Toolemera Blog

The Ephemera Network

Social Networking. Blog. Website. Forum. Bulletin Board. Thoroughly dating myself here, I've tried them all. Way back in the early days of Compuserve and the local Boston Mac Users Group, all we had were text based interactions. Oh. Wait. That's what we still have, as a rule (with the exception of people who prefer to actually see to whom they are talking. Talk about backwards progress). Things are a lot prettier now. Animation, graphics, spam, pop-up ads, cyber-thievery and cracking (not 'hacking' as so many people call it, the proper bit of nomenclature is 'cracking').

Now-a-days, you sneeze and things change. Yet, despite my nihilistic mutterings, things are getting better out there in the web. I was recently invited to join a new Social Networking/Blog/Forum/?whatever you want to call it now spot, The Ephemera Network. Yes, I jumped right in and I don't have to explain why. As much as tools and trades are near and dear to my heart, if it's made of paper, it grabs my attention. Just as with tool collectors, ephemera collectors come in every shape and size, with every imaginable focus of interest and just as rapid about their particular passion as Stanley collectors are about what sub-sub type of tool it is.

A particular feature that I like about The Ephemera Network (aka T.E.N. ... and here I thought Toolemera was clever!) is the ability of members to create new sub-sections if they want to. By doing so, you can really get to see just how wide and varied the interests are of people who call themselves Ephemerists, Book People and Paper Heads (I made up that last one). Collectors, Dealers, Academics, Students and their ilk are being brought into the fold of T.E.N. as word gets around. As with most social networks, getting the word out is a personal thing. You have to Tell people about it. At least until the search engines get wind of the new spot.

So here I am telling you about it. Even if you consider yourself to be a hard-boiled toolie, go over and take a look. You just might become infected with a new obsession.

The Ephemera Network

Till next
Gary

EAIA Chronicle on DVD

COMING SOON
SUMMER - 2008

The Chronicle
of The Early American Industries Association
Vol. 1, No. 1 through Vol. 60, No. 4

Digital Edition on DVD

First came the digital edition of the DAT (Dictionary of American Toolmakers). Now comes (soon, not quite yet... but you can start drooling now) the digital edition of the Chronicle of The Early American Industries Association.

The digital edition of The Chronicle will make available the full contents of this most important journal.  The complete run of The Chronicle, from the very first issue of 1933 up through the last issue of 2007 will be offered on DVD in PDF format, complete with search functions and other user enhancements.

If, somehow, you have never read a copy of The Chronicle, take a look at the subject index. See? Now you know what you have been missing out on. The Chronicle is written by tool collectors, historians, educators, archivists and by just plain people who hold an interest in the history of industries, crafts and tools. Text is always geared towards the non-academic. Which simply means it's one very readable journal. How do I know? Some years ago I picked up a box lot of early Chronicles. Yes, I was hooked. As they became available, I added to the collection, gradually acquiring a nearly complete run. I always made a point of reading each issue cover to cover... as I still do whenever the quarterly issue appears in my mailbox.

Not limited to tools, The Chronicle covers any topic on the early industries, crafts, tradespeople, etc that we so seldom get to read about. What? You ask, why read old journals? Aren't they outdated and outmoded? Not in the least. This early information holds true today, represents the foundations of our present day knowledge and is always an enjoyable read. Have you ever wondered where and how did we learn about these topics? Who did the original research? Read The Chronicle and your questions will be answered.

The digital edition, on DVD, has been a major project in the making. After much discussion, research and a wee bit of politicking, the decision was made to assemble a complete set of The Chronicle, select the best copies available and have each and every page digitized.

Available by Summer, 2008, The Chronicle will be available on DVD. Nope, no pre-orders necessary. The Chronicle - The Digital Edition, will be a resource any individual, historical society, library or school will want to own. Take it from me, would I lie to you? Plus I get my name in there somewhere. Personally autographed copies with an accompanying 8 x 10 full color glossy photograph will be made available for posterity. Wall posters of me holding a copy of The Chronicle - The Digital Edition will be forthcoming. We are so sure of the success of this project, we have already started the planning stages of Son of Chronicle, to be followed by Daughter of Chronicle. Or, if Patty has her way, Daughter of Chronicle will come first.

Yes, yes... I'll let everyone know when the DVD is available. In the meantime, please spread the word that The Chronicle of The Early American Industries Association - Digital Edition, is COMING SOON TO A DVD DRIVE NEAR YOU!

Till next
Gary

Spear & Jackson Family Tree

I have no idea where this came from. While cleaning up a hard disk I found it hidden in a forgotten corner, little dustbytes swirling around it's virtual edges. Someone at sometime put together a comprehensive family tree of the most famous Spear & Jackson. The offspring, offshoots and absorbed names and companies span British tool maker history. To name just a few...

