Art of the Edge Tool: The Ferrous Metallurgy of New England Shipsmiths and Toolmakers (Davistown Museum Publication Series; Hand Tools in History) (Paperback)
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Description
In this volume of the Hand Tools in History series, author H. G. Skip Brack explores the stories told by the forge welded edge tools discovered in New England tool chests and workshops during his 40 years of searching out useful woodworking tools for the Liberty Tool Company in Maine. Also the founder and curator of the Davistown Museum, Brack wrote The Art of the Edge Tool to complement the museum collection, tell the story of early American toolmakers and answer the questions of when, how and where New England shipsmiths "ironed" wooden sailing ships and forged edge tools for the shipwrights. He explains the milieu of these toolmakers and links it to New England's maritime trading economy and the late 19th century florescence of American hand tool manufacturing and shipbuilding which followed. History buffs and anyone interested in woodworking tools, their history and the role they played in the evolution of America's maritime and industrial economy are sure to enjoy Brack's work.
About the Author
H. G. "Skip" Brack is the founder and curator of the Davistown Museum and proprietor of and buyer for the Jonesport Wood Company, which deals in antique and used tools and includes the famed Liberty Tool Company in Liberty, Maine. Artifacts and information that Brack encountered on his tool buying expeditions in the attics, cellars, and workshops of coastal New England piqued his curiosity, raising questions about its early inhabitants and the tools they used. When he discovered that the information he sought to answer his questions was sketchy, inaccurate, or undocumented, Brack sought and scoured primary and secondary sources on the history of early coastal New England, focusing on the origins and composition of tools used by early New Englanders and New England First Nation communities. His publications include the Davistown Museum six volume Hand Tools in History series, Norumbega Reconsidered: Mawooshen and the Wawenoc Diaspora, and much of the text on the information-rich museum website www.davistownmuseum.org. Brack holds a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts and M.A. from the University of Colorado. His knowledge of early tools and Maine/New England maritime history makes him a sought after lecturer and consultant. Brack, the museum, and his tool stores have been featured in Yankee, Downeast, and Bangor Metro magazines, the Boston Globe, an Associated Press article that appeared world-wide, Maine Public Broadcasting Network's Maine Experience, and the Martha Stewart television show. He lives and works in Bar Harbor and Liberty, Maine, with his wife, Judith Bradshaw Brown.
