Books published by Astragal Press

A valuable directory that illustrates and lists over 1000 fully-indexed patents, covering all American machinist s tools patented through 1905 and the more important ones patented between 1906 and 1916. Each patent is represented by at least one illustration, and each is indexed in three separate ways: alphabetically by patentee name, chronologically by date and patent number, and by type of tool. Required for anyone interested in American machinist s tools.

A comprehensive reference that has been called "a work of clarity and imagination so influential it virtually defines its subject," this book describes, illustrates, and classifies all types of wooden planes from the common to the rare and unusual -- tracing their development and explaining their use. Included are both American and English planes, and also French, Dutch, German, Japanese and Chinese. Over 500 pages long, with more than 1,000 illustrations, it also includes: Chapters that describe and illustrate over 90 simple and 300 complex molding profiles; a description and explanation of the planes used by specific trades: the Cooper, Sashmaker, Coachmaker, Wheelwright, Planemaker, Organ Builder, Staircase Builder, Basketmaker, Rulemaker, Chairmaker, and Patternmaker; an Appendix that outlines a system for naming and classifying molding profiles, and another for identifying and classifying any plane based on its physical shape.

Established in 1834, Wm. T. Wood & Co. manufactured the finest quality ice toolsof every description in their Arlington, MA factory; they had office and warehousespace on North Market Street in Boston, MA. This facsimile of their 1888 catalogincludes illustrations, descriptions, and prices of the various goods they manufactured.One unique selling feature they used was "we use the best cast steel; Norwayiron in all parts requiring strong and solid work, and double-refined iron in all otherparts." This catalog was loaned for reproduction by the Museum of American IceHarvests and Woodworking Crafts, Mequon, WI.

Milk cans, milk churns, or milk pails have been used for centuries which is why they are some of the most photographed of all farmyard objects. Here, for the first time, the diversity in size, shape and design of milk cans is presented in a comprehensive and full-color publication. The iconic shape of the typical milk can has inspired toymakers, artists, playwrights, novelty manufactures, and sports minded people. Milk cans often become family treasures handed down through the generations; insights about these and other social aspects of the milk can are included. In some countries milk tankers have replaced milk cans while bright shiny plastic milk cans appear to be replacing steel cans in others. This entire book is dedicated to the celebration of milk cans and their history, use, and design.

This is an exuberant storytelling book - a collection of entertaining and thought-provoking tales shared by Jim Carpenter, gleaned from his experiences working with wood. A lifelong interest in woodworking, carpentry, and its history eventually led Jim to share his background and wisdom of working in his shop. You are sure to chuckle at the wry wit stories in this informative book. One story he often shares is titled Really? One evening while my neighbor was out on a bike ride, he stopped by to check out what I was working on in my shop. After a bit he asked me why I was using a hand saw when I had a perfectly good table saw sitting right there. It didn''t make any sense to him. I asked him why he was riding a bicycle when he had a perfectly good car sitting right there in his garage. He told me that his evening bike rides were a way he could relax and it made him feel better. No comment.

The Illinois Iron & Bolt Company was established as an iron foundry and blacksmithshop in 1864 by Angelo Carpenter in the town he platted, Carpentersville, Illinois.This reprint of the Illinois Iron & Bolt Company 1889 catalog includes cast and steelwagon skeins, hydraulic presses, blacksmith tools, vises, anvils, jack screws, sad irons,clothes reels and lawn ornaments. High quality illustrations, detailed descriptions,and price lists make this a highly desirable historical catalog.

''The object of this work,'' says its author, ''is to investigate certain problems connected with the history of vehicular transport from a Swedish point of view'' but, though he is thus an avowed specialist, he never loses sight of the two facts, that Swedish transport is part of the world''s transport, and that vehicles are historically important because they are an essential part of the culture of their users. He is to be congratulated on treating studies of vehicles as the ethnological studies that they certainly are. Besides dealing very fully with what may be called the ''normal''; stages of slide-car, sledges, wheeled-sledge, car, and wagons, he produces evidence of a pre-sledge era of single runners dating back to Neolithic times. The vast wealth of evidence accumulated in this book forms in itself a permanent and valuable contribution to the literature of the subject. The plates provide nearly a hundred good photographs and reproductions. There is no doubt that this book will be of great value to anyone seriously interested in the history of transport.

