Great grandpa was a finish carpenter on the Spruce Goose (the only fully wooden airplane, made by Howard Hughes.) Alas, his tools were sold at an estate sale for ten cents on the dollar. I didn't know I should have asked for them. :(

@WoodByWrightHowTo

9 ай бұрын

Oh those would have been great to have. A really cool history. I've been out there a couple times to see that plane.

Very handy bits of kit. I first saw one some 30 years ago, lying unloved in a dust covered box of things in an Antique shop. Bloke said I could have it for 2 bucks. Still use it to this day, the tiny saw attachment has been invaluable and the 2mm wide chisel has cut more inlay grooves in Guitar builds than I care to think of.

A lot of those tools were made in the Connecticut river valley from Windsor, VT, Greenfield and Miller's Falls, MA and south to New Briton, CT. Those factories are gone, but there are still lots of active machine shops in the areas.

Hey James, I really like this type of video. I'm not sure how well it does for you in terms of views, but like Rex's Furniture Forensics, it delves into really interesting parts of woodworking/tools that most channels don't talk much about. I would gladly watch more in the future, Thanks for sharing and take care!!

@peterdewitt8585

9 ай бұрын

I completely agree with this. Great video and I hope to see many more like this one!

My dad worked in the shipyards during the war. I have 2 of his tool boxes he used. He had a couple of crosscut saws a couple of rip saws a BIG miter saw, Stanly 4,5, and seven planes, a stanley 45 combo plane etc, etc. I still use those today although I bout a number of these tools for my own use and now mostly kepp his tools in the tool boxes he made to pass on to my son - whether he wants them or not.

Australia had a soldier settlement scheme after WW1. Ex-soldiers were given subsidised land for farming in remote locations. If you couldn't do it it probably wasn't going to get done. There are some amazing tool collections gathering dust.

I find that the old tools are simply beautiful works of art. Restoring and tuning up the old tools is an art and a skill in itself. I find as much enjoyment in restoring them as I do using them. Thanks for your channel James! Always interesting and fresh ideas.

Great bit of history there. Thanks for sharing. I love it when the best tool available is an old hand tool, be it saw, drill, drawshave or plane. You said something once on one of your videos about it giving you more time with the wood. That statement is something I often share with others who are too impatient to understand the joy of making something using primitive methods.

My grandpa just recently gave me one of those and it's a tool I use every now and then and every time I use it it puts a smile on my face

Thank you! As a European hobbyist handtool woodworker, this really connected some dots for me.

James, thanks for the video. I have three Stanley "push" screwdrivers and if memory serves at least one of them has storage in the handle for screwdriver and drill tips. Craftsman also has a push screwdriver. The storage handle is clear plastic and houses drill bits and driver bits. I inherited it from my dad and he purchased it around the 60's or 70's.

The way of the time line. I learned a lot today from you, thank you ..... OORAH!!

I have a sweet little tool like this; I leave the awl bit in it for general use. Now I have a newfound appreciation for the wonder of this little multi-tool!

...and the space race led to Stanley's crowning achievement, the Aluminium bodied bench planes.

Awesome educational segment. The history of the tools is as much fun as using them!

Great video as always Jim! If you don't mind a suggestion. How about a small project like a small box for random screws or other nik-naks? Only using one of these multi tools of course. Thanks again for the history lesson.

Great presentation! I’d never really thought about the unique conditions of history that one country to make tools differently from another, and how the wave of the Industrial Revolution hit different in different places.

James, This was absolutely spectacular. Wonderful Job, Great Delivery !! Thank You

Interesting thoughts. It speaks well of the long history of American DIYism! Hundreds of years now of buying, selling, and making stuff.

Love it, I have one similar to those somewhere in the workshop... once I finish the horse trailer I'll be organizing inside the shop because I have to make room for my new forge and CNC machine.... can't have fun until my work is done though, horse trailer comes first.

I cant wait to come visit you with my new multi tool handle that will again change the world!

Thank you for the history lesson. I love those multi tools. I have 4 or 5 of them, and can usually find them pretty cheap around me occasionally (I'm in central Massachusetts). As always, thank you for sharing.

