays: Women also bring displays. Any item or collec-tion may be shared – in or out of theme. Include a table cover, a name for your display, any pertinent information you wish to share, and stay by your display to visit with members during sharing time on Friday morning. Display desires need to be sent in at registration time. Check full or half table on the form. We ask that they stay in place until “Saturday Only” registrants have an opportunity to see them.

Trade Room: This is the “heartbeat” for the men. A M-WTCA registration name tag is necessary to gain access to this room. Women can stay in the trade room or visit in the social room which is usually near by and stocked with magazines, puzzles, possible crafts – and goodies. It’s a good place to relax and “put your feet up.” Book sales: watch for this event. Bring books you have read to sell for $1/ hardcover and $.50/ paperback. It is in the trade room on Friday. Cards to sign: sympathy, get well, etc. are pro-vided to send to members.

What’s It Session: Help yourself and others unlock the mysteries of unidentified tools.

Banquet: A delicious way to say farewell and enjoy time together while being entertained one last time. Tools are packed, time to sit and relax.

Highlights @ Rockford, IL. Oct. 1-4, 2014, Hostess- Judy Gambrel

Open house: Wednesday, October 1, 2014 at 1922 7th St. (warehouse site)

Judy is opening her 10,000 sq. ft home for members to tour. Tours: Frank Lloyd Wright (Laurent) house, Midway Village - Antique Textile Dept. Discussion Book: Loving Frank by Horan.

Auxiliary Display Theme: Perfect Picks. (1/2 or whole table)

Iowa Ink by Susan Witzel, Auxiliary President

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Auxiliary

When is a basket of apples so much more than just apples? Jim and Phyllis Moffet of Modesto, Illinois shared some early cast iron apple peelers with attendees on September 27th, 2013. Apples were the props to demonstrate how they were able to be harvested and preserved both for home use and as a commercial crop in New York State in the 1800s. Gov. Peter Stuyvesant planted an apple tree in New York City when he arrived in the colonies in 1647 from Holland. Colonists held “apple bees” to prepare apples for drying in the early 1700s. Hard cider made from apples was one of the earliest forms of currency – firewater was much desired.

From an elevated frame, Jim pelted unsuspecting members with fresh apple slices from his ULTIMATE UNION machine which was first patented in 1870. It certainly made apple slicing quick and easy. Laugh-ter must have been heard in pio-neer homes as children helped their mother in the kitchen. Many times apples were laid out on roof tops to dry under netting. Apples were used all winter long for cooking. They were taken as cargo on many ships packed away in barrels. They prevented scurvy on long ocean voyages. They were found tightly packed in barrels

in many general stores along the frontier. A fruit devil was required to loosen the fruit and “dig” it out so apples could be sold to a customer.

A RIBBON SLICER patented in June of 1876 fascinated the crowd. It made one continuous “see through slice” out of

a whole apple. It may have been in-vented for potatoes but many times once the new “tool” was in the house, a housewife found many more uses for it. Jim also demonstrated a po-tato chip maker with a later patent date of 1929. It was made in Dayton, Ohio and made a continuous curly ribbon using the whole potato.

More apple parers, unusual kitchen tools and other “mystery” items were displayed on tables nearby. They provided members with some food for thought as we tried to guess their uses. The Moffets fielded many ques-tions from a curious crowd that gath-ered while they used the machines.

This was a program-style demonstration for a short time. Other types of demonstrations are held throughout the meetings and can be viewed each day. All members will-ing to take time to share their skills and knowledge make meetings very special. Thank you.

Please join us for the Fall meeting in Rockford, Illinois. The theme for the Auxiliary is “Perfect Picks.” Many of us found a “perfect pick” that started a collection or searched for years to find that “perfect pick” that completed a col-lection. Half the fun of collecting is gathering stories about our treasures and the people we meet and experiences we have along the way. Please bring something to share at our Show and Tell/Meet and Greet event on Thursday night. Pick some great stuff to bring for a display. Please remem-ber to provide a title and a table cover for your display.