The John S. Fray & Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut built an early reputation and brace building success upon the initial patent of Nelson Spofford who s first patent was for a type of split chuck, often termed a clamshell chuck. John Fray apparently began manufacturing Spofford braces in partnership with a gentleman named Horace Pigg. Early braces are marked, Fray & Pigg Manrs / Bridgeport, Conn and Spofford s Pat / Nov 1, 1859. Stanley continued to produce braces using this design until at least 1942. Subsequent braces are marked only John S. Fray & Co / Bridgeport, Conn. USA. This fully illustrated catalog includes braces, hand drills, breast drills, extension bit holders, hollow handle tool sets, pin vises, chucks, and more!

Bridgeport Hardware Manufacturing Corporation was founded in 1895 by Willis F. Hobbs in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The tools were frequently marked with the company''s initials BHM, sometimes in a stylized BHM-Logo. They also used a number of unregistered brands for its products, including Matchless, Hy-bar, Sure Grip , Radio-Lectric. In the early 1960''s Bridgeport Hardware was acquired by Crescent Niagara. This fully illustrated catalog includes awls, box chisels, box openers, box scrapers, can openers, hammers, hatchets, ice picks, nail pullers, pliers, putty knives, saws, screwdrivers, tire tools, trowels, and more!

This book is about one of the most attractive and tactile forms of slide rules, the pocket-watch slide rule. Although pocket-watch slide rules were not the most accurate nor easiest to use, these delightful devices were featured in makers catalogues from all parts of the world for the last century of the slide rule s life. Pocket-watch slide rules are an exquisite example of the slide rule makers art and are perhaps the most collectible type of slide rules. The Book Includes: -Descriptions of over 150 pocket-watch slide rules and variants -Full-color illustrations, detailed descriptions, and dating information -Approximately 80 makers and retailers from the UK, Europe, and the USA -Descriptions of special scales used -Coverage of seminal patents -A glossary of terms -A comprehensive bibliography

One of the most important parts of a serious tool collector s collection is the written material used to research and learn about the artifacts they accumulate. In 2003, for the Annual Meeting of the Early American Industries Association, 14 articles by Paul Kebabian on a variety of tools, toolmakers and early trades were published as this collection. Kebabian, a librarian by vocation, has had many of his writings on tools and toolmakers appear in newsletters and journals such as ACTIVE, Scrapbooks, and The Chronicle.

Continuing the pattern set by American Lathe Builders and American Planer, Shaper and Slotter Builders, this is the first book to identify American builders of milling machines and the products they invented circa 1818 to the development of the "modern" milling machine circa 1920. Early versions of other American machine tools were largely copied from European, especially British, machines. The milling machine, however, was an American development. Built first for the firearms and sewing machine industries, it proved to be much more productive than other methods, and soon held a major place in all high-production American machine shops. The book lists more than 300 makers and contains over 1,400 illustrations taken from original catalogs and contemporary periodicals. These trace the development of the milling machine from a crude, light weight machine to very large millers capable of machining parts the size of boxcars and weighing many tons. Attachments such as dividing heads, vises, etc., are also covered.

Here is the companion volume to Ken Cope''s previous works on machine tools, carriage making machinery and cooperage machinery. Factories filled with the machinery described in the previous works, from the smallest drill presses to giant planers, could not have existed without a reliable and sufficient power source. The steam engine was that source, from the start of the industrial revolution to the general availability of electric power distributed from large, central generating stations in the early 20th century. Smaller size engines, made for farms and small industries such as cheese factories, greatly reduced the manpower required and therefore the cost of the final product to the consumer. The nearly 1000 illustrations show the development of the steam engine from 1800 to 1900 in a great variety of sizes, styles, and designs. Many designs shown proved impractical and were soon discarded; other designs such as the Corliss engine were made by scores of firms for scores of years. Along with the illustrations is a brief history of the individual maker, chronicling the various engines that each made.

A price guide is only as helpful as its prices are current. With this in mind, we offer a new fourth edition of Herbert Kean''s A Price Guide to Antique Tools, its prices taken from the latest live and internet auctions as well as from private sales. As before, there are over 12,000 prices (individual and chart combinations) that represent extraordinary tools, as well as those found in flea markets. There is an explanation for each tool group that allows the reader to judge the condition of a tool, the most critical of all factors when determining price. The chapter on American wooden planes covers over 400 makers, each graded with a single value number, a system that is at the same time simple and comprehensive. To help even more, almost every tool is illustrated with a photograph or line drawing. The section on internet prices explains the mechanisms of electronic auctions and gives tips for successful bidding. If you have ever wished that you could consult with an expert before investing in a tool, this is the book for you. It puts at your fingertips the knowledge and expertise of noted tool collector and dealer Herb Kean, both in determining current prices and in evaluating condition. Altogether, an invaluable book.

