One of the best ways to understand hand tools is through the eyes of people who used them to make a living 100 years ago. Our reprint of the 1914 “Stanley Tool Catalogue No. 34” shows nearly every tool needed in a hand-tool shop, from the chisels to the butt gauges to every sort of plane in the company’s line at the time. The text explains what each one was used for and how it functioned differently from other similar tools. The catalog also had fantastic exploded views of many of the complex tools, such as the company’s miter boxes and braces, as shown in the excerpts below.
This book is a gold mine of information. One of my favorites!
If I had a flux capacitor, I would bring back a load of tools from the past.
I use this book on the regular. Has loads of info on my old tools.
Congratulations, Megan, for your elevation to editorship of The Lost Art Press. I’ve been a fan if your work and that of Chris since Popular Woodworking days and of this blog for years. And I even buy an occasional book. I know you will do a splendid job and take some pressure off Chris, the most productive person I know of.
Thanks!
Nice post! I totally agree on the worth of having one of these, although mine is a bit “newer” – 1947 edition. Has the same look, and the prices appear to have doubled – not bad given the elapsed time. Many of the images are the same, but, of course, several of the tools have changed.
And, congratulations on the “new” job! Hope it turns out as well as you hoped.
The Stanley No 150 Mitre Box is the best kept secret in miter boxes.
My Grandfather left me the Stanley miter box and saw. I never use it.Just a wall hanger!
I own an old paperback copy of Stanley’s “How to Work with Tools and Wood”. It is dog-eared but still relevant, especially the plan for shorty sawhorses (mine are now 50 years old). It has a prized position next to my LAP reprint of the Stanley Works catalog referenced in the blog post.