"American Woodworking Tools"
by Paul B. Kebabian

Review by Mark Gezella – June 2003

This month's review is once again about a book published back in the 1970's. I found this among selections available in the St. Louis County Library system. I'm committing a faux pas by straying from our SLWG collection, but what the heck, we should all know about what else lives beyond our inner circle, eh?!

From the cover leaf; "America was largely built by the hand tools of the woodworker." I think this one sentence pretty much sums it up. This book covers all aspects of tools used during the founding years of our country, from crude home-made instruments to fine examples of tools crafted by the masters. It describes how they were made, who made them, how they evolved, improvements upon them, the loss of quality as mass production began to replace the craft era, etc. It also contains extensive information regarding major trades of the era; shipwrights, carriage makers, coopers, cabinetmakers, etc.

I savor books like this. I've always had a keen interest in the way things used to be. Technology is a wonderful thing - when it works! We are blessed to live in a time of modern medicine and convenience, yet a part of me yearns for the days when most of the time was spent "hands-on". Men prospered largely by a combination of what was on hand and creative prowess. Many early Americans shared a common thread of long, hard, exhaustive workdays. Yet I can't help but think that a vast percentage of them retired for the evening with a modicum of satisfaction of what they had accomplished during the day. I can say from personal experience that I've never felt more alive than when I'm completely exhausted from a day of hard work. Go figure!

Back to the Author; Mr. Kebabian is a large-scale tool collector. I first learned of him several years ago when I belonged to the Early American Industries Association. He served as president of this association, and to my knowledge is still a member of the board. But more impressive is the fact that over time he has reproduced many classic hand tools in miniature. I recall one item in particular; a reproduction of a plow plane done in ivory and silver, embellished with decorative scroll-work. Simply beautiful.

The Author has also been featured in other books. I know of one in our collection by Sandor Nagyszalanczy entitled "The Art of Fine Tools". I have this book in my personal collection as well. I've not yet read the entire book, partly because I end up spending hours looking at the exquisite pictures of tools used for illustration. Perhaps I'll be able to describe this book at length in a future Newsletter.

I recommend American Woodworking Tools to anyone interested in old tools, trades or the history behind them. However, I believe the book is now out of print. I don't know how difficult it would be to obtain a copy should you desire to do so. But at least we have the good fortune to access a copy in a local library system.