Answers to the Tool | Click here to return to the Tool Exam photographs |
| Location |
28 | Fid | 12900T4 | photo | MH |
Wood, 15 1/2" long, 2 5/8" maximum diameter, unsigned. |
A fid is used to loosen the strands of rope when splicing two pieces of rope together. |
Historic Maritime IV (1840-1865): The Early Industrial Revolution | Shipwrights', Sailmakers', and Mariners' |
| Tools |
29 | Marlin spike | 100400T14 | photo | MHC-K |
Cast steel, 17 1/2" long, 1 1/4" diameter, unsigned. |
Historic Maritime II (1720-1800): The Second Colonial Dominion & the Early Republic | Shipwrights', Sailmakers', and Mariners' |
| Tools |
30 | Bed wrench | TBF6003 | photo | MH |
Cast iron, 5" long with 4" handle, unsigned. |
This is a generic tool commonplace in households in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. A bed wrench was used with an old |
feather bed. This type of bed would have a wooden frame. The frame did not hold a box spring or wooden cross boards as a more modern bed |
does. Instead, the bottom of the bed was rope. The long rope would loop through holes drilled in the frame and go back and forth across the |
opening in the center. This creates a crisscrossed appearance. Bedding such as a straw tic would then go on top of that. The ropes |
eventually will stretch. The bed wrench is used to tighten the rope. |
Historic Maritime III (1800-1840): Boomtown Years & the Dawn of the Industrial Revolution | Wrenches |
31 | Cobblers' hammer | 101900T4 | photo | MH |
Drop-forged steel and wood, 9 1/2" long, 1 3/8" diameter face, unsigned. |
This is a typical cobblers' hammer that was used in the mid-nineteenth century Liberty and Montville cobblers' shops. |
Historic Maritime IV (1840-1865): The Early Industrial Revolution | Cobbler and Saddler Tools |
32 | Plow plane | TCD1007 | photo | photo | MH |
Wood (beech), steel blade, 8" long, 9 1/4" fence, signed "J. Kellogg", c. 1845. |
It was made by J. Kellogg (1835-1867), Amherst, MA. It is a typical example of a factory made plow plane that might have been found in the |
working carpenters' tool box in Liberty or Montville. This manufacturer's signature is mentioned in Pollak as frequently found (ff - B mark) |
(2001, 213); Kellogg was one of the most prolific of all planemakers, probably surpassed only by Greenfield Tool Co. in Massachusetts' |
output of planes. |
Historic Maritime IV (1840-1865): The Early Industrial Revolution | Woodworking: Planes |
33 | Graining tools (set of 11) | 111001T22 | photo | MH |
Cast steel, 3 1/2" high, widths vary from 3/4" to 4", unsigned. |
These are used for grain patterning painted surfaces, especially on blanket chests and other Victorian style cottage furniture. |
Historic Maritime IV (1840-1865): The Early Industrial Revolution | Domestic Utensils |
34 | Burins (5) | 102100T28 | photo | MH |
Steel, brass, and wood, various lengths from 2 3/4" to 4" long, unsigned. |
These are generic tools for copper plate engraving. Please visit the print collection for several examples of prints made with these tools. |
The Industrial Revolution (1865f.): Other Factory Made Tools | Miscellaneous Tools |
36 | Hoop driver | 81801T13 | bio | photo | MH |
Cast steel with wood handle, 4 5/8" long head, 1 5/8" long groove, signed "C. Drew & Co. Cast Steel". |
This is a rare Drew tool. |
Historic Maritime IV (1840-1865): The Early Industrial Revolution | Coopers' Tools |
37 | Shaving horse (bench) | TAB1012 | photo | MH |
Wood (maple), 57" wide, 17" tall, 4" wide clamp, unsigned. |
This was a commonplace tool on any working farm in the 17th or 18th century. Used with a drawknife for shingle-making, the shaving bench |
was also used for many other tasks. This is probably 18th century but is of the same design as those used in the 17th century. |
Historic Maritime I (1607-1676): The First Colonial Dominion | Woodworking: Other Tools |
38 | Grave diggers' shovel | 101400T3 | photo | photo | MH |
Drop-forged iron and wood, 84 1/8" long with a 9 1/4" blade, unsigned. |
Historic Maritime IV (1840-1865): The Early Industrial Revolution | Miscellaneous Tools |
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