I’m so glad you made this video! As I went to a State Field a while ago and bought one of these not knowing what it was. And then I realize I kind of forgot about it as I got it for like five bucks. Thank you for sparking my memory on it and help me figure out what to do with the thing properly.

Thank you, as always a good combination of facts and humor. I am from Sweden. This summer I bought and old wood working bench for my son, turned out it also included a box full of old chisels and wooden planes, probably from around the late 19th century. I would love to restore them but don’t know how to start.

@WoodByWrightHowTo

9 ай бұрын

Oh that sounds like fun!

thanks for the history lesson. I've never pulled the trigger on one, but probably will the next time I see one.

Thanks James. Take care & stay safe.

That winged handle set off a firework in the back of my head as soon as l saw the thumbnail. Decades ago, in my grandparents basement, I first encountered one of those fitted with a mangled gouge that was almost as sharp as a toenail. My grandpa gave me a chunk of scrapwood to chew at with it, and that was the first time l ever tried carving something. I inherited that tool, and brought every bit within it to a razor edge, just on principle or maybe as a marker of the passage of time

Interesting lesson! I like the push drill on the bench. I have one of those from my Dad.

@WoodByWrightHowTo

9 ай бұрын

I was going to mention that one in here as it was kind of the next progression of the tool. But I already have a video on that one all by itself.

Thanks for breaking this topic down bit by bit.

Thank you for expalining why I have to pay 30/40€ for a brace, a handsaw etc in Poland, when I see everywhere on US youtube, "eee, you can by this for 5$ on a garage sale".

I'm a huge fan of this tool history content!

This is one of your best videos excellent context excellent history. Love this video.

That’s a great summary of how industrialization wasn’t uniform. A little nuance sprinkled in with some great examples. I’m in the south and am jealous of midwesterners, etc. Our hand tools are mostly from that gap between WWII and folks having electricity and I rarely find planes, etc. Auto working tools are everywhere, though. There are a ton of 70s handsaws that I’ve replaced handles on, and better: a ton of lightly used saw files. You can never have too many of those… or clamps.

Thanks James. I love the way history and old tools intersect. You are a good story teller.

Yeah, I love old tools, and some new tools. And now I have a Stanley 46 plane just to find that no one makes blades for them. Really wish more of the tool companies recreating tools would also make the bits and pieces needed to use the old stuff as well.

@WoodByWrightHowTo

9 ай бұрын

Veritas use to make those. But not enough people bought them . It is sad. I too have a 46 without cutters

Great video, fun and interesting. Really enjoy the history, especially the nooks that you feature. Thank you!

Thank you , i have a few of these and never knew the history behind them. Very cool

I'm from Georgia, a former Soviet state and I too have a tool like that, except it's made out of plastic and only includes several screwdriver heads. Good handtools for woodworking are quite rare here as well

Love it. I could listen to these stories all day!

Just a wonderful presentation. Thank you!

Thanks James. I love a good History lesson. It's interesting how war is the catalyst for innovation in technology

That video was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the history lesson. Thank you

This is the type of history lesson I wish I had in school 👍

Woodworking and History in one video. KZread has reached its Zenith. Excellent.

Thank you for this. This kind of history is always so interesting.

dude- your presentations are interesting and enjoyable to watch and i ALWAYS learn something- thx much

I really do enjoy the history lessons and learning the background of how these things came to be. Great video!

A leather / canvas sewing awl stores needles and thread in its handle . I enjoy the history lesson .

Brilliant James ! Well done!

Great video! I really enjoyed the history lesson. Thank you.

Very interesting explanation and immediatly I've though of handles and chisels and the possibility of changing the handles of the chisels between them and so on. Thank you.

May the algorithm bless and keep you

Interesting evolution of tool design and usage. Thank you for telling the story. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

Wonderful! Thank you!!

Great informational video. Thanks!

Huh! Now I’m going to give those another look!

Thanks for sharing that!

Very interesting history lesson! Thanks, James!

