| The Davistown Museum |
| Center for the Study of Early Tools |
| Scattered throughout The Davistown Museum are tools by important manufacturers who are also the subject of |
| information files compiled by the museum. This is a listing of our holdings for: |
| James Cam |
| | Status | Location |
| Historic Maritime II (1720-1800): The Second Colonial Dominion & the Early Republic |
| Woodworking: Planes Made in Maine |
| TBW1002 | Panel raising plane with adjustable fence | bio | bio | BDTM | MHC-L |
| Wood (beech), steel blade, 14" long, 3 1/2" wide including the adjustable fence, 2" wide blade, signed "T. WATERMAN" on plane and |
| "JAMES CAM SHEFFIELD WARRANTED CAST STEEL" on blade. |
| This is currently the earliest signed hand plane known to have been made in the state of Maine. The Waterman signature is distinctly 18th |
| century. The plane was probably made in the last years of the 18th century. James Cam, the prolific Sheffield, England edge tool |
| manufacturer made the blade for this plane. Many Cam blades and tools were imported to America during this time. The biography links for |
| Waterman and Cam go to pages that include photographs of this plane. |
| Historic Maritime III (1800-1840): Boomtown Years & the Dawn of the Industrial |
| Revolution |
| Woodworking: Edge Tools - Imported Cast Steel |
| TCC1003 | Chisel | bio | DTM | MH |
| Cast steel with oak handle, 9 1/2" long including handle, blade 1 3/4" wide, signed "James Cam cast steel". |
| The handle is strongly beveled. James Cam was one of the most prolific Sheffield edge tool manufacturers. |
| 111002T3 | Drawknife | DTM | MH |
| Cast steel, brass ferrules, wood handle with iron rivets, 17 1/2" long, 10 1/4" long blade, signed "JAMES CAM CAST STEEL". |
| This is a very fine example of a quality English edge tool. |
| TCC1009 | Gouge | bio | DTM | MH |
| Cast steel, 6 5/8" long, 5/16" wide, signed "J. CAM". |
| Historic Maritime IV (1840-1865): The Early Industrial Revolution |
| Woodworking: Planes Made in Maine |
| 81101T1 | Double sash plane | bio | bio | BDTM | MH |
| Wood (beech), cast steel blades, 9 1/2" long, 5/8" wide blades, signed on plane "B Morrill Bangor" and blades signed "James Cam". |
| The Registry of Maine Toolmakers (2008) lists Morrill as working in Bangor as early as 1832. (See the Dec. 4 minutes of the Bangor |
| Mechanic's Association.) Morrill also served in the state legislature. Morrill's planes are considered rare -- this is the only known specimen |
| of a Morrill double sash and its crisp signature and mint condition make it an important artifact from the boomtown years of Bangor. This |
| plane also illustrates the reliance on English cast steel as late as the 1830s. |
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