Tools Made from Rasps or Files

Tools Historic Maritime I (1607-1676): The First Colonial Dominion The Davistown Museum - Tools Made from Rasps or Files 31-Jul-14 Blacksmiths re-use worn or damaged files and rasps by making them into something else. All the tools listed here are also listed in the sections and categories given. Historic Maritime I (1607-1676): The First Colonial Dominion Sub Category Woodworking: Axes and Hatchets 102409T1 Hatchet 13 1/2" long, 3 1/8" cutting edge It has a forge-welded edge. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/102409T1web1.jpg http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/102409T1web2.jpg SubCategory Woodworking: Boring Tools TAB1010 Stone drill 8 1/2" long This stone drill has clearly been re-fashioned from a used blacksmith rasp. It was made in the 17th or 18th century. It is typical of the type of tool early settlers would have used to drill a mooring hole. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/tab1007.jpg SubCategory Woodworking: Edge Tools 42602T4 Drawknife 10" wide, 4 1/2" wide blade This hand-forged tool has been carefully refashioned from file steel. The short chubby handles are in the English style and are made of carefully cut and glued leather. This nifty tool is difficult to date; it is probably made in the 18th century. It is displayed in the Maritime I case because it is so typical of the homemade tools of the early colonial period. This tool is, in fact, exactly what a small drawshave in the tool kits of the first New England settlers could have looked like. BDTM Historic Maritime II (1720-1800): The Second Colonial Dominion & the Early Republic SubCategory Agricultural Implements 102409T2 Grafting froe 13" long, 4" wide, 2 3/4" cutting edge DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/102409T2web1.jpg http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/102409T2web2.jpg 913108T47A Grafting iron 9 1/2" long, 2 3/4" long blade DTM Blacksmith, Farrier, and Metalworking Tools SubCategory TBF3501 Bench vise 7" high, 2 1/2" wide The hold down is made from a recycled farriers' rasp. DTM 3114T3 Hoof knife 6" long, 1 1/4" wide, 2" edge DTM 61601T5 Tin snips 12 3/4" long These are clearly reforged from a file. The first rolled tin dates to the early 18th century. This reforged smith-made tool is at least 200 years old. DTM SubCategory Cobbler and Saddler Tools 1 Tools Historic Maritime II (1720-1800): The Second Colonial Dominion & the Early Republic The Davistown Museum - Tools Made from Rasps or Files 31-Jul-14 62406T3 Curriers' slick fleshing knife 6" long, 2" blade It is forge-welded from a recycled rasp. DTM SubCategory Domestic Utensils 11301T1 Block knife 20 5/7" long with 15 3/4" chopping arm and 5" wide iron blade The iron component of this food and/or tobacco chopper is made of a recycled farriers' file. DTM TBF3000 Cleaver 8 3/8" long with a 2 1/2" blade It was forged out of an old rasp. DTM SubCategory Knives 81101T14 Crooked knife 8 1/2" long, 3" blade Crooked knives are especially common in northern New England where they were used by Native Americans and European settlers for many purposes including basket-making and working birch bark. This knife has been reforged from an old file or rasp, one of early American artisans' most important sources of recycled forged steel. The crosshatched carving on the nicely fashioned applewood (?) handle suggests a Native American user. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/81101t14.jpg SubCategory Logging Tools 913108T49 Spud 8 1/2" long, 2" wide DTM SubCategory Miscellaneous Tools 40501T4 Pry bar 21 3/4" long Refashioned from an old rasp, this rip is a classic example of recycling a dull rasp. With a nicely forged rattail hanger, this tool is probably late 18th century. DTM SubCategory Woodworking: Boring Tools 31602T2 Turn screw 19 1/2" long with 15" long and 5/8" wide blade It has a nicely turned handle with a recycled iron ferrule. A recycled file has been used as the turn screw. An unusual hole has been wrought and drilled in the turn screw center. DTM TJR1301 Turn screw 12 1/2" long, 3 1/2" handle This shows the typical recycling of used rasps. DTM SubCategory Woodworking: Edge Tools 81801T11 Drawknife 6" long, 3 1/4" blade This carefully wrought shave is made from the recycled steel of a rasp or file and predates