19th century tools (and 18th)

Tools change slightly during the 1825-1850 period, primarily due to a change over from craftsmen making their own tools, to the mass production of tools in factories that took place during the Industrial Revolution. The "I.R." kicked off in the UK roughly around the 1770's, and in the U.S. circa 1800/1810-1820.

Saw blades and saw types are remarkably similar for both periods, although handle shapes are slightly different. During the 18th century, the bottoms of saw handles are straight, whereas later handle are lightly curved on the bottom edges. Early saw blades and handles were riveted together by hand, and around the middle of the 19th century, the handles/blades were fastened using screw-bolts.

Early saws almost always have a stepped tip to the blade on the upper edge, with a small "nib." The upper edge should be straight, not bowed as is found on saw blades dating much later than the American Civil War.

It is possible to modify a late saw blade to look like an earlier one by making a new handle. There are web-sites and wood-working articles showing how this can be done.

Wood-planes...you'd be right saying metal bodied planes are later than the period of time we're interested in. There are subtle differences between handplanes made before about 1800/1810, and later. The shapes of the irons and wedges are give-aways but not all that important, as they all work the same and look remarkably similar. Early planes were made by craftsman for their own use, and late ones are often factory made and maker marked. Other than that...nothing to get concerned about.

If anyone is interested in how to turn a modern hand saw into something that looks as if it was made prior to 1810, I'll post links, etc.

Blackhand,


Is the following the kind of saw you are asking about?


www.history.org/almanack/life/tools/images/handsaw.jpg


If so, a DVD to make one is on sale right now;
store.woodandshop.com/product/dvd-building-an-18th-century-panel-saw-with-tom-calisto/

A source for period correct "Split Nut Saw Nuts" with the correct square shoulder on one side shown in the bottom pic in this link:
www.winsorsaw.com/sawkitsparts/sawkitsparts.html

Have more info, if this is the kind of saw you are asking about.

Gus

Blackhand,

OK, I seriously looked into modifying modern hand saws, similar to the one I posted the pic on,  to make them 18th century HC/PC or at least more than just "acceptable" between 15 and 20 years ago.  I even found a source for the Split Nuts that were still being made, before they were generally advertised as for "18th century reproductions."  I also sent questions to the Historic Trade Artisans at Colonial Williamsburg and asked some questions in person there.  Here are some things I found out even before I purchased an original 1780's English short panel saw.

The first thing that was very common about the saw blades was the "Step Down" on the forward part of the back of the blade (aka top of the blade) near the front and the decorative "Nib."  In the link below, scroll down to "4.  PARTS OF A HAND SAW" for a good illustration of the "Nib" and some other things.  Actually, I'm glad this illustration of a hand saw is one that is NEWER or more recent than the end of the period of this forum.  The "Nib" stuck around beyond the period of this forum.  The next thing I would like to point out on the illustration is the "Medallion."  I don't know exactly when Medallions began to be used, but I doubt it would be much before the end of our period, if that early.  18th and early 19th century handles did not have Medallions as will be shown in more illustrations.  
woodandshop.com/woodworking-hand-tool-buying-guide-handsaws/

The "Closed Handle" was known well enough by 1747 that it is shown carved into a gravestone by that date.  However, I don't believe it was common here in the colonies for most wood working trades until later in the 18th century when the cost of steel had been brought down by Huntsman's "Cast Steel' process.  Further down in the article,  'This is a page from Joseph Smith's 1816, Explanation or key, to the various manufactories of Sheffield, with engravings of each article."   Shows no Medallions on the illustrated saws.  
davistownmuseum.org/toolSaws.html

Photograph (Courtesy of Jim Hendricks) 26” Kenyon Panel Saw C1797 found in the Seaton Tool Chest – Made to the highest specifications of the time using the superior ‘Spring Steel’ this saw according to the inventory found in the chest cost 7s 6d - may be found in this link:
www.skeltonsaws.co.uk/hand-saw

