Figure 54. — 1809: The introduction of the gimlet- 

 pointed auger followed Ezra L'Hommedieu's patent 

 of 1809. From this date until its general disuse in 

 the early 20th century, the conformation of the tool 

 remained unchanged, although the quality of steel 

 and the precision of the twist steadily improved. 

 (Wash drawing from the restored patent drawings 

 awarded July 31, 1809, U.S. Patent Office, Record 

 Group 241, the National Archives. Smithsonian 

 photo 49790-A.) 



j^UMJL 



Figure 55. — 1855: Russell Jennings' 

 improved auger bits, first patented 

 in 1855, received superior citation at 

 the Philadelphia Centennial; in the 

 years following, the trade name 

 "Jennings" was seldom omitted from 

 trade catalogues. (Original wash 

 dra\ving, patent drawing submitted by 

 R. Jennings, U.S. Patent Office, 

 Record Group 241, the National 

 Archives.) 





F/0 J 



1 



4vv^vvv'^^'^' 



of American hand tools "occupying an enviable posi- 

 tion before the world." '' 



The tool most highly praised at Philadelphia was 

 the American felling a.xe (fig. 52) "made out of a 

 solid piece of cast steel" with the eye "punched out 

 of the solid." When compared to other forms, the 

 American axe was "more easily worked," and its 

 shape permitted an easier withdrawal after striking. '- 



" Francis A. Walker, ed., United States Centennial Commission, 

 International Exhibition, i8y6. Reports and Awards, Group XV 

 (Philadelphia, 1877), p. 5. 



12 Ibid., p. 6. 



Sawmakers, too, were singled out for praise — in 

 particular Disston & Sons (fig. 53) for "improvements 

 in the form of the handles, and in the mode of fixing 

 them to the saw." The Disston saw also embodied 

 an improved blade shape which made it "lighter and 

 more conv'enient by giving it a greater taper to the 

 point." Sheffield saws, once supplied to most of the 

 world, were not exhibited at Philadelphia, and the 

 British expert lamented that our "monopoly remains 

 with us no longer." '^ 



Ibid., pp. 9-10. 



PAPER 51: WOODWORKING TOOLS, 1600-1900 



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