Discovering the Fascinating World of Antique Tools
Welcome!
The world of antique tool collecting is a fascinating indeed. These links will direct you to some of the best sites on the web. While many collectors also use their tools for work or pleasure, those claiming to be interested only in the use of vintage tools are often closet collectors. If you choose to pursue an interest in old tools, please be kind. More antique tools are destroyed by misguided restoration attempts than by neglect.
Auctions & Consulting
- Fine Tool Journal — The Fine Tool Journal holds quarterly auctions via its quarterly magazine which also includes well-written articles. The publisher also sponsors the annual Brown Tool Auctions.
- Great Planes Trading Company — Mike Urness provides a consulting service for those disposing of tool collections and arranges old tool auctions when appropriate
- Martin J. Donnelly Antique Tools — Martin Donnelly runs the largest series of tool auctions in the United States.
Auger bits
Irwin Auger Bits — a part of Ch'Gans' Random Bits & Bobs blog. Gans reports his research into the Irwin Auger Bit Company's solid-center auger bits
Axes
Yesteryears Tools — Tom Lamond's site concentrates on ax markings and labels
Bit braces
A Collection of Bit Braces — a site on the development of the the metallic bit brace maintained by Sandy Moss
Chisels
- Buck Brothers — a history of Buck Brothers, the Massachusetts firm supplying quality chisels to generations of Americans, by Brian Welch
- T. H. Witherby — a history of Massachusetts-based edge tool maker T. H. Witherby by Brian Welch
Companies
William Marples and Sons, Ltd.— Roger P. Ball's site on the history and tools of the William Marples Company
Discussion groups
- The Wood Central Message Boards — includes a message board focused on hand tools and traditional woodworking
- OldTools Discussion Group — includes sign-up instructions for the oldtools list, a moderated e-mail discussion group of die-hard old tool enthusiasts
- Facebook groups — Times are a-changin'. There are a number of old tool interest groups on facebook. Some concern themselves with with manufacturers like Millers Falls. Others are sponsored by collector groups or are concerned with specific types of tools (i.e., drills, hand planes, etc.) They come go and there are too many to link to directly.
Geographic emphasis
- Rhode Island Toolmakers — the title pretty much says it all, a nice site, with much info on early plane makers
- The E. W. Carpenter Project — information about Lancaster County and Southeaster Pennsylvania planemakers
Hand drills
George's Basement — features include type studies of the Millers Falls Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 5 hand drills
Hand planes
- Chaplin's Patent Planes — Peter McBride's guide to the planes developed by Orril L. Chaplin.
- Home of the Miller's Patent — Don Bosse's guide to the plow planes developed by Charles Miller for the Stanley Rule and Level Company
- Metal Router Type Study page — by Lars Larson, a study of manufacturing variations on hand-powered routing tools
- Millers Falls Planes — (justtheplanefacts) a well-illustrated collection of information related to the production details of Millers Falls planes
- Record Hand Planes — by David Lynch, history of Sheffield, England's Record Plane Company
- Patrick's Blood & Gore — a comprehensive guide to Stanley planes
- The Sargent Planes page— a comprehensive guide to Sargent planes
- Stanley Bed Rock Plane Type Study — Bob Kaune's classic study of manufacturing variations in Stanley Bed Rock planes
- W.S. Tools Birmingham — Roger P. Ball's guide to the planes of the W. S. Company of Birmingham.
Miterboxes
A Langdon Miterbox Reference — a guide for users and collectors of the Millers Falls Langdon, All Steel and related mitre/miter boxes.
Museums, etc.
- American Precision Museum — located in the historic Robbins & Lawrence Armory in Windsor, Vermont, the museum’s holdings include an unparalleled collection of industrial machinery spanning the first one hundred years of precision manufacturing
- The Davistown Museum Center for the Study of Early Tools — information and links to information on Maine and New England toolmakers
- The D’Elia Antique Tool Museum — located in Scotland, Connecticut, the D’Elia Antique Tool Museum features an renowned and extensive collection of patented metallic and early wooden hand planes
- Museum of Woodworking Tools — virtual exhibits include: American levels, English shoulder planes (1860-1938), iron side rabbet planes (1860-1938), Stanley combination planes, the planes of Cesar Chelor
- Museum of Our Industrial Heritage — a group dedicated to preserving the the artifacts and archival resources of the manufacturing industries of Franklin County, Massachusetts, home of the Millers Falls company, Goodell-Pratt, the Greenfield Tool Company, etc.
Organizations
- M-WTCA: Mid-West Tool Collectors Association — dedicated to the study, preservation and collecting of old tools, it has grown into a nation-wide organization. M-WTCA publishes a quarterly magazine
- EAIA: Early American Industries Association — dedicated to the study of early tools and trades, more scholarly than the M-WTCA, it also publishes a quarterly magazine
- Hand Tool Preservation Association of Australia — dedicated to the preservation, study, documentation and understanding of hand tools for collectors from "down under"
- CRAFTS (Collectors of Rare and Familiar Tools Society) of New Jersey — a knowledgeable and active group of old tool buffs
- Ohio Tool Collectors Association — the name says it all.
- PAST: Preserving Arts and Skills of the Trades — a West Coast organization for tool enthusiasts, founded in California
- Rocky Mountain Tool Collectors — a regional organization headquartered in Colorado
- Potomac Antique Tools and Industries Association — also known as PATINA, a regional organization based in the Washington, D.C. area
Patents
- DATAMP: Directory of American Tool and Machinery Parts — a clearinghouse for information on antique tool and woodworking machine patents. If your patent is included here, it's far easier to find than on Google Patents
- Google Patents — search and read the full text of patents from around the world
Publishing
- Astragal Press — now partnering with the Chester Book Company, Astragal Press is major source for of books on early tools and trades
Reprints, paper and electronic
- International Tool Catalog Library — a collection of over 3,500 tool catalogs and ephemera hosted by the Internet Archive
- The Old Tool Reprint Room — a checklist of reprinted paper-format catalogs, guides, etc.
Saws
- Backsaw Net — Ray Gardiner's reference to backsaws, tilts toward British manufacturers
- Disstonian Institute — a web-based reference to Disston saws
- E. C. Atkins Saws — Mark Stansbury's site on E. C. Atkins includes reprints of a number of the company's catalogs
- The Hand Saws of Harvey Peace — Joshua Clark's site on the handsaws of Harvey Peace and the Vulcan Tool Works
- Saw Set Collector's Resource — Mark Conley's site features devices folks have come up for bending saw teeth
- Simonds Homepage and History — the history and saws of the Simonds Saw Company of Fitchburg, Massachusetts by Brian Welch
Screwdrivers
Spiral Screwdriver Patents — Cliff Fales' listing of spiral screwdriver patents from 1868 through 1931 includes digitized versions of his periodical articles.
Woodworking machinery
Old Wood-Working Machines — information on old woodworking machines, hand-powered and electronic
Wrenches
- Wrenching News — an online newsletter for wrench collectors, a must if you want to keep up with events
- Alloy Artifacts — an excellent site on the production and sale of 20th century wrenches, pliers, and automotive tools