the patternmakers' drawknives that it resembles. Its use is unknown. DTM 2 Tools Historic Maritime II (1720-1800): The Second Colonial Dominion & the Early Republic The Davistown Museum - Tools Made from Rasps or Files 31-Jul-14 31702T2 Drawknife 10 1/2" wide, 5 5/8" blade This is an excellent example of an edge tool made out of recycled file steel with English style handles. DTM 32412T2 Drawknife 14" long, 8 1/2" long blade This drawknife is crudely welded together from a file and two separate pieces of steel. Courtesy of Liberty Tool Co. DTM 913108T39 Drawshave 20 3/4" long, 7 3/4" blade This shave is made from a recycled rasp or file. DTM 111001T21 Toothed chisel 3 7/16" long, 2" cutting head with 17 teeth This is an excellent example of recycling file steel. Its use is unknown; it is too delicate for stone facing. DTM SubCategory Woodworking: Planes 81101T12 Coachmakers' router 13 3/8" wide, 7/16" wide cutter This once common 18th century tool shows indications of being refashioned from an old file or rasp. DTM SubCategory Wrenches 43006T4 Wagon wrench 3/4" and 13/16" wide wrench openings It is a curved wrench, forge-welded and hand-filed from a handmade rasp. It is a nice example of an 18th century wagon wrench. DTM Historic Maritime III (1800-1840): Boomtown Years & the Dawn of the Industrial Revolution SubCategory Agricultural Implements TCR1001A Grafting froe 8 5/8" long with a 3 1/4" blade This tool is refashioned from an old file or rasp. It was a basic necessity for Davistown residents maintaining orchards in the 19th century. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/tcz1006.jpg http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/tcr1001a.jpg Blacksmith, Farrier, and Metalworking Tools SubCategory 913108T7 Blacksmiths' tongs 13" long DTM 913108T37 Blacksmiths' tools (5) A) 2 1/2"; B) 9 1/4"; C) 6 1/2"; D) 1 3/4"; E) 7 3/4" This is a set of tools a blacksmith may have made for his own use. They consist of: B) grafting tool, C) spud, D) wedge, and two farriers' hoof cutters A) and E). DTM 021812T4 Clinch cutter This is a farriers' tool rendered out of a recycled rasp or file. DTM 3 Tools Historic Maritime III (1800-1840): Boomtown Years & the Dawn of the Industrial Revolution The Davistown Museum - Tools Made from Rasps or Files 31-Jul-14 032103T3 Farriers' chisel 7 3/8" long, 2" long cutter This is an excellent example of recycled steel. Originally a steel rasp, worn out rasps were saved and reworked into other useful edge tools. The peened top cutting edge reflects the transition from forged iron to a hammered steel cutting edge. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/032103t3_p1.jpg http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/032103t3_p2.jpg TG1010 Punch 5 1/4" long DTM 021812T6 Wedge 3" long, 1 1/4" wide This is possibly a farriers' or blacksmiths' tool made from a recycled rasp or file. It has a hand-drilled hole of 1/4" diameter that might be used for a handle. DTM SubCategory Cobbler and Saddler Tools TG1007 Tack pry 11 3/8" long It is made from a file. DTM SubCategory Coopers' Tools 81801T13A Coopers' _____? 6" long, 4" angle extension This tool is characterized by the same grooved crease found in all coopers' hammers, though slightly narrower (1/8") than the crease in 81801T13 (1/4"). It is clearly refashioned from recycled file steel and is very unusual. A specific identification is welcomed. DTM 092409T3 Coopers' adz 9 1/3" long, 1" wide with a 12" long handle DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/092409T3web2.jpg http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/092409T3web4.jpg SubCategory Domestic Utensils 913108T37A Food chopper 6 1/2" long, 7 3/8" wide blade DTM SubCategory Hammers 032203T3 Snowball hammer 8 3/4" long, 2 3/16" cutter at one end This is a typical example of a late 18th century or early 19th century recycling of a precious forged steel rasp. After becoming dull, this rasp was reshaped into a tool for knocking the snow and ice from a shoed horse. What was the cutting edge used for? Notice that the malleable wrought iron top edge of the tool has been bent over from use, whereas the steel cutting edge shows no evidence of wear. This illustrates the varying amount of carbon in different sections of this tool. