cutting and finishingI . Clearly the joiner s rods saved time when repetitive work was being undertaken and saved errors in marking ou.t where timber might oth be needlessly wasted. They also enabled designs to be safely preserved and no doubt circumvented the problems caused by lack of ability to read or even measure well.

Geometry And The Joiner Ellis Davidson remarks, "The work of the joiner ca nnot be expected to be successful unless all the parts fit together with the utmost accuracy, and to ensure this it is necessary that the required forms should be constructed according to the rules of geometry. Unfortunately many of our working men depend on what is called 'rule of thumb,' marking out their fi gures in some rough way which they have picked up ... "

The expert joiner knew the basics of geometry and used them in setting out his work. His knowledge included setting out hexag onal I pentagonal and octagonal work, ma king Gothic windows based on circles, and setting out ellipses. He was knowledgeable in using his compass as a measuring and setting out tool. His skill in this area is certainly worthy of separate comment at another time. Trades Are For The Less Able The old adage was to send a student to high school if he was good with his head, and to technical school if he was good with his hands. I spoke to one old trade teacher who The Tool Chest Vol 6, No 1 Page 26 February, 1994 put it very simply, "That is a lot of balderdash!" Technical work clearly involved wide knowledge and strength of understanding of many basic skills and principles. This is not to say that students were highly academic or able to do university work as a general rule. However, the knowledge and skills of a competent tradesman covered a wide range of subjects and are not to be lightly dismissed. Thus, the work of carpentry and joinery students would include hand.railing and staircasing, and circle on circle work such as being able to make and fit a curved door with a semi-circular head in position in a curved wall. Solid geometry was thus important and this was similarly the basis of a lot of other trades as well, such as panel beating and pattern making.

Carpentry and joinery students were also taught applied geometry and this was used in, say, roofing work. Other areas of work included enlarging and diminishing. Practical competence was critical so that future tradesmen could perform a wide range of tasks and adapt to unusual and individual situations. The old trade teacher with whom I spoke remarked that he used to sketch existing houses with interesting aspects such as turrets and take these as problems into the classroom or on to the exam papers. "It is best to learn a lot about a little rather than a little about a lot" he remarked.

In his teaching work, the basis was a good relationship with the students. "I have been to their weddings and designed their houses. I tried to take a personal interest in them", he remarked. "I also encouraged boys to have aspirations to become foremen. Where I was in the western suburbs they bad no thought of this but some did go on to do so". To further distinguish carpentry and joinery as a skilled art, it is useful to note that many tradesmen were members of the British Institute Of Certified Carpenters, this organization still continuing under a slightly different name. conclusion The traditional Joiner was a very skilled worker with the ability to adapt to the specialised demands of a number of trade areas. In an article such as this it is only possible to provide a general overview of some of these areas. I hope that other members will be interested in sharing their The Tool Chest Vo! 6, No 1 Page 27 Febrnary, I 994 own knowledge and investigating some of the contributions of the traditional joiner in particular trades areas. From the little I have learned about the history of the trade, here in Australia we have many firms about which a story needs to be told.

References

Burn, R. Scott (Ed) The New Guide To Carpentry, General Framing & Joinery, John G. Murdoch & Co, London, undated, circa 1870 Davidson, Ellis A. The Boy Joiner & Model Maker, Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co, undated, circa, 1880 ------Encyclopaedia Britannica, (9th Edition) Adam & Charles Black, Glasgow, 1898 Every Man His Own Mechanic, Ward, Lock & Co., London, circa 1880 Greenhalgh R. (Ed) Joinery & Carpentry, The New Era Publishing Co, London, undated, circa 1920 Hasluck, Paul (Ed) Practical Staircase Joinery, Cassell & Co, London, 1910 Kay, N.W. (Ed) The Practical Carpenter & Joiner, Odhams Press, London, undated Lardner, Dionysius The Museum Of Science And Art, Lockwood & Co, Ludgate Hill, 1879 Nicholson, Peter The Carpenter's New Guide: Being A Complete book Of Lines For Carpentry & Joinery, I. & J. Taylor, London, 1793 Riley, J.W. A Manual Of Carpentry & Joinery, Macmillan & Co, London, 1925 reprint of 1905 first edition Scott, John s. The Penguin DictionaryOf Building, 3rd Edition, Middlesex, England, 1986 (1st published 1964)

The Tool Chest Val 6, No I Page 28 February, 1994 �tanlgy: On(? ttundr(ld (g fifty 'Yfl8r$

By Kevin Lyons, Geelong. Victoria

he name Stanley is synonymous with fine woodworking tools. It has a special meaning for all those who have used or still use Stanley tools, and not least for our avid collectors. During October 1993 I had the good fortune to be travelling with my wife and a builder friend from Bendigo along the eastern coast of the USA. After spending time in Florida we drove north, experiencing the many historical cities and places enroute, until we arrived in the city of New Britain, .

It had been a long held ambition of mine to visit the world headquarters of the Stanley Works to see where the Stanley tools I have used and owned originated. We arranged a time for our visit and were met at the imposing Stanley World Headquaters Building at 1000 Stanley Drive by Mr Jonathan B. Scott who is the Special Projects Co-ordinator for the 150 years celebrations which were held in 1993. Jonathan showed us the special product display area which had samples of all items produced by Stanley in fourteen countries throughout the world. The display was very impressive, and showed the wide diversity of products ranging from simple hand tools to large pneumatic hammers and automatic entrance door systems.

