This post is part of a monthly series that explores the historical applications of building materials and systems through resources from the Building Technology Heritage Library (BTHL), an online collection of AEC catalogs, brochures, trade publications, and more. The BTHL is a project of the Association for Preservation Technology, an international building preservation organization. Read more about the archive here.
Construction tools, equipment, and machinery is a special niche within the Building Technology Heritage Library's collection of 19th- and 20th-century trade literature. The oldest documents are mid-19th century catalogs from Stanley Tool Co. and feature basic carpentry measuring tools. Starting from an initial product of the carpenter’s folding wooden rule, Stanley grew into one of America’s largest tool companies. The BTHL also contains tool catalogs for specific trades or industries; hardware catalogs that encompass many different types of tools; and catalogs for materials, such as paint, that include associated tools. Concrete also has a strong presence in the BTHL with catalogs covering different aspects of concrete construction, such as formwork and finishing. The BTHL also contains catalogs of manufacturing machinery for woodworking, metalworking, and brick-making equipment.
The documents in the BTHL also trace the evolution in manufacturing power, with 19th-century catalogs featuring hand tools and later catalogs featuring equipment operated by belts and a central power source. By the early 20th century, electric tools begin their rapid advancement with Black & Decker Co., founded in 1910, setting the trend for portable electric tools. Sears, Roebuck & Co. introduced its Craftsman brand of tools in 1923. By 1940, it was promoting the “world’s most complete line of power tools.”
Catalogs of specialized construction equipment are also included in the BTHL, with entire catalogs devoted to concrete lifts and chutes. The BTHL library does not have much featuring equipment for larger infrastructure projects, but it does have several catalogs from construction equipment companies offering both road and building equipment. The BTHL, with its broad range of topics and 200 years of coverage, provides users with ample opportunities to explore the history of building tools.
Boxwood and Ivory Rules, Stanley Tool Co., New Britain, Conn.,1855
The folding wooden rule remained a basic carpentry tool for over a century. Stanley began producing this tool in 1854 before expanding its line and becoming one of America’s leading tool companies. The company later replaced this wooden rule with the steel tape rule in 1931.
P. Pryibil, Manufacturer of Wood Working Machinery Brass Finishing Machinery, Shafting, Pulleys and Hangers and Special Machinery, P. Pryibil , New York, 1884
Late 19th–century woodwork catalogs were filled with an assortment of moldings, all of which could be created from woodworking machinery. This catalog features planers, band saws, circular saws, jigsaws, joiners, shapers, and molding machines.
Catalogue of Tinsmith Tools and Machines Deep Stamped Ware, Common Stamped Ware, Japanned Ware, and Miscellaneous Goods, Hall & Carpenter, Philadelphia, 1886
The first third of this catalog is essentially an encyclopedia of metal working machinery and tools for use with sheet metal, including hand tools like “tinners’ shears and snips.” It also contains a large number of small, hand-operated machines for bending, beading, and seaming sheet metal.
Concrete Machinery: Triumph, Wizard and Knox Block Machines, Sears, Roebuck & Co., Chicago, 1915
The “cement mixer” and various machinery to make ornamental concrete block are featured in this Sears catalog. The first part of this catalog contains examples of residential and commercial projects and farm buildings constructed with concrete block.
Ransome Concrete Chutes & Equipment, Ransome Concrete Machinery Co., Dunellen, N.J., 1919
Large concrete buildings required the use of heavy construction equipment for transporting and placing concrete. The Ransome “tower and chute” system used a metal lattice tower to raise a highly workable concrete mix that would be “chuted” down to a construction site.
Albany Hardware, Albany Hardware & Iron Co., Albany, N.Y., 1927
Hardware catalogs contain a great range of materials, but two of the core sections are tools and builder’s hardware. The tool section comprises more than 120 pages of this large catalog. Most of the tools included are hand tools, but a small selection of electric tools, such as drills, are featured.
Craftsman Power Tools, Sears, Roebuck & Co., Chicago, 1935
The Craftsman brand of tools made its debut in 1927 and quickly included electric power tools. Most of the tools in this catalog were for woodworking. Two later editions of Craftsman Tool Catalogs on the BTHL show the brand's expansion into metalworking and automobile tools.
Forms for Architectural Concrete, Portland Cement Association, Chicago, 1936
This technical publication arrived during a critical moment in concrete history: when architectural concrete as an exposed exterior finish was skyrocketing in popularity. “Because concrete left exposed is the architectural medium, extra care is warranted to achieve the perfection in every operation of construction including form building.”
Portable Electric Tools, Black & Decker Tool Co., 1949
Black & Decker was founded in 1910 to manufacture portable power tools and grew quickly in the 20th century. In 1917, the company patented the pistol grip trigger switch. This 1949 catalog largely offers drills, saws, and grinders. In 1961, Black & Decker introduced the first cordless electric drill powered by nickel-cadmium batteries.
Contractors Supply Corp. of New Jersey: Heavy Hardware, Equipment, Tools, Contractor’s Supply Corp. of New Jersey, Englewood, N.J.,1953
This extensive catalog contains a wide range of construction tools and equipment from the simple nail to complex hoisting equipment.
Goldblatt 1960 Spring Bulletin: Dealer Edition, Goldblatt Tool Co., Kansas City, Mo., 1960
This catalog features tools for concrete finishing and masonry, plaster, and tile work. It has more pages of plaster tools than drywall tools, despite its publication at a time when home builders were rapidly switching from plaster to drywall.
