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Thread: Appropriate place for a listing of the tools in the Studley tool chest?

  1. #46
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    My thanks to Warren for the additional references.

    I think that we're coming at this from different angles though, and the fact that the Studley toolchest was made in an age when machines were prevalent in workshops makes it more relevant to the majority of woodworkers than a purer chest from a time of only handwork.

    Anyway, turns out that on that basis, I can make a listing fit the Shapeoko wiki which I contribute to already, so I'll probably do it there, unless something more relevant comes up, but I'll certainly incorporate as many of the references which you mention as I can. Thanks.

  2. #47
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    I thought the book mentioned that Studley's inventory included mortise chisels and the other "missing" tools not seen in the chest. They then speculated that they were likely in the drawers under the workbench?

  3. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Radtke View Post
    I thought the book mentioned that Studley's inventory included mortise chisels and the other "missing" tools not seen in the chest. They then speculated that they were likely in the drawers under the workbench?
    Correct. That's one of the things I'm curious about and would like to investigate.

  4. #49
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    The Studley chest is beautiful but if given the choice of spending an hour with it or the Cartwright or Nixon chests, I wouldn't choose the Studley chest. It just seems like I'd learn more useful information from Cartwright or Nixon than Studley. This does not diminish the Studley chest as a work of art in the slightest.
    Last edited by Zach Dillinger; 05-26-2015 at 3:24 PM.
    Your endgrain is like your bellybutton. Yes, I know you have it. No, I don't want to see it.

  5. #50
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    I agree that it would be great if more research were published about some of the other surviving early tool chests/sets. the book "Tools / Working Wood in Eighteenth-Century America" by James M. Gaynor and Nancy L. Hagedorn (Williamsburg 1993) has useful pictures and some discussion of tools from several late 18th -early 19th century chests (Seaton, Nixon, Cartwright, Phyfe), and is a great place to start reading about tools of that era in general. It's still in print from Astragal press, and a lot cheaper than the Dominy book - but it leaves one wanting more. Given the interest in the Seaton chest book, and now in the Studley book, we can hope that some of these other kits will get some attention.

  6. #51
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Vernier View Post
    I agree that it would be great if more research were published about some of the other surviving early tool chests/sets. the book "Tools / Working Wood in Eighteenth-Century America" by James M. Gaynor and Nancy L. Hagedorn (Williamsburg 1993) has useful pictures and some discussion of tools from several late 18th -early 19th century chests (Seaton, Nixon, Cartwright, Phyfe), and is a great place to start reading about tools of that era in general. It's still in print from Astragal press, and a lot cheaper than the Dominy book - but it leaves one wanting more. Given the interest in the Seaton chest book, and now in the Studley book, we can hope that some of these other kits will get some attention.
    Agreed in all respects. My copy of the Gaynor / Hagedorn book is just about worn out but I wish there were more pics of the actual tools rather than just the group shots of Cartwright, Nixon, and Phyfe, although Phyfe's is a little later than my period of interest.
    Your endgrain is like your bellybutton. Yes, I know you have it. No, I don't want to see it.

  7. #52
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  8. #53
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    Although I am loathe to reignite anything here, I ran across an interesting explanation in another forum. Go to the second post by "oldster."

  9. #54
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    I am glad that several people here seem to think that the Studley tool chest is a work of art.

    That echoes my own sentiments. As elaborate as that chest is,it seems like making it,with all its ingenious ways of storing tools,was an end in itself,rather than a means to an end(Actually using the tools).

    While I love seeing things like that chest,I must say that I'd probably quickly tire of trying to get tools out of it that are buried under other tools. And,I do fear that having taken several tools out,I'd likely forget how they were placed in the chest to begin with. And,I'd never get them back in place!

    Perhaps there are ways of getting at tools that I'm not aware of,not having actually examined the chest in person. Working in the museum,I was able to examine the Seaton Chest,The Phyfe chest,and some others at a tool exhibition we did quite a few years ago. There would be no problem getting tools back into those chests.

  10. #55
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    Quote Originally Posted by george wilson View Post
    (major snippage happened here)
    Working in the museum,I was able to examine the Seaton Chest,The Phyfe chest,and some others at a tool exhibition we did quite a few years ago. There would be no problem getting tools back into those chests.
    With the minor exception of having to bend over to do it. I'd be able to put one tool away and then my back would quit for the rest of the day.

  11. #56
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    I guess part of it is that the Studley chest’s tight organization appeals to me and seems like a workable inspiration for a solution to address my own storage issues — my workbench is at one end of the laundry room, and I’ve a very limited storage / work area — most woodworking is done on my back deck.

    I’ve got a bit of a beginning on listing tools on the ShapeOko wiki — we’ll see how long my interest holds up and what the final results are.
    Last edited by William Adams; 05-31-2015 at 5:48 PM.

  12. #57
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    Thanks for the link Bruce. The post "oldster" made was excellent. I personally find knowing the motivations behind things enhance my enjoyment of them. It does have a shrine like feel to it and a nice legacy to of left behind.

  13. #58
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    Am I missing something, or does one not get the size of the blade in this description?

    Quote Originally Posted by Pg. 121
    Dimensions: Overall length is 14-1/2", blade
    length is 10-3/8" and the shaft is 5/16" in
    diameter. The ferrule is 3/4" long x 5/8" diam-
    eter and the handle is 3-3/8" long x 1-5/16"
    maximum diameter.
    Should one just assume the tip width is 5/16"?

  14. #59
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    It was a nice legacy to leave behind,even if not very practical. There is a lot of romanticization of the trade evident in it. A thing I am also abundantly guilty of.

    One of the saddest things I heard of was an old man who burned all his tools because of all the trouble they had caused him. Clearly Mr. Studley could never have felt that way,nor I.

    I met on the street in Williamsburg,an old man in a wheel chair,accompanied by his younger family members. I offered to help get him down the little path so he could see the Musical Instrument Shop. He said emphatically,with sadness ,no,he did not want to see any shops. Clearly he felt bitter about his life working in shops. I think that both he,and the man who burned his tools are examples of people who both spent their lives in what I'd call "Working out of joint". Working in trades which they obviously were not meant to work in. In the old days,people often got pressed into trades or work which they did not appreciate. Economic necessity was frequently the driving factor. Their fathers would find apprenticeships for them and make them go to work wether they liked the trade or not.

    I saw that happen in the museum: A person would take a Summer job in a shop in which they clearly had no natural talent for the work. They'd get comfortable financially,get married,etc.,and eventually find themselves unable or unwilling to get a more suitable job. Mostly from inertia,I think. Then,they'd end up in a trade they had no passion for. And often,very little talent. One such guy worked a Summer job in the cabinet shop,where the Master was Dutch,with a heavy accent. The young man told me he was calling a back saw a "bick saw",because the master called it that,and the young man did not know enough about tools to know better! He ended up as a career in another shop,in which I think he did not belong either. His work was never very good. And,his mind was never really on his work.
    Last edited by george wilson; 06-01-2015 at 10:35 AM.

  15. #60
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    Thanks, yes. The annoying thing is the decline of typography standards often makes me feel that way about graphic design, contemporary books &c.

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