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/032203t3_p1.jpg http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/032203t3_p2.jpg SubCategory Knives 913108T15 Crooked knife 8 1/2" long, 3/4" long blade This is typical of the forge-welded crooked knife used by the settlers of North America for basketmaking and other uses. DTM 4 Tools Historic Maritime III (1800-1840): Boomtown Years & the Dawn of the Industrial Revolution The Davistown Museum - Tools Made from Rasps or Files 31-Jul-14 TG1009 Knife 9 1/2" long, 3 3/8" handle DTM SubCategory Miscellaneous Tools TG1006 Brick chisel 5 3/4" long, 1 1/2" wide It does not have a handle. DTM TG1008 Unidentified tool 16" long, 14" wood handle DTM Watchmakers, Jewelers, and Silversmiths' Tools SubCategory 041505T28 Spinning tool 15" long including a 14" wood handle, 2 1/2" long pewter ferrule The wood handle holds the tanged steel chisel. This cutting tool is clearly made of recycled file steel. It is an uncommon tool from a long lost trade. DTM SubCategory Woodworking: Boring Tools TCC3011 Burin 4" long This commonplace tool is refashioned out of an old file and has a beautifully turned handle. DTM SubCategory Woodworking: Edge Tools 22411T3 Drawknife 15 1/2" long, 6 1/2" wide, 10" long blade This drawknife is handmade from a file. DTM 913108T23 Drawknife 12" long, 7 3/4" long blade DTM TG1004 Drawshave 13 5/8" long, 9 1/2" blades It has no handles. DTM 10407T4 Drawshave 10 1/2" wide with a 7" cutting edge The handles are handmade and it is obviously forged from an old file. It is a typical edge tool utilizing the strategy of recycling a high quality (probably English or German) steel file. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/pics/10407t4.jpg Woodworking: Edge Tools - Imported Cast Steel SubCategory Peter Stubs Tools TCC1008 Chisel 4 1/8" long, 3/4" wide "Stubs" It is made from one of Stub's recycled files. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/bioStubs.htm Woodworking: Edge Tools Made in Maine SubCategory 3114T4 Crook knife 9" long, 4" blade LPC 5 Tools Historic Maritime III (1800-1840): Boomtown Years & the Dawn of the Industrial Revolution The Davistown Museum - Tools Made from Rasps or Files 31-Jul-14 SubCategory Woodworking: Other Tools TG1003 Center punch 3 1/2" wide DTM TCR1009 Turnscrew 12 1/2" long, 8 3/8" long blade This tool has been refashioned out of an old file. DTM TG1005 Wedge 1 3/4" wide DTM TG1011 Wedge 4 5/8" long, 2 5/16" wide DTM TG1015 Wedge 2 3/8" wide DTM SubCategory Wrenches TG1001 Wrench 13 1/2" long, 9/16" and 1 3/14" open ends DTM TG1002 Wrench 8" long, 3/4" and 5/8" wide open ends DTM Historic Maritime IV (1840-1865): The Early Industrial Revolution Blacksmith, Farrier, and Metalworking Tools SubCategory 32912T7 Ox shoe 4 1/2" long "L" Courtesy of Liberty Tool Co. DTM SubCategory Coopers' Tools 913108T45 Coopers' bung 7 3/4" long, 3 3/4" long blade It is unusual to see a coopers' bung used for a handle attached to a curved blade. DTM SubCategory Woodworking: Edge Tools 22411T16 Drawknife 8" long, 4" wide, 5" blade It is hand-forged from an old file. DTM The Industrial Revolution (1865f.): Other Factory Made Tools SubCategory Miscellaneous Tools 30311T7 Screwdriver 12" long, 1 1/2" wide It is handmade from a file. DTM 6 Tools The Industrial Revolution (1865f.): Other Factory Made Tools The Davistown Museum - Tools Made from Rasps or Files 31-Jul-14 30911T6 Tapered reamer 15" long, 8" blade This convex-shaped reamer is handmade from a file. DTM SubCategory Woodworking: Edge Tools 72714T1 Drawknife blade 11" long, 5 3/8" cutting edge, 4 1/4" handle tangs This drawknife is fashioned from a reforged file. LPC 31311T12 Gouge 17 " long, 11" long and 1" wide blade, 6" long handle DTM Woodworking: Edge Tools Made in Maine SubCategory 41212T6 Drawknife 16 1/2" long, 9 1/2" long cutting edge "T.C. JACKSON" "STINSON" This tool was made in Bath, Maine circa 1869 or earlier from a recycled steel file or rasp. Courtesy of Liberty Tool Co. DTM http://www.davistownmuseum.org/publications/volume10.html 22411T6 Drawknife 13 1/2" long, 5" long handles, 7 1/2" long blade "J. T. BUDGE" This drawknife is handmade from an old file. Possibly Budge was the maker/owner. The Penobscot County ME Archives History - Businesses listings for Lee in 1883 has J. T. Budge as a blacksmith. The Maine Register of 1889 lists J. T. Budge & Son as blacksmiths in Lee, Maine. DTM 7

