WOODWORKING WITH HAND TOOLS c. 1947-1950

WEB SITE PAGES

Introduction and Overview

My apprenticeship in the truck cab and body building trade in N. England circa 1947 to 1950 at the firm of Oswald Tillotson, Burnley, Northern England. The effect of WWII on hand tool availability and the difficulty of obtaining new tools in the immediate post-war years. Go to the Introduction and Overview page

Building wooden flat bed truck bodies

An overview of how wooden flat bed bodies were built at Oswald Tillotson's (and in the truck cab and body building trade in general) in the late 1940s - the materials provided, the methodology employed and the hand tools used. Go to the building wooden flat bed truck bodies page

Informal Tool Studies

• William Marples & Sons Woodworking tools
• Stanley Tools 1900-1950
• Stanley Nail Hammers 1936-1958
• Stanley Plastic Handled Chisels 1936-1958
• Stanley No. 203 Block Plane
• North Bros. "YANKEE" Ratchet Mechanism Tools
• North Bros. "YANKEE" Spiral Ratchet Screw Drivers
• The Butcher Company of Sheffield

Hand Tool Kit

My tool kits evolved during my apprenticeship from a few used old tools (mostly pre-WWII 1930s vintage) when I started, to a mix of used and newly bought tools by 1950. The kit depicted here is representative of one I might have used in the later period of my apprenticeship. Go to the Hand Tool Kit page

GENERAL INFORMATION

REFERENCES & RESOURCES

Online Resources

• Rex Mill Stanley Bench Plane type study - invaluable for identification, classification and dating.
• Hans Brunner's Stanley planes by numbers - easy to use pictorial reference for all models.
• Patrick A. Leach's The Superior Works - information about every Stanley plane in bloody and gory detail.
• Stanley Trade Marks - stampings on tools: an invaluable dating resource (Bob Kuane web page).
• The Disstonian Institute - provides detailed information relating to all Disston saws.
• The Medallions and Timeline of Saw Manufacture - Disstonian Institute web page.
• Millers Falls tools - a definitive reference for vintage MF tools.
• Fayette R. Plumb Co. (Hammers, Axes and Hatchets) - illustrated Company history by YesterYears Tools.
• Yankee Style Spiral Ratchet Screwdrivers - Various Manufacturers (Great Expectations Antiques).

Web Pages & Blogs

• Jim's Hand-Tool Woodworking Links (Jim Boyett)
• Paul Anderson's Northwest Trucks (Photo Site)
• Gary Robert's Toolemera Blog

Reference Books

• Antique & Collectible Stanley Tools: Guide to Identity & Value -- John Walter, Second Edition 1996, The Tool Merchant, Marietta, Ohio, 2000.

Catalog PDF Downloads

• 1898, 1914, 1934, 1953, 1958 Stanley Tools No. 34 catalogs Rose Antique Tools Inc.
• North Brothers 1931 "Yankee" tools catalog Rose Antique Tools Inc. - included in Stanley section
• Fayette R. Plumb 1900 catalog Rose Antique Tools Inc - direct download.
• Tyzack Saw catalog - direct download.

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WOODWORKING WITH HAND TOOLS c. 1947-1950 - Authored by James Pickering - email: jp29@cox.net