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and Woodworking in Colonial America An Illustrated Source Book of Practical Techniques Used by the Colonists by C. Keith Wilbur Globe Pequot, 1992 The European immigrants who settled New England in the 17th and 18th centuries converted virgin forests to houses and towns and cities with astonishing efficiency. Lacking power tools and milled lumber, they built a civilization with tools like barking irons, draw knives and broadaxes. C. Keith Wilbur, the author of several books on early American life, has compiled a sourcebook of the tools and technologies of Colonial carpentry. From timber felling and mortising to sawing clapboards and laying floors, this volume describes each step in the construction of a house with words and line drawings. Even specifics on concocting lime plaster and the evolution of stairmaking are included. The emphasis throughout this book is on the tools: what they looked like, how they were used, what their purpose was. Antique tool enthusiasts will find it an essential reference. An appendix in the back illustrates advances in woodworking tools from Early Man's caches to the modern toolbox, while the index lists every tool mentioned, from adzs to yarding sleds. This book should also be of interest to woodworkers, whatever their level of experience. Despite their lack of modern technologies, Colonial builders created structures that could withstand decades, or even centuries, of wear and weather. Superior craftsmanship usually prevails, whatever the time or place, and many readers will likely inspiration in these pages for solutions to their own projects. |
 Homebuilding and Woodworking in Colonial America |
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