One of the tours being planned is Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Laurent House.” To tie in with that Rockford connec-tion, on Friday our members will discuss the book “Loving

Frank” by Nancy Horan. The book is about the relation-ship between Wright and his mistress. Another tour option is to Midway Village Museum where we plan to visit the An-tique Textile Department, one of the best in the Midwest. Our program Friday night will be Judy Wilson-Sweet shar-ing her business creating vintage and historical costumes for 18” dolls (American Girl). The guest speaker for Satur-day’s luncheon will be Jay Shaw. He has been a leader in mural projects including a 35 mural project along Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental road in America. I hope you can come to the Wednesday Open House at my 10,000 sq. ft. apartment in a former hardware factory. Wishing you good “picking” till we meet again.

A Is For Apple by Susan Witzel

Pick Rockford For Your Fall Getaway - Oct 1-4, 2014 by Judy Gambrel

A program on apple peelers was presented in an entertaining way

at the Springfield Semi-Annual meeting of M-WTCA.

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Auxiliary

The ladies theme for the Meet in Springfield, MO was “Bill, Bass and Bling”. Since I did not have anything about Wild Bill Hickok or enough Bling to fill a table, that only left Bass. Looking around our lake-side cottage at In-dian Lake near Bellefountain, OH. there was more than enough “stuff” to fill a display table. Once I got started, there were lots of possibili-ties and a problem of elimination.

Most of the things we have col-lected in our travels from antique shops, flea markets, tailgating and auctions. We are always looking for things to decorate the cottage and the screened porch but not really to use for fishing.

The trolling motor was purchased at the Peach Meet in Georgia. After contacting the company, I found out that

the low serial number indicated that it was manufactured in the ‘50s. The carved fish was purchased at a recent Ohio

Tool Meet. The small carved fish de-coy was found in the trade room at Springfield. The fishing pole plane was purchased from an Ohio Tool and M-WTCA member several years ago. The English fishing reel was found at a boot sale in England. Sev-eral items were found at Donnelly’s Auction in Avoca, NY. last summer. The salt-glazed crock with the fish was a rare find at a local auction.

As you can tell there is a story behind just about every-thing, so there are other things to look for besides tools!

This display was great fun to put together. Often you can not tell how much you really have until you put together a display to share with others.

Bling… a slang term describing flashy, ostentatious or elaborate jewelry and ornamented accessories that are carried or worn. The word was added to the English Ox-ford Dictionary in 2002 and Webster in 2006. The term was intended to evoke the “sound” of light hitting silver. The term did not become popular until 1999 with the use in a rap song by the Bee Gee’s. The term then began to emerge to represent any adornment of the styles.

Before the 1950s adornment came in the form of feather hats, wigs, fur neck pieces and gloves. Clip earrings and bracelets were made of colorful stones. Those who could not afford jewelry made of precious stones, silver or gold, found other imitations for pearls and chains. The 50s pearls were called chokers and were very short.

In 1960 necklaces of a longer length were made of bright plastic beads. A type of necklace was made from connecting beads that pop together.

Beads of the 70s and 80s could have been made of seeds, rocks or bits of

plastic. “Rock Beads” became a fad. The hats and gloves gave way to decorative scarves and flashy jewelry. Clip earrings were replaced with pierced earrings. Earrings were very large rings and bracelets became rings called bangles. Charm bracelets were a reminder of friends and places visited.

The Hip-Hop age encouraged large flashy jewelry. Mood rings were a fad. Each era has a Bling-style of jewelry and today the word “Bling” is very popular in referring to eye-catching adornment.

I chose this subject because as a child I was always fasci-nated with the jewelry my aunt and mother wore. Style was important to them even though the budget did not allow for very expensive things. As a young person I had stylish clothing at the request of my moth-er. They tried to teach me style but I was more concerned with comfort and being casual. I was glad when skirts were limited and slacks be-came popular for women.

Member’s Choice Award Presented To Hooked On Fishingby Carolyn List

BLINGby Karen Fulton

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I have always had a fascination for collecting little cars, trucks and farm items along with collecting other things such as sewing items, Chickens, Mickey Mouse and other comic characters. Since I was in the Navy during WW II, I also collect military stories and pictures. My latest hobby is drawing comic greeting cards to send to family and friends. I always have to have something to keep my hands and mind active.