This was great! We definitely take for granted the idea of interchangeable parts. Especially screws and standardized threads. After all a huge reason Stanley planes use that goofy thread pitch is because standards weren't established yet!

Enjoyed the history of this. More of these would be great!

My how times have changed 😮 nice history lesson!!!

I have one of those combination handle tools. They are pretty cool.

My dad had a multi-tool like that when I was a kid. I could use any (non-electric) tool in his toolbox... but that one.

Very interesting lesson. Thank you.

Whew, now I’ve got a handle on this.

This. Beyond good!

Verrry interesting. And not stupid. (Remember Arte Johnson as the n&zi soldier behind the bushes in Laugh In?) Thanks for this, and more, for your great “how to” videos!!!!

Once again, interesting. Even thought-provoking. Thanks for sharing.

Great lesson!!!

Thanks for sharing.

What a great video! I'd love to see some more videos like this, it's very interesting.

Crazy interesting! Yet another way wars spurs innovations and development, though never thought about hand tools in that context.

I really enjoyed this video. Excellent job!

Thanks professor, great subject, great piece.

Fascinating! Thanks!

I love these history overviews. Currently I'm in the middle of a quest about medieval carpentry and joinery.

Very interesting! Thank you.

To find a complete multi tool is quite rare. They could do many jobs but none extremely well. The pieces are easy to lose or break and hard to replace.

Well done.

excellent video, thanks!

Fantastic bit of history

I was waiting for you to pick up the push drill. Nice display and lesson. I'm believing all your videos are actually classrooms filled with lessons. We like our teacher. History is good.

@WoodByWrightHowTo

9 ай бұрын

I had a section talking about what came after. The Yankee drill was one of them. But I cut that part.

@washingtonstreet7084

9 ай бұрын

Some of the best parts of my life journey have found themselves on the cutting room floor@@WoodByWrightHowTo

Interesting, I picked the same combo tool you showed, and recognized what it was, similar condition to yours. I thought it was the forerunner to modern combo,screwdriver, but found the chisels and other bits inside. Nice to have in a field kit, but not my first tool to pick,when I need a chisel or drill. Cheers

I have received only 2 modern combo tools in my lifetime and there are 2 commonalities with respect to the giving parties: 1.) The giver didn’t want to spend a lot of money on my gift and 2.) the givers didn’t know Jack about tools or their usage. It’s now nice to finally see your vintage combo handle tools which actually were used rather than immediately donated to a thrift store! 🤣😆😂

I really liked this bit of history.

Hi as a backwards nation citizen I’m smiling at your video. We had the first mass production lines and a skilled workforce. Running alongside each other and it is still true today. One tool workers are not skilled they are operators. Matthew Boulton in Soho in Birmingham in the 1700’s built factories mass producing items, this factory had one tool operators and a skilled workforce to support its operations long live Henry Ford Philip

Thanks!

Wonderful history.

Very interesting, thanks!

These videos with the history lessons are my favorite

alas, I am in the mountain west and those lovely old tools are difficult to find.

So that's where snap-on got the idea! 😂

Wonderful video, well done. More please.

I think I enjoy tool history videos as much as the how-to ones.

That was great thanks

Good job on the history lesson.

Awesome......even my wife was intrigued.

Great video!

I hit the jackpot when my bride’s uncle left a whole house full of hand tools for me to use. I have a lot of saws to sharpen & handles to recondition or remake. I still miss my late pop’s cabinet makers plane, but I still have his spoke shave that I’ve redone the iron on.

@jjeckerm06

9 ай бұрын

Electric tools break - case in point, the Milwaukee hammer drill with an impossible stuck chuck that I can’t remove to save my life.

@ricos1497

9 ай бұрын

​​@@jjeckerm06if you buy another Milwaukee hammer drill, you can use it to remove the chuck on the broken one.

@jjeckerm06

9 ай бұрын

😂

Fascinating stuff indeed! Thanks, James! 😃 But you know, I have a small drill chunk I bought to use with my dremel tool, but it didn't fit... And it has a small shaft, let's say... So perhaps I should try to make something like that... 🤔 Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