Here is the second volume in Dana Batory’s series of guides to the major woodworking machinery manufacturers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Covered in this volume are Parks Machine Co., the Boice-Crane Co., Baxter D. Whitney & Son, and Crescent Machine Co. All these manufacturers built a full line of woodworking machines, but most became especially known for a particular group, e.g., Boice-Crane produced medium size and capacity machines that were ideal for home shops, school shops and small business woodworkers; Whitney was famous for its thickness planers and spindle shapers, as well as for a large collection of cooperage machines; and Crescent won renown for its bandsaws and table saws, and for its Universal Wood-Worker, a combination machine. As in his first volume, the author provides a history of each manufacturer, as well as a description of the evolution of its product lines over the years. Accompanying the histories are many illustrations taken from the catalogs of the period. This is a mine of information about old woodworking machines and the companies that made them.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

The age of steam engines brought with it the ever-present possibilities of horrendous explosions. It was no surprise, then, that around the middle of the 19th century, the steam gauge made its appearance and soon was found wherever a steam engine was used. Steam gauges were used everywhere, in great numbers and varieties. Some were strictly utilitarian in appearance; others were beautiful decorated. They were manufactured to perform multitudes of tasks, and one of the most interesting facets of steam gauge collecting is determining just what task your gauge was designed to do. Author Barry David provides an enormous amount of information in this book that helps the collector learn about his gauge: when it was made, what job it was designed to do, how it did this job, who made it, and for what company it was made. There are chapters on The Gauge Makers, Discovery (learning the basic facts about a particular gauge), Cleaning and Restoring Steam Gauges, Railroad Gauges, Fire Engine Gauges, Portable and Traction Engine Gauges, Marine (Nautical ) Gauges, Press Gauges, Gauge Appliances and Recorders, and Gauge Patents. There is also a section with color pictures as well as a Bibliography and Index. If you are a collector, or a student of technological history, you will find this book to be an invaluable addition to your library.

Through the second half of the 19th century and into the 20th, barrel makers followed the same path taken by many other woodworkers . . . they moved from hand tools to the large, efficient new machines that were the products of the Industrial Revolution. They built factories to house the machines and turned out thousands of barrels, kegs, and similar containers a day. Kenneth Cope’s book, in the pattern of his previous books on the American machine tool industry, provides more than 530 illustrations of these cooperage tools, taken from original catalogs and contemporary periodicals. Along with the illustrations is a brief history of the individual maker, chronicling the various machines that each made. Included, as well, are reproductions of four catalogs: E. & B. Holmes 1891 catalog and ca. 1910 or 1915 Q catalog, L. & I.J. White 1912 catalog, and the D.R. Barton 1905 catalog. An illustrated glossary of terms used and an appendix giving a brief look at the English and French cooperage industries in the corresponding period are also provided.

Tool collectors will appreciate this well organized, comprehensive catalog of American wrenches and their makers. Following a list of wrench patent dates with the names of their makers is the catalog of wrenches, organized alphabetically by maker. Each entry includes a short history of the company and their wrenches with illustrations of each wrench, in b&w. An appendix contains an interview with Loring Coes.

Storytelling is an ancient art. At their best, stories provide a very personal and engaging way to pass information, experience, insight and imagination from one group to another, from one generation to another. Tool Tales is full of such stories. Its author, Herb Kean, is a noted tool collector, dealer, restorer and author (as well as renowned raconteur). Here, he has culled from magazines, journals, newspapers and encyclopedias 50 of his best stories and "tips" columns, written over the course of his long career. These stories range from whimsical tales of trips taken in search of old tools to more technical pieces detailing the "how-toΓÇÖs" of solving many a knotty tool-related problem. Full of valuable information to help the reader in buying, selling and restoring antique tools, they are also full of wit and good, old-fashioned fun.

Here is the first book to identify American builders of planers, shapers and slotters, who operated throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Written in the style of the author’s previous groundbreaking books on the American machine tool industry, this volume provides the reader with invaluable information on over 300 makers. Some are very well known, but many have previously gone virtually unrecognized by researchers. More than 1000 illustrations, taken from original catalogs and contemporary periodicals, show how these machines developed: starting out in the early 1800s as crude, hand-built copies of English machines and becoming, over the course of a century, monster machines weighing nearly one million pounds, unmatched elsewhere in the world. Numerous machine accessories, such as chucks, dividing heads, milling attachments and keyseating attachments, among others, are identified and illustrated. In addition, the book includes a glossary of terms used in describing the various types of planers, shapers and slotters, and provides illustrations that help identify the individual parts of the machines.

