| The Davistown Museum |
| Catalog of Maine Tools |
| Tools of Historic Interest not in the Museum Collection |
| | The following tools have a special historic interest and are included in our website because they are rare, unusual, |
| | manufactured by unlisted tool makers or are an important part of the history of Maine. When possible we will |
| | provide a photograph of these tools. In many cases, these tools have either been recently sold by the Jonesport |
| | Wood Co., Inc. (Liberty Tool Co., Hulls Cove Tool Barn, Captain Tinkham's Emporium) or are owned by |
| | customers of the Jonesport Wood Co., Inc. The tools of historic interest not in our collection are divided into |
| | two categories, those manufactured in Maine and those manufactured outside of Maine. |
| | Status |
| Maine Made Tools |
| | 51701T1 | Lining rule | NOM |
| | Mahogany, maple and nickel-plated steel, signed "Dirigo Ind. Ruler PATENT Applied For. F.B. Deming & Co. Calais. Me. |
| | Mailed to any address on receipt of price 75 cents.". |
| | This is a previously unlisted (DATM 1999) Maine rulemaker working in Calais, ME, ca. 1885. Owned by Patrick Leach who |
| | purchased this tool in Searsport, ME, May 12, 2001. |
| Tools Made Outside of Maine |
| | 102804T1 | Broad ax | photo | NOM |
| | signed "LAKESIDE". |
| | DATM (1999) notes: A Lakeside Tool Co. has been reported as a hardware dealer whose planes were made by "Union". |
| | Lakeside was also used by Montgomery Ward as a brand name. It is not known when they started to use it. This is an early |
| | 19th century broad ax that would have pre-dated Montgomery Ward and probably the Union Tool Co. or would have been |
| | from their early years. Was there a subsidiary of the Union Tool Co. that made this? It is not clear whether this broad ax |
| | has any connection with the Union Tool Co. of Torrington, CT +/- 1873, which also made chisels, rules, and saws. This broad |
| | ax would be typical of Maine shipyards in the early years of the 19th century especially before the advent of the circular |
| | saw c. 1830. Much of the cutting of the larger timbers for the ship's frame would have been done using hand tools such as |
| | the broad ax, adz, and pit saw prior to the availability of the circular saw. |
| | SCOM1001 | Hand saw (8 point cross cut) | NOM |
| | Spring steel with beech handle and split nut brasses, 19 3/4" long, signed "Seth Wood 1XL Taunton Mass" in oval with |
| | "EXTRA" above the oval, "Spring Steel4 Warranted" below oval, ca. 1870. |
| | This tool is not listed in DATM. The collector, Zoltan Farkas of Cherryfield, ME, purchased this saw from the Hulls Cove |
| | Tool Barn (4/25/2000). He obtained the following information from the Old Colony Historical Society of Taunton, MA: The |
| | Taunton City Directories indicate that in 1870 Mr. Wood was a dealer in hardware and cutlery at 21 Broadway with his home |
| | on Weir St. at the corner of Sumner. In 1872 his home listing changed to High St. near Bryant. In 1874, Seth is listed as |
| | being in business with his son, Howard S. Wood, as Seth Wood and Son, dealers in hardware and cutlery, 23 Broadway. |
| | 1876 is the last year that Seth and Howard Wood are listed, no occupation or business listing, house on Walnut St. near |
| | Harrison Ave. While the signature on the saw indicates Wood was the manufacturer of the saw, it is possible as no other |
| | Seth Wood saws are known and he is not listed in DATM, that he added his name to this saw to advertise his hardware |
| | 70802T1 | Ship's bevel | NOM |
| | signed "J. Souls". |
| | This bevel was purchased by P. L. Platt at Liberty Tool Co., May 10, 2002. He states "John Soul's working dates: started |
| | 1837, 1838 at 95 Norfolk St. NYC, 1840 at 105 Elm St. NYC, 1846 at 212 W. 17th St. NYC. D.A.T. indicates that a J. |
| | Souls was also listed in a Philadelphia 'listing' as a rule maker. We do have some documented rules from NYC, but, to my |
| | knowledge, nothing from PA or Philadelphia. Certainly a candidate for some research or a thesis. The dates and addresses |
| | above are from an unpublished master's thesis of John Hathaway, now living in California, son of Pete Hathaway, EAIA |
| | 010308T1 | Socket chisel | NOM |
| | Cast steel with a wooden handle, 12" long, signed "I COMMONS" "CAST.STEEL". |
| | I. Commons is a previously unidentified toolmaker. This chisel was found by Steve Johnson. |
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