A book for cabinet mk and tool history enthusiasts
bill tindall
>I got a book titled Furniture and its Makers of Chester county PA. I thought it was going to be pictures of PA Dutch furniture and indeed some of the book met this expectation. But most of the book is transcripts of Chester Co records of cabinet makers. For some reason Inventory is listed for many cabinet makers (maybe when they died or taxes?). the inventories are neat reading. I have no idea what some of this stuff is nor why the money is in pounds. The comparitive pricing is interesting. I will reproduce one below with original spelling:
Reinhard Cunsenhouser Jan 1, 1794
an cross cut saw and hand saw 0:17:6
one Pennel saw and an teanen saw shack saw 0:19:6
an broad ax and an hatchet 0:6:0
an adez and four socket chizzels 0:6:6
two drawing knifes and four turning chizzels 0:5:6
16 joiner chizzels 0:6:0
rasps and files 0:1:6
compas saw and a bit of steal 0:1:0
six crew augors 0:11:6
a set of gruven planes 0:3:9
one reasen plaine and a quater round 0:6:6
a set shach planes 0:5:0
six mouldin planes and six ditto 0:13:6
and plow plane and fillister 0:6:3
two smoothen planes 0:3:0
one jack and smoothen plane 0:1:0
one jointer and an fore plane 0:3:0
an covin plane and a bect 0:2:0
an Turky Oil stone 0:5:0
and breas and all the bits belong to it 2:5:0
an rule and compas and squar 0:2:6
two hamers and two flat irons 0:4:6
and glue pots and an log and hinghes 0:5:3
walnut boards 0:15:0
pobler boards 0:8:4
som wite ld 0:1:6
an turning leat and work bench 0:2:6
I double checked the original spelling and I think I got it correct
PS around this time walnut was listed in some invetory at $1.00 per 100 bd ft . There is some product inventory listed for some makers. A chair is about 1$.