When I was a little girl my father gave me a toy dump truck. I was the son he never had and to this day, the truck is still being enjoyed by my grand chil-dren and great grandchildren.

Several of my toy car collections have a bit of history. One is a Rural Electric Utility Truck I won in 1990. It has many tiny pieces of tools and equipment that are very re-alistic. Another is a little foreign car my daughter brought me from Sweden when she was an exchange student there

in the 1960s.

My advice for those wishing to be col-lectors is to choose something that interests you and you would be proud to display to others. I am hoping that the women of the auxiliary enjoy my display and I am sure some of the men will look at it and remember some of the past cars they have had.

Auxiliary

Martha Washington had slipped into obscurity until author Patricia Brady brings her to life in the new biography, Martha Washington. Here is a lively look at the wife of George Wash-ington as they fall in love, support each other as he pursues a career as a strong political leader in service to his country, and is often away from home creating a new nation. “She survives in the popular imagination as a kindly frump” until Brady defines her as she becomes “an indomitable patriot and her husband’s counselor and emotional mainstay.” I am enjoying the book.

“Martha had a naturally calm and optimistic outlook on life” and she worked at maintaining that approach. She wrote to a friend, “I am still determined to be cheerful and to be happy in whatever situation’ may be, for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circum-stances; we carry the seeds of the one, or the other about with us, in our minds, wherever we go.”

What will history show you and me to be? Will we also carry the seeds of happiness or misery wherever we go OR will we be the frump that Martha was originally seen as?

I know that at 82, I am more lazy than active. However, the past has shown that I have been opinionated, vocal, and a participant in the world about me. I have been, and still am, supportive of my husband, family, and community as I view life’s opportunities or challenges. There have been times when I know my mouth got ahead of my thoughts and that

got me into “trouble.” But at least people knew where I stood.

Oh, come now. Most of you know me as the humble, shy, quiet spouse of antique tool collector Cecil Holmes. I ride along, occupying the sidesaddle seat, grasping my bag of books, and sharing whatever trip is on the day’s docket. I like what I do.... and so should you.

A good many wives do not share the passion of their tool col-lector husbands... and so do not travel the highways and by-ways on the search for the treasure of the moment. Perhaps the hubby is glad she stays home...I do not know what Cecil likes... I just know I AM going along.

I like the atmosphere and camaraderie that exists in the tool show of the moment. As I have said before, the chatter of voices is the “sound of friendship.” Because of conflicts, we did not make the last National show and I understand that it was a good one from the reports of those who did make it.

I would urge the spouses to become an advocate for their husband’s quest for a filler for his collection. I get the biggest kick out of one of the wives who also find some knickknack among all those planes and wrenches. Yikes, here comes Sue with a treasure. She seems to have a “nose” for something odd or old or valuable. It is fun to watch the enthusiasm that bubbles out of her.

Watch for the next opportunity to “seek and search” On The Other Side of The Bed. And... brag on what you found.

Bill, Bass and Bling, Jewels on Wheelsby Annabel Ring

On The Other Side Of The Bedby Kathleen Holmes

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ObituariesDon Rosebrook, a long time pillar of the tool collecting community, passed away on March 31, 2014 at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the age of 77. Don was born in Green River, Wisconsin, and educated as a chemist, receiving his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Kansas State University, where he met Pam, his wife of

48 years. After working as a chemist in Kansas City, Syracuse, and Austin, Don and Pam settled in Baton Rouge, where he formed his own environmental consulting business in 1984. He served as a consultant and expert witness on a number of high profile toxic waste and environmental cases.