http://www.davistownmuseum.org/PDFsforInventory/WebToolsFromRaspsOrFiles_PDF.pdf

Fur Trade Axes & Tomahawks. A Link.

http://furtradetomahawks.tripod.com/index.html

Good Tomahawk/Trade Axe Research Site. A Link.

http://furtradetomahawks.tripod.com/id11.html

French & Indian War Goodies.

"Thirdly. That four or five hundred pairs of good Indian shoes be made ready, fit for the service for the English and Indians, that must improve the whale boats and birch canoes; for they will be very proper and safe for that service. And let there be a good store of cow hides well tanned, for a supply of such shoes, and hemp to make thread, and wax to mend and make more such shoes when wanted, and a good store of awls."

More good info at the site below:

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=DBATAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA213&ots=zlvgn-7t1j&dq=benjamin+church+whale+boats&pg=PA246&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=benjamin%20church%20whale%20boats&f=false

What You Need To get Started In 18th Century Historical Trekking. Part One.

What You Need To Get Started In 18th Century Historical Trekking. Part One.



Equipment.


1. A kettle can be useful for boiling water for hot drinks and cooking food, but it is not necessary. You could instead drink water from your water bottle and carry meat to cook on a stick or other foods that do not require cooking. If you want a kettle you could start off with just a tin can with a bale made of fencing wire. It is not authentic to the period, but it will suffice until you can get the real thing.

This is one I made many years ago. You can cook with this and use it as a cup.


2. Cotton or linen food bags. These are easily made and not expensive. A cheap calico will do fine.


3. You will probably need a knife at some time or another. A good hunting knife will do for cutting and eating food, and I suggest you check out the op-shops and second hand shops for second hand butcher knives. The handle should be pinned and not riveted, but you can change the handle if needs be.

One of these cost me $4 and the other $7. One like this will make a good hunting knife.


A sheath for one of these is easily made from second hand shoulder bag leather.

 This one of mine is double leather; a heavy leather inside a soft leather casing.


4. A tomahawk is a handy tool for constructing shelters and for many other tasks. It is not too difficult to convert a second hand hatchet into a tomahawk, which is lighter to carry than a hatchet.

This is a square poll hatchet head that has been lightened and the eye reshaped to take a tapered tomahawk helve.

This beautiful piece was made by Todd from the Woodlife forum, from a store bought hatchet.


5. A knapsack can be made from one of those made in China all cotton school knapsacks, or you can make one from a haversack or from scratch.

Here is the one I converted from an all cotton made in China knapsack.

A glass wine bottle with a cork will do for a water bottle, and modern ones are still being made in roughly the same 18th century style.

Hunting and Trapping Tools. Part 3. On A Budget!

