I was wondering if anybody here knew of any antique tool forums. I have been collecting a ton of old tools and would like to find somewhere I can research some of them. I have a bunch of planes, chisels, and other carpentry tools I'd like to know more about. I just bought an old tool chest full of goodies that need to be identified. There was one very unusual piece, at least to me, that I have never seen before. It is a two piece framing square made by Pexto. It is marked exactly the same as an old Stanley SR100. The blade is dovetailed to accept the toungue and it has a little cam button to lock it in place. I think that Pexto is a trade name for Peck, Stow, and Wilcox, but I'm not sure. Any leads would be appreciated, thanks.

Dave

You are correct, I'm not sure of the date they adopted the Pexto trademark but it was after they had become well established. A good place to look for links to all sorts of old tools resources on the web is The Electronic Neanderthal: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~alf/en/en.html

They have links there to every site I could tell you about and dozens I've never visited. There's also alt.rec.woodworking it's a bit heavy on the power toys set but a few 'Neaderthals' can be still be found.

Dave,

You may want to join the OldTools mailing list - it is devoted to the discussion of the history and use of non-electric powered tools (primarily hand tools). Go to http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools - there you will find instructions for joining, the FAQ (required reading), and a link to the searchable archives.

Best,
Dan