As an antique tool collector, Don was known primarily for his expertise in levels and plow planes. His book American Lev-els and Their Makers - Volume 1 (New England), published in 1999, was the first and so far, the only scholarly study of levels. It was accompanied by American Level Patents Il-lustrated and Explained, a list of all of the New England level patents with a short biographical sketch of the inventor. American Levels was projected to be the first of three Vol-

umes, with Volumes 2 and 3 to cover the rest of the country. Don was well along on Volume 2, and had completed much of the research on Volume 3, at the time of his death. These vol-umes are expected to be completed and published by his fel-low level enthusiasts. In 2003, Don published Wooden Plow Planes: A Celebration of the Planemakers’ Art, lavishly illus-trated with photos by fellow collector Dennis Fisher. He was active in tool collecting organizations, serving as a member of the Board of Directors of M-WTCA, and as President of both EAIA, and the Southwestern Tool Collectors for many years.

About five years ago, Don retired from the environmental consulting business to concentrate on world travel to all of the countries he and Pam had always wanted to visit. Their travel was financed in part by the sale of his extensive col-lection, which in addition to levels and plow planes, also in-cluded saws, gauges, and bevels. In recent years, Don and Pam have visited Antarctica, India, Africa and southeast Asia, just to name a few.

Don was a fixture at tool meets and auctions across the coun-try. He and Pam had many friends throughout the tool collect-ing community. He will be widely missed.

John W. Kinnemeyer, loving husband of Babe Kinnemeyer of 60 years, passed peacefully on March 30, 2014, at the age of 82. John was the devoted father of Patri-cia (Don) Etter, Jackie (Tom) Lanter, John (Rhonda) Kinnemeyer, Connie (Chris) Lammers and Ken (Donna) Kinnemeyer, cherished grandfather of 13 and great-

grandfather of 21, and a dear brother of Dorothy Malloy.

John, a custom homebuilder, and his wife Babe, were long-time members and friends of the M-WTCA, among their affilia-tions, and have been a force in the tool collecting community for many years and to many people. Martin and Kathy Donnel-ly reminisced that “More than 30 years ago, the Kinnemeyer’s booth was a regular stopping point for Martin J. Donnelly at

antique markets in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Florida, where the hospitality was a little bit of home on the road.”

George and Carolyn Elsass remembers Babe and John could be counted on to be there-whether it was Madison, GA. in the mud, or Indianapolis at the Donnelley Auction, where they could be found outside tailgating or inside at the Dealer’s show, then bidding at the auction. Traveling to Avoca to the summer auction to buy and sell. Or attending the semi-annual meet-ings, often bringing a display, or at Ohio Tool meets. They both loved antiques and tools and always seemed to enjoy being on the road. John will be sadly missed, not only by Babe but all of us that knew him.

The family requested memorials to the Midwest Tool Collec-tors Scholarship Fund, 14530 Mt. Pleasant Rd., Cambridge Spring, PA. 16403.

Wendell D. ‘Woody’ Vandivier passed away in Indianapolis, In. on January 4, 2014. at the age of 90. He and his wife Juanita en-joyed over 55 years of marriage.

He served his country in the U.S. Army during WW II, serving in the South Pacific.

Woody was a carpenter by trade and served the profession in various roles at the Local, Regional and National levels with the International Brotherhood of

Carpenters & Joiners of America. He retired in 1986 after 20 years as the Carpenter Apprenticeship Training Program Coordinator. He served on the Board of Trustees of Ivy Tech Community College.

He enjoyed woodworking, gardening, playing cards and col-lecting antique carpentry tools and was a longtime member of the Midwest Tool Collectors Association.

He is survived by wife, Juanita, two sons, one daughter, eight grand daughters and four great grandchildren.

Don Rosebrook

John W. Kinnemeyer

Wendell D. ‘Woody’ Vandivier

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June 2014 43

What’s ItFor more information, larger images, additional photos, more what’s its, and answers, please check out the What’s It page at the M-WTCA web site, go to http://www.mwtca.org/ and then in the Main Menu click on “What’s It”.

Fig. 155-1 11 1/2” long

Fig. 155-2 10” long

Fig. 155-3 9” long

Fig. 155-4 8” long:

Answers from the last Gristmill issue:

154-1 A grappling hook that was designed to remove objects that were dropped in a well, patent number 435,590.

154-2. A Dixon leather splitter frame.

154-3. A piston expander, patent number 2,289,941.