• William Hunt & Sons
• Various Tyzacks
• Spearwell Tools
• Wm. Edwards & Son
• Walden Scythes
• Neill Tools
• Phoenix Shovels and of course
• Spear & Jackson

I suspect that if we rounded up all the Spear & Jackson people and companies named in this list, the total would be larger than the population of the town I live in. A very interesting but totally daunting project would be a 'family tree' of a particular type of toolmaker, such as planemakers. Add in apprentices, partnerships, firms absorbed and so on. There must be some adventurous genealogist out there who is just dieing to tackle a project such as this? I'm not a genealogist, so I am excused.

Hey, how about a family tree program for tool makers? Sometimes I think I am absolutely brilliant. Not that I can create such a program, but it is a brilliant idea. Whoever decides to create one, please remember to give me credit as the progenitor of this marvelous idea.

Till next
Gary

PS: I forgot to include the present day Spear & Jackson

A Most Fortunate Ship

I never knew that Horatio Hornblower's ship the Hotspur was a real warship. Well, it was. Not that Horatio was real, unless you count the imaginations of readers worldwide. I discovered this tidbit of reality while reading A Most Fortunate Ship: A Narrative History of Old Ironsides, Revised Edition, by Tyrone G. Martin, a narrative history of The Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship in the world, AKA Old Ironsides.

A Most Fortunate Ship tells the tale of this famous ship from it's inception as an idea to it's place in history. What I found most enjoyable and fascinating about this book was the focus on what made a ship work, and the men who crewed it. There is a detailed examination of all the bits and pieces that make up what we now know as a Tall Ship. All this detail is put into the context of the crew, the ship, the politics of the time and the function of a Frigate as a naval vessel, defensive and offensive. In fact, although the politics that brought about the creation of The Constitution are a part of the story, The Constitution itself is the main actor in this story. Crews and Captains come and go with regularity and the ship sails on.

Instead of a dry explanation of why rigging rigged, why sails sail and how a wooden hulled ship managed to stay afloat, A Most Fortunate Ship gradually introduces you to the world of the ships of war that sailed during the early 19th Century. The author takes the time to explain new terms, to describe why something was necessary or a was a bad idea and exposes just how fragile these ships really were. Spars break, masts rot, hulls leak and the ship sails on.

In fact, so much of The Constitution has been replaced over it's lifetime it's a wonder the ship still looks as it almost always did. I say almost, but you'll have to read the book to discover what I mean by that vague statement. In fact, I began to feel sorry for the ship's carpenters and joiners. At times it seemed that in every other page these poor, beset souls were rebuilding what they had repaired or rebuilt just a few moments before.

And besides, if you do purchase this book through the Amazon link, you are supporting this blog, which is always a good thing.

A Most Fortunate Ship: A Narrative History of Old Ironsides, Revised Edition

Till next,

Gary

Evenfall Woodworks Blog

Evenfall Woodworks, the blog of Rob Hanson, should be on your RSS feed, bookmarks, stickies, links page, bloglinks or whatever is the current buzz-thingy for keeping track of the impact the internet has on our daily lives.

Rob manages to pack a load of good stuff into the confines of the Blog, that virtual voice we have come to both love and loathe. Love it for the opportunity to experience the thoughts of people we most likely would never have met... loathe it because we most likely still won't meet them in person. But, that is the cruel, cruel life of the blogger.

It's a pain to try and fit your thoughts into this narrow little window. Rob does a really nice job of fitting a lot of words in without wasting his breath. I'm not sure if you can waste breath in a blog. Words perhaps. Back to Rob. His latest post, Creativity In Hardware Storage, gives you a reason why you should make this a regular stop-in. At first glance I assumed Rob would be covering that age-old conundrum: "What do I do with all these extra nuts 'n screws 'n doodads left over from assembling Junior's tricycle?". I figured on an interesting review of some modern hardware storage cabinetry, some new fangled gadget from one of the modern tool-makers or a new magnet with the gravitational force of jupiter for storing your extra hardware on a pegboard.

No. Instead what I found was a thoroughly enjoyable and light-hearted review of the history of hardware storage, followed by a truly librarianish (yes, that is a compliment) description of making hardware storage equipment from every-day castoffs. All done with a totally straight face no less. Rob manages to take the most mundane topics, as well as some of the most vexing (when is square really square?) and turn them into readable prose. Such as "it is a good shop practice to sneak up on the final sizing you need". I am putting on my rubber soled shoes, pulling a black mask over my face and sneaking up on a jointer as you read this...

This is not to say that Rob takes a light approach to his topics. The core of his content is totally serious and eminently useful for the beginner, average or advanced woodworker. Rob succeeds in taking complex or esoteric topics and making them readable and understandable. And that my friends, is harder than it sounds.

If you have not yet left my superb blog to check out Evenfall Woodworks, you really should. Now.

I have one question for Rob... who is the Agnes in the post "Sharpness Flatness Godness Agnes!"?

Till next
Gary

PS: Rob informs me that Agnes was the end word of a saying his great-grandmother used to use: "Goodness Gracious Godness Agnes". Although I still don't know who Agnes was...