•• r. S." Aiii>'('i' nits in Jc^niiiims ^ I'l-otcd ion '' \l 



Ol 



No. 455, Improved Lip and Spur. 



.'WS 'j,;:,rt.T-, i:; liii- (I .Mcli, -1 to !i;-i(;ilis ii..!-: i- ■ ■ ■ ■ <:, .-,,1 



No. 488, Jeiiuinu-^s Pattern, i;.\ i < n^i. -n I.ip 



32H QuarU-rs. l;i l;its (1 ra.-!i. 1 to lil-lliths in.-lu-iv.). . |„M- set. i-i; J.-, 



The Roll is made of daik-colored pliable canvas cloth, nicely lined with 

 blue canton flannel, having a receptacle for each Bit. It makes a very con- 

 venient way to keep the Bits safe Iroin injury and a handy way for the 

 Mechanic to carry them wherever needed. The Case rolled up with the Bits 

 complete measures only 3 ,•. 11 Inches, and it r.iay be thrown into the kit of 

 tools without injury to the Bits or to the other tools with which it may come 

 in contact. 



Figure 56. — 1894: The persistence of "Jennings" as a trade name is suggested by the vignette from tlie "Illustrated 

 Catalogue" of Baldwin, Robbins and Company, published in 1894. (Smithsonian photo 56628.) 



Augers, essential to "the heavier branches of the 

 building trade . . . [and] in the workshops of joiners, 

 carpenters, cabinetmakers, turners, carvers, and by 

 amateurs and others," were considered a "iTiost im- 

 portant exhibit" at the Centennial. The auger had 

 attained a perfection in "the accuracy of the twist, 

 the various forms of the cutters, the quality of the 

 steel, and fine finish of the twist and polish." The 

 ancient pod or shell auger had nearly disappeared 

 from use, to be replaced by "the screwed form of the 

 tool" considerably refined by comparison to L'Hom- 

 medieu's prototype, patented in 1809 (fig. 54). 

 Russell Jennings' patented auger bits (figs. 55-56) 

 were cited for their "workmanship and quality," and, 

 collectively, the Exhibition "fully established the 



reputation of American augers." " Likewise, makers 

 of braces and bits were commended for the number 

 of excellent examples shown. Some were a departure 

 from the familiar design with "an expansive chuck 

 for the bit," but others were simply elegant examples 

 of the traditional brace, in wood, japanned and 

 heavily reinforced with highly polished brass sidings. 

 An example exhibited by E. Mills and Company, of 

 Philadelphia, received a certification from the judges 

 as being "of the best quality and finish" (fig. 57)- 

 The Mills brace, together with other award-winning 

 tools of the company — drawknives, screwdrivers, and 

 spokeshaves — is preserved in the collections of the 



'•> Ibid., pp. 1 1-12. 



216 



BULLETIN 24 1: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



