Belknap Blue Grass tools

[lowell holmes]

My daddy was partial to Bluegrass hammers. So, I naturally have followed suit.
I have an 11 oz and an 16 oz hammer. They are well balanced and have wooden handles.
I also have a 3/4" Bluegrass chisel. It has a blue plastic handle with a steel cap on the handle.
I find these to be solid tools, pleasant to use.

I am curious if any of you know about these tools.

Also, how many of you have a Stanley 71 1/2 router plane?

[Stew Denton]

Lowell,

I have Bluegrass Belknap 16 oz claw hammer, wooden handle. It is a pleasure to use, and well made. Not fancy or highly polished, but a very good quality hammer.

Nope, I do have a stanley router plane, but it is a 71.

I did read a little about the company on Wikipedia. It was a hardware store type that also did distribution of tools, and did manufacturing. It was much like the hardware store in Missouri that sold the Keen Kutter line of tools, Simmons hardware in St. Louis. It was a very large distributor, the article says it competed with Sears, etc.

Same old story, very long history, going back well into the 1800s, and then they brought in outside managers in the 70s, whereas the upper level managers had always been company folks who started out carrying a brief case and catalog. They did fine using that philosophy.

A number of years into the new management philosophy they went bankrupt, I think in 1986 if I read it correctly. The article says they started carrying a lot of things that weren't hardware, quit manufacturing their own tools, etc.

Stew

[lowell holmes]

I had forgotten, but an old draw knife of mine is also a Bluegrass.
I also have 16 oz. hammer and it is pleasant to use.

[Bill Houghton]

Two 71-1/2 router planes, me. No Bluegrass tools, but some bluegrass music!

[Greg Wease]

I agree, Bluegrass hammers are excellent.

The Bluegrass planes I have seen were made by Sargent.

I have and use a 71 1/2, which I prefer to the 71.