Once more, Astragal Press has rescued an old and rare book from obscurity, allowing for the broad circulation of information previously limited to the select few who could afford access. This book, first published in 1881, was written about the use of the first standard slide rule made in the United States: a Mannheim-type slide rule made by Stephens Co., a mjor rule manufacturer. Included in Riddell’s book, aimed primarily at carpenters and joiners, is a wealth of fascinating instruction on the use of the slide rule in everything from making the calculations necessary for constructing circular porches and spiral stairways, to calculating wages owed or the cost of hauling lumber. Included, as well, are lovely plates illustrating various geometric and trigonometric calculations used in construction. As a source book, it should be of great interest and value to tool collectors, slide rule enthusiasts, and woodworkers.

Here, Ed Fagen, one of the nationΓÇÖs foremost authorities on steam whistles, has provided us with a broadly researched, eloquently written and marvelously witty book, the first and only one on the subject. It includes comprehensive, illustrated chapters on: the history of the steam whistle, the voice of the Industrial Revolution, and how it developed; the various uses of steam whistles on locomotives, ships, factories, firehouse roofs, circuses; the broad range of whistle manufacturers, their histories and their product lines (including how to identify and date whistles, as well as an extensive discussion on the relative rarityof whistle types); how to acquire, organize, and preserve a whistle collection; how to repair and restore steam whistles; how to blow steam whistles on steam or compressed air; how a steam whistle actually works ΓÇô a point that remains somewhat controversial even today. Also included are an illustrated glossary of whistle terms, an illustrated review of the major whistle-related U.S. design patents, and a comprehensive index. A joy to read, this book is a true ΓÇ£must haveΓÇ¥ for the railfan, collector, curator, historian of science, industrial archeologist, and anyone for whom the sound of this icon of connotative richness has ever beckoned to adventures that live in the imagination.

Once again, Ken Cope has produced a major new reference work that broadens our range of understanding of the history of technological innovation. This is the first book to identify American lathe builders operating throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Written in the style of the author’s previous groundbreaking books on the machine tool industry, this encyclopedic volume provides the collector, user, and researcher with invaluable information on over 330 lathe builders, many of whom have previously gone unrecognized by researchers. More than a thousand illustrations, taken from original catalogs and periodicals, trace the development of the American metal cutting lathe from the crude, handbuilt models of the early 19th century to the fast, powerful models introduced in the early 20th century for use with high speed steel cutting tools. Dozens of early lathe accessories, such as gear-cutting attachments, are also identified and illustrated for the first time. In addition, the book contains a glossary of terms used in describing the various lathes

In this companion to American Levels and Their Makers, Vol. I, the author presents that great rarity a book on patents that both illustrates the patents (in a size large enough to be useful) and explains them. Two hundred and ten level patents are pictured and explained here, with explanations keyed to the patent drawings. They illustrate the major and continuing contributions by L.L. Davis, Justus Traut, the Stratton Bros., and L.S. Starrett, among others. To aid in identification, each patent is triply indexed: by date, patentee, and category (e.g., inclinometer, sighting level, adjustment mechanism, etc.). In addition, the book provides a brief history of the men who obtained the patents, information on whether, when, and how the patents were used, the progression of improvements in patent concepts over time, and information that may be useful in identifying mystery levels. This volume, relating patents to real tools, will prove an invaluable reference for tool collectors and dealers, as well as for students of industrial technology.

A wonderful book that covers the vast range of axes used throughout time and throughout the world, starting with the early stone hand-axes of the paleolithic period through the flint, copper, and bronze axes of early civilizations, the early iron axes of the medieval ages, and the production of steel axes made possible by the Industrial Revolution. Included are discussions of all axe types from celts to hand axes, tomahawks to hatchets, pebble tools to broad axes, plus a chapter on special axes. The author gives detailed descriptions of the axes, how they were made and the materials used, and the evolution of their design over time. Accompanying the descriptions are over 100 photographs of the axes, many seen only in museums. The axe was one of man''s earliest tools, and remained one of his most important almost until the present day. Yet over the tens of thousands of years of its use, the changes in its design have been surprisingly small. What have changed dramatically are its methods and materials of fabrication, reflecting the advances in man''s technological skills. Students of the history of technology and tool collectors alike will find this a fascinating boo