Here are two more links you probably will find interesting;

Story of the Saw
www.toolemera.com/bkpdf/Story%20of%20the%20Saw(2).pdf

Nibs on Saws - A Review
craftsofnj.org/images/sitemedia/toolshed/Tool%20Shed%20No137-200506.pdf

OK, with the information and even with the original Ca. 1780's British Hand Saw I purchased, I never actually got around to grinding/filing the front of the back of a modern saw blade and filing in the Nib and then re-handling it with a period correct closed handle held on by Split Saw Nuts, but NO Medallion.  It was not that I couldn't do it, but I found out such a saw would most likely not be in an 18th century Artificer's/Armorer's Tool Kit.  As I had tools I had to find or make for that kit, I lost interest in doing it.  In the meanwhile, I had procured a wood frame saw that I could use at reenactments to do most all wood sawing I needed to do.

Having written that, I don't mean to dissuade you from doing it, if you wish to do so.  Actually, I hope this information will help you, should you decide to do it and would love to see pics of it when you have finished.

Gus   

Blackhand,

OK, I'm not as good on 18th century planes as I am on hand tools needed to work metal for firearms and similar things.  So I had to do some refreshing.

First of all there were planes for working wood made from brass/bronze for some trades and there were even some Iron Planes (normally made in the Norwegian countries), though they are almost as rare as hens' teeth.  I have a picture of one such Iron Plane in one of my books on early tools.  Brass/Bronze body planes were used by some Instrument makers, gunsmiths and some other trades.  However, the planes used by most carpenters and joiners were wood body planes.  

One thing I did remember about wood planes was for at least the first half of the 18th century, the "Irons" or cutters were made from Iron and had steel welded in place near the tip for the cutting edge.   This began to change to all steel construction after Huntsman's process for making Cast Steel was reluctantly begun to be used from 1751 onward, though the change was far from overnight.  The full change to full Steel Irons probably did not happen until near the end of the century.  

The following link refreshed my memory on some changes that appear rather subtle between 18th and 19th century moulding planes made both in England and New England.  From this link:  "Telling an 18th century plane from an 19th century plane is rather easy. The most distinguishable characteristic is the way the topmost long edges, along with the short lengths that run down the toe and heel, is finished. Rather than leaving these edges at a sharp right angle, where they'd certainly cause the worker great discomfort, the planemakers worked them either flat or with a radius."  Unfortunately, the pics in this link don't show this very well.  
www.supertool.com/etcetera/wplanes/w1819.htm

OK, so in the second pic down in this link, it is easy to see the flat chamfers the link above is talking about.  The good news is this really isn't that hard to do to modify 19th century wood moulding planes with this feature and will make them more comfortable to use as well.  
www.oldhandtools.co.uk/blog/early-18th-century-moulding-plane

Here are some more 18th century wood planes from Colonial Williamsburg's collections.  When you enlarge the pics of the moulding planes, you will see the flat chamfers on them as well.
emuseum.history.org/search/plane/objects/images

I have a couple of Wood Planes I picked up at the UK Agricultural Fair Centre when we visited there during the 1996 World Muzzle Loading Championships.  They have no makers' marks and thus were probably made in the 19th or early 20th century by the craftsmen themselves.  One is a block plane and one is a rounding plane.  I had intended to modify them to look more like 18th century planes, but never got around to it.  My huge score of that trip was an original late 18th or early 19th century Screw Plate that was marked "Drill Gage," by someone who did not know the difference.  I almost ripped my Jeans' pocket off to get my wallet out and pay the 7 £'s (7 Pounds) they were asking for it.  A single meal at McDonalds over there, cost that much or more back then.

Here are some period Dutch Wood Planes.  It seems the Dutch were more inclined to decorate their hand planes than the British or New England Planemakers.  
pfollansbee.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/some-dutch-planes/

Gus