Please email your photos, answers, and comments to: [email protected]

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44 The Gristmill

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June 2014 45

These tools are all members of a very large family of button-hole cutters. Once the buttons had been selected and their locations on the garment marked, the next step was to cut a slit/hole for the button. Some cutters made only a slit of appropriate length, while others added a small hole at the end of the slit. Buttons have been around for perhaps 5,000 years, so there are many cutters to collect and study. If you are interested in only patented versions, you also have a large assortment to look for. We will look at a just a few of the many styles that have been invented.

Many of the earlier cutters were in the form of a chisel that was either pushed or hammered through the fabric. This style is il-lustrated as the bottom tool in the family pho-to (Figure 1). Three of them are shown in Fig-ure 2. They are often unmarked and rather expensive.

Figure 2. Chisel-Style Cutters

A version of the chisel designed perhaps for manufactur-ing use is shown at top right in the family photo. This le-vered cutter is mounted on a wooden base and has a rotat-ing brass gauge plate beneath the blade. The gauge plate allows the operator to select a plain ½ inch slit or a slit plus hole at the end in lengths of ½, ¾, 1, and 1¼ inches. It is Patent # 43,707 issued on August 2, 1864.

Another interesting cutter is shown in Figure 3. This is Pat-ent # 212,481 issued February 18, 1879 to Andrew J. Lytle and manufactured by P. Lowentraut of Newark, NJ. It is a combination seam ripper, button-hole cutter, knife, ink eraser, and letter opener. When closed it measures only 1½ x 1¼ x 1/8 inches.

Figure 3. Combination Tool

Figure 4. Heavy Duty Cutters

Figure 4 shows three heavy-duty scissor-style cutters. The top cutter is P. Bauer’s Patent # 129,309 issued on July 16, 1872 and manufactured by J. Wiss & Sons. It uses a rotat-ing rest to adjust the cut length and also has the option of adding a hole at the end of the cut. The middle cutter is C. Cutter’s Patent # 60,700 issued on January 1, 1867 and made by him. It uses a screw stop to adjust the cut length. The bottom cutter is H. D. Walcott’s Patent # 9,158 issued on July 27, 1852 and made by Walcott Brothers, Boston. It uses a sliding rest to adjust the cut length. After the pat-ent application was submitted they changed the sliding mechanism to the one shown here. On April 30, 1867 Wal-ter Fitzgerald, also of Boston, was issued Patent # 64,300 for a cutter identical to Walcott’s except that Fitzgerald slid the blade instead of the rest.

Figure 5 shows six scissor-style cutters, some pat-ented and some not. Some have stops to control cut length, and some rely on man-ual dexterity for getting the length correct. The cut-ting blades on these six range from ¾ to 1¼ inches long.

Tool Family Trees Answers by Bob Roger

Figure 1. Family Photo

Figure 5. Scissor-Style Cutters

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46 The Gristmill

M-W TCA Gristmill1 col. x 5”June 2014

TimelessTools & TreasuresAuthentic tools for traditional trades and related antique curiositiesTimelessToolsandTreasures.comVisit our store by appt.146 Francestown Rd, Bennington, NH

[email protected] • 603-588-2637

WantedPrecision Bubble Level

(like the one below)Brass 3.6 Inches long

will buy even if damaged

It mayor may not be marked:AUTO-LITE 1918

Matt Switlik38 E. Elm Ave

Monroe, Michigan 48162phone: 734-625-0377

email: [email protected]

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June 2014 47

Looking for Gabriel planes and Kenyon saws. Let me know what you have. John Walkowiak 612- 824-0785 [email protected]

Wanted: Any hand forged iron tool (except reaping hooks) marked I-CHRIST or D.Christ. Laurent Torno 7111 Waterman Ave. St. Louis, Mo. 63130 [email protected] Tel/Fax 314-721-3911

Woodenshoe (Dutch) Rare Carving Tools for Sale. Full set, plus. From Americas last master carver (Age 88). 262-242-1571 or email [email protected]

WANTED: Original Hard Rubber or New Plastic Grips for 3/Screw Marbles Hatchets. Contact: Gail Parks 970-667-4359

WANTED: Musical Saws manufactured by Disston with the “MS” letters clearly marked on the saw. Saw must be in good enough condition that the “MS” can be easily read. Also looking for other Musical Saws made by other manufacturers. Please call Pete Cullum, 319-266-6984 or email me at [email protected]. Mailing address is 1027 Columbine Drive, Cedar Falls, Iowa. 50613.