Ou main interest was focussed on the museum section where memorabilia from the early days of the various Stanley companies was on display. It was fascinating to see some of the earliest items of hardware and tools which have survived over the 150 years. There are many photos of the Works with the employees standing proudly in their cloth caps, aprons and overalls.

The Tool Chest Val 6, No I Page 29 Fcbrnary, 1994 In 1843 Frederick Trent Stanley founded a small hardware enterprise in New Britain, Connecticut which manufactured door bolts and hinges. This firm progressed for the next seventy-five years, expanding in the USA, Canada, Germany and England. In 1857 another member of the Stanley family, namely Henry Stanley, formed The Stanley Tool And Level Company which was also based in New Britain. In 1869 this company purchased the Boston firm that made the Bailey planes. The Bailey was the first successful replacement for the older and heavier wooden plane, and in less than a decade sales exceeded 125,000 units.

During the first two decades of the twentieth century the Stanley Tool And Level Company increased its range of products by purchasing other makers of hanuners, carpenters' squares and other woodworking tools at the rate of one firm per year. The merger of the two Stanley companies in 1920 strengthened the name of Stanley as a leading maker of tools in the world. After surviving the Great Depression, Stanley continued to expand and prosper, and is now a major manufacturing and merchandising identity in today's world market place.

We enjoyed our visit to the Stanley Works, and were pleased to share in the celebration of their first 150 years.

Stanley Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard H. Ayers has issued the following challenge to .all employees of the Stanley Works:

We are all guardians of a priceless legacy - the reputation of our brand, our name, which has set the standard for quality and value in tools, hardware and speciality hardware products around the world.

The Tool Chest Val 6, No L Page 30 February, 1994 Int{lr{l�ting find�: tin 'flu�trelien Plenimekgr?

David Bullivant, Albury Victoria

..... recently found an interesting plane. It is a �"' · · .,, moving fillister marked in the embossed style with �ft� ••� what appears to be a single stamp. The marking is � "T & M WOOLLEY SYDNEY". The location of the mark is correct for a commercial maker and the plane also bears an owner's mark in script which reads "P. Donaldson".

I looked in the current edition of Good.man's British Planemakers Since .l..1QQ which does not include any makers of that name. This plane has typical 19th century characteristics although it unfortunately did not have its original wedge when found. A cabinet maker named Woolley has been noted in Tasmania I believe and I wonder if there is a connection.

Do any members have any knowledge of this maker or planes branded in this way?

The Tool Chest Vol 6, No I Page 31 Fctmrnry, 1994 The Skill Of Sharpening Brian Nestor, Ballarat, Victoria After 42 years in the building trade I am absolutely convinced that the skill of sharpening tools is both an art and critical to producing quality work. I have fortunately always been able to sharpen well, and have frequently been asked by colleagues what my secret is, or "See if you can get this a bit better for me". Unfortunately, I have also observed that many good tradesman as well as amateurs find effective sharpening difficult. I am interested in sharing information on sharpening with other members. I use a traditional oilstone with Neatsfoot oil which I still get from my local Mitre 1'0 store. I reckon that the oil helps to float the steel fragments out of the oilstone. After sharpening I strop them on the palm of my hand. I don't buff my cutters or use anything flash, and have never used one of the water stones which seem to appeal to some people. After sharpening I clean my stone by wiping it with a rag.

I got my stone which is brown, hard and fine from an old bloke in 1961. He said that he had had it for 40 years. I can still see no signs of wear and I have never washed it clean as the steel fragments seem to float out on the Neatsfoot oil.

Sharpening is probably done in lots of different ways by both tradesmen and amateurs. I would like to hear from other members about their successful, favourite techniques.

On Turpentine Nigel Lampert, Melbourne, Victoria I have just read an old recipe {or is it receipt?) which talked about using venice turpentine and then referred to it as larch turpentine. I can only presume that this is a reference to the larch tree from which the oil is processed. I would be grateful if someone would fill me in fully and at the same time also clarify for me differences in the methylated spirits one is apparently able to purchase. I gather that purer products are available from specialist paint and decorator shops as compared with the large retail chain stores where products are aimed at the domestic situation. The Tool Chest Vol 6, No I Page 32 Febrnary, 1994 Officers Of The Hand Tool Preservation Association Of Australia Incorporated

President Vice-President

Watson Cutter Doug Mciver

Secretary Treasurer/Membership

Frank Ham Ian McIntosh Harry Bowers

Editor Librarian

Nigel Lampert Kees Klep

Editorial Board

Richard Davidson Ted Manning Gabe Bognar

Program Director Display Co-Ordinator

Ben Rasalam Roy Fuller

Australian Tool Curators Club Tool Curator

Gil Rogers & Ron Mack Keith Sutherland

National Trust Caine Tool Sub-Committee

Doug Mciver (Chairman) Frank Ham Kees Klep Nigel Lampert Sgecialist in Old & Antigue Tools For Collector & :

;.r·1 ·---· · eaten I J/., ' ... �� l � WHENRg NEXTg IN SYDNEY : :: 'v· DON'T Miss SHOP 14 At The I FLINDERS ST. RNTI QUE CENTRE, SURRY HILLS J Ogen 7 days Man}'. 100s of. unusual & gualit}:'. tools Planes by Norris, Spiers, Mathieson etc. Ultimatum and other braces, ebony tools, , carving tools 18th century items, Vintage f0% discount Stanley & Preston tools, Coopers, to all HTPRR wheelwrights' tools etc., etc. ... members � :::oR INFO PHONE FLINDERS ST ANTIQUE CENTRE 02 332 3000