Here in part 3 we will look at items you might have been able to afford if you had little money to spend. If you are really on a budget NOW, then the guns will not be any less expensive, but of course you can make your own, or you can purchase second hand.
Other items such as second hand butcher knives and hatchets are available NOW, and will get you started in this facsinating and interesting hobby of 18th century Living History and Historical Trekking.

The wheel-lock was from an earlier period and lost popularity due to the more efficient flintlock. However this gun did work and it would be better than no gun. The wheel-lock required a key to wind up a sprung lock. Inside the loch was a serrated steel wheel. The cock held a piece of pyrite (I have read that flint could be used but it was not as good as pyrite). The pan having been primed, the trigger released the cock which lowered the piece of pyrite onto a now spinning steel wheel, causing the sparks for ignition.

The matchlock is an even older design and therefore a better chance of picking one up cheap. However, these were still being used, and someone in much the same position would not want to part with the only gun they have. There is a lovely and interesting story called "The Matchlock Gun" written by Walter D. Edmonds. This story is a true story and it is set in 1756. It is a kids story book and well worth getting.

This gun requires a slow match for ignition which is held in the serpentine. The match is not inserted in the serpentine until the gun is loaded and primed. However, it does mean that you have to carry a smouldering match cord with you all the time, and it can be seen glowing in the dark!

If you had been a Ranger in England, then it is possible that you would still have your English/Cymro Longbow, and you may even wish to take up the same occupation in the New World. In England the Ranger's job was to protect the deer in the forests and discourage robbers from harrasing the forest dwellers.

In the New World the early Rangers were hired to range the areas about the settlements looking for any sign of Indians, and later, French and Indians.

The handles on butcher knives in the early to mid 18th century were pinned, like these examples. Not riveted such as you find on modern wood handled butcher knives. three of these knives I found in a second hand shop, and one at the local markets.

Good examples of old hatchets that can be found in second hand shops.

18th Century Wilderness Survival, Then and Now!

I have come across quite a few requests on other forums for recommendations on equipment for use in the woods. Now in some cases it is not a matter of right and wrong, so much as a matter of choice for individuals. I have seen merrit in other peoples choices in equipment and tools, and I can see reasons why people might not agree with my choices, but for me those reasons are outweighed by my reasons for the choice I make.
As an example let us look at the hatchet versus the tomahawk. Many outdoors people and survivalists will choose a hatchet because the head tends to be heavier and larger which makes it easier to use cutting wood and trimming branches. It is also good for shaping work, say making an axe helve.
But the hatchet is generally heavier than a tomahawk, and if the helve breaks in the woods or in a wilderness situation it is not so easy to make a new one and secure the head with a wedge.
Now I have to ask myself just how much wood cutting am I going to need to do? I do not generally need to cut firewood in the forest because small stuff is easy to break and larger stuff is easily broken over a rock or log. What I need is something light, something that will make trap and shelter stakes and have the ability to hammer them into the ground. I need something to help construct primitive shelters, and perhaps even hunt with if nesassary and help butcher game, and a very important need for me is the ability to make a new helve if it breaks and be able to remove the old broken piece from the head and fit the new one.
My tomahawk will do all these things, the fact that it is not as heavy is not really a problem when cutting, because I use a longer helve which gives me more power in the stroke. In 18th century Historical Trekking we use our tools and equipment all the time, and these tools have been in use and serving woodsmen and woods women for at least 300 years for chores, and defence. When making your choice, think about it carefully, your life could depend on it.

The author's tomahawk has a round eye, and the helve fits in from the top in the same way as a pickaxe or mattock. The eye is tapered so the helve does not require a wedge to secure it.

This is a German style hatchet with a round eye just like the tomahawk. The author made this one from an ordinary hatchet head by softening the steel and cutting it to shape with a hacksaw then reheating to cherry red and hammering the head onto a pickaxe spike to round the eye. This hatchet has the advantage of the round eye and is a little heavier than a tomahawk, but not as heavy as a modern hatchet.

Making An Axe Helve By Hand.