Looking for a Seneca Falls “ACME” foot powered table saw, also would like drill and/or lathe attachments for Seneca Falls Victor, Empire and Challenge Treadle Jig Saws. Best time 7-9pm. 717-624-2618.

JUNE 14 IS FLAG DAYJoin us as we celebrate.

Show your Red/White/BlueKathy Donnelly, Marsha Smith,

John Metcalf

WANTED: Marking or Mortise Gauges produced by wooden plane makers such as Greenfield Tool Co.,H. Chapin, etc. Jim Fox 407-460-7283, email [email protected]

COMPUTER WORKER WANTED

I would like to find a Member who is very familiar with computer work and has some time to help the club throughout the year. I would like this person to send out mass email notices of all our Area Meets. There are about 40 a year. If you have the talent and time, please contact me for more details.

John Walkowiak, Membership Chairman

Marketplace

Advertising Information

NEW POLICY: The Gristmill will no longer accept advertising for a date sensitive event, that will occur during the month of The Gristmill’s publication. For example, an ad for an auction on March 25th that is to be placed in the March issue. * For layout purposes, all quarter page ads must be the following size. 3 1/2” wide X 4 7/8” tall.

Typesetting and borders are not included in the page rates. Special artwork will be charged at cost. We must have a sketch or rough drawing indicating how you want your ad laid out. Camera Ready ads are accepted at no additional charge.

For your protection and complete satisfaction, ALL ads should be typewritten and dou-ble-spaced. If this is not possible, please PRINT legibly.

Payment must accompany ad. Make checks payable to M-WTCA. At this time, advertis-ing will be accepted only from M-WTCA members in good standing. For information and membership application, contact John Walkowiak or one of the officers whose address is shown on the inside front cover of this publication.

Send all ads to: Bill Kolm 11415 Spaulding Street Omaha, NE 68164 phone (402) 572-1238, E-Mail [email protected]

ISSUE COPY DEADLINEMarch January 10June April 10September July 10December October 10

CLASSIFIED ADS - RATES$ .18 per word - ALL words. $3.50 minimum per ad.

DISPLAY ADS - RATESSize Cost Word LimitFull page, 4-color, (when available) $275 900Full page $180 900Half page $105 450Quarter page* $60 225 Other sizes $9.50 per column inch (1 column approx. 2-1/4” wide.)25 word limit.

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48 The Gristmill

The Tradition Continueswww.finetoolj.com1-800-248-8114 Fax 269-463-3767

Brown Tool Auctions9325 Dwight Boyer RoadWatervliet, MI 49098

Jim GehringPresident,Brown ToolAuctions

Brown Tool Auctions and The Fine Tool Journal are once again under common ownership and management,and together represent the best way to sell your antique tools, from a few items to an entire collection.

Ever since its founding in 1986, Brown Tool Auctions has been the premier auction service for antique tools,consistently realizing the highest prices for the best tools, including the world record set for a single tool atauction of $114,400. We hold three auctions every year at established times and locations that are regularlyattended by the most knowledgeable and discriminating tool buyers. Each Brown auction is widelyrecognized as a major event in the tool collecting world. Our marketing includes a completely redesignedrecognized as a major event in the tool collecting world. Our marketing includes a completely redesignedwebsite with improved online bidding and extensive mailings as well as ads in major publications.

Our relationship with The Fine Tool Journal, which holds four absentee auctions every year, gives us thecapacity to handle entire collections efficiently. If you have antique tools to sell, give us a call. We willbe happy to inspect your tools with no cost or obligation to you, and if you decide to consign them wewill arrange the pickup or shipping, and will market them so that you realize the maximum value.

Give me a call and let’s talk tools.

A Tradition of ExcellenceBrown Tool Auctions

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