The Davistown Museum

Registry of Maine Toolmakers

Table of Contents

Introduction	I-1
European Precedents	I-3
American Iron	I-6
Changing Toolmaking Technologies	I-6
Toolmakers in Maine	I-8
Shipbuilding in Maine 1607 - 1900	I-11
Maine's Edge Toolmakers	I-13
Coopers and Others	I-14
The Origins of Planemaking	I-15
Planemaking in Colonial New England	I-17
Maine's Earliest Planemakers	I-18
Toolmaking as a Commercial Activity in 19th Century Maine	I-21
Maine's First Documented Toolmaker: Robert Merchant and his Wantage Rule	I-23
Registry Listings	1
Registry Information Sources	S-1
Maine Toolmakers and Manufacturers Bibliography	B-1
Registry Appendices
1. Maine Planemakers Working before 1900	A1-1
2. The History of Shipbuilding in Maine	A2-1
3. A Guide to the Metallurgy of Edge Tools in The Davistown Museum	A3-1
4. Woodworking Tools of the 17th and 18th Centuries	A4-1
5. Abiel F. Walker, Planemaker of Alna, Maine	A5-1
6. Quick Reference List of Important Edge Toolmakers	A6-1
7. Whalecraft Manufacturers of New Bedford	A7-1