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Post by artificer on Jan 7, 2023 3:50:05 GMT -7
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Post by spence on Jan 7, 2023 12:07:54 GMT -7
Very nice, Gus, thanks. I have a small collection of old tools and always enjoy seeing them.
Spence
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ewoaf
City-dweller
Posts: 203
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Post by ewoaf on Jan 8, 2023 9:31:53 GMT -7
Been collecting tools this fall like it's going out of style. Getting ready to make my English tool chest to make them more organized and mobile. Should have just purchased an original after the lumber costs added up.
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Post by artificer on Jan 9, 2023 0:39:39 GMT -7
Very nice, Gus, thanks. I have a small collection of old tools and always enjoy seeing them. Spence You are most welcome. Would you like to see more? Gus
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Post by artificer on Jan 9, 2023 12:03:24 GMT -7
Been collecting tools this fall like it's going out of style. Getting ready to make my English tool chest to make them more organized and mobile. Should have just purchased an original after the lumber costs added up. A Gentleman's Tool Chest, perhaps? Or maybe a Journeyman's traveling Tool Chest? Gus
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Post by artificer on Jan 10, 2023 15:43:29 GMT -7
Drill Presses as we know them were known as Blacksmith's or Post Drills in the period. I think the term "Post" drills came from the fact they were mounted on a post in the shop. Here's the earliest such drill I know of and the date may be as early as the 17th century, though I think more probably early 18th century: Sorry, I can't figure out how to web capture the image on this one. cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0978/7942/products/267704_1200x.jpg?v=1497013777The caption for this tool: Would be wall-mounted over a workbench. It can swing on an arc as well as telescope to reach many areas of the bench. Wonderfully ornate! Used with a blacksmith-style brace that would have a dimple in the top in place of a head. The screw is capable of applying the tremendous force needed for drilling metal. Phenomenal patina. 36" high. Can be extended approximately 20" to 30" from the wall. www.jimbodetools.com/products/astonishing-17th-18th-century-french-blacksmiths-drill-press-56772Gus
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Post by paranger on Jan 10, 2023 16:22:59 GMT -7
Fascinating. I have never seen a period post drill before. Thanks for sharing.
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Post by artificer on Jan 10, 2023 20:59:28 GMT -7
You are most welcome.
Gus
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Post by artificer on Jan 14, 2023 16:36:19 GMT -7
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coot
City-dweller
Posts: 152
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Post by coot on Jan 14, 2023 17:38:44 GMT -7
Thanks for the post & pictures. The tool shown is a badly deteriorated button cutting bit, used with the same type of hand brace that a carpenter or cabinetmaker would have. I have tried to make such a bit without much luck but will try again. Most of the button blanks or cores were slightly domed rather than simply flat and this has been a bit of an issue when trying to make a replica. The Diderot Encyclopedia shows the button core being cut in a shop but lacks a close-up of the bit.
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Post by artificer on Jan 14, 2023 18:00:22 GMT -7
Hi Coot,
Yep, most civilian buttons were domed and that's why I mentioned the tool was more crude than normal, though I should have added the info you did. Thanks.
One can see a lot of pics of original sheets of bone with button holes drilled out of them on the web, but this is the first time I've run across a picture of any bone button cutting tool. BTW, they say if you have enough typhoid and other immunizations, you can STILL occasionally find the holed bone sheets on the shores of the Thames near London to this day. This because so many bone buttons were made before or during our period.
Coot, have you ever tried modifying a center bit by grinding curves and reshaping it to make a bone cutting tool? I've wondered if the center bit for wood came as an improvement from bone cutting tools?
Gus
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coot
City-dweller
Posts: 152
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Post by coot on Jan 14, 2023 21:24:03 GMT -7
If by center bit you mean a flat bit as used with power drills in wood (& not an auger with a twisted shank for a hand brace), then yes, I have tried regrinding several. The problem seems to be that you need the spurs as found on a hand auger to make a clean circular cut thru the wood or bone material. I haven't given up yet.
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Post by hawkeyes on Jan 15, 2023 4:35:45 GMT -7
A button bit indeed sounds like a very useful tool to recreate. Handmade horn buttons would be a neat treat. Plenty of horn bits laying around for such an experiment on my end. Great finds Gus thank you for sharing.
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Post by artificer on Jan 15, 2023 5:00:56 GMT -7
If by center bit you mean a flat bit as used with power drills in wood (& not an auger with a twisted shank for a hand brace), then yes, I have tried regrinding several. The problem seems to be that you need the spurs as found on a hand auger to make a clean circular cut thru the wood or bone material. I haven't given up yet. Sorry, I should have been more clear. I'm refering to an 18th/19th century center bit for a hand brace, like these: cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0978/7942/products/80813_1000x.jpg?v=1528768967Gus
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Post by artificer on Jan 15, 2023 5:02:10 GMT -7
A button bit indeed sounds like a very useful tool to recreate. Handmade horn buttons would be a neat treat. Plenty of horn bits laying around for such an experiment on my end. Great finds Gus thank you for sharing. You are most welcome. Glad you liked it. Gus
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