The Carpenter's Tool Chest, by Thomas Hibben

[Branson]

It seems I got a bargain with this book -- there are three on Amazon at $55, $65, and $75.  I paid $12.  It covers tools from the Stone Age on.   It has a lot of illustrations -- drawings.  Published in 1933.  Right behind the title page, it has the following dedication, which seems very appropriate to Tool Talk:

"This book was made for you, Tom and Hilton and Robert, that you might know something of the tools with which the world around you has been built and how these tools came to be.  Then, too, I would like you to know about the carpenters, how they have lived and worked, built bridges and boats and buildings down through the centuries.  And while carpenters' work is more for boys than for girls, I would like Jill and Barbara and Phylis-Ann to read the book too, for the tools and the people who work with them are so important to us all our lives that I think we ought to know as much about them as we can."

I was very surprised to see a miter square almost identical to one posted here by Bob a few months back -- actually, there are two that are similar.  One is Egyptian, and another is Roman.  Quite a bit older than the patented square Bob has.

[john k]

Thank you for posting this.   Somethings just never grow old.  I like old tools and old books, but books with a dedication seem doubly valuable.

[clovis]

Now that is a book that I'd like to read. I especially like the intro from the book that you posted.

[Bill Houghton]

It appears to be available on Google Books.  From the preview, it looks to be pretty cool.

Later edit to correct information: I guess it's still in copyright, so it's not possible to download the whole book.  Dang.  Just have to hope one appears in my yard sale wanderings.

[Branson]

Click on "preview" on Google books.  On page 13, tool number 4 is like the one Bob posted a few months ago.  It's listed as "Egyptian mitre."  Makes me wonder if the "inventor" of the one Bob asked about studied Egyptian artifacts, or if it was a case of independent invention.

[johnsironsanctuary]

I searched The Carpenter's Toolchest on Amazon.  Found one for $10. The description was sorely lacking, but what the heck, for $10. I got an old reprint of an 1842 tool catalog. Robert R. Dean, the reprinter, says that the date is based on dates inscribed on some of the tools. He credits it to:
H. Schurhoff & Co
Drawings of iron steel and brassware for North and South America,
East and West Indies
Altona (Hamburg), Germany
Litho by R. von Duhr
No date

There are enough Whatsits in here to keep us busy for months. If LG would pdf it, I would be grateful.

http://s1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb373/johnsironsanctuary/The%20Carpenters%20Tool%20Chest/

[Branson]

Really good stuff in there!  Hope it can be put in a pdf -- lots of documentation value there!