Date: Fri 14-Mar-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A13

Quick Words:

tools-Kampmeier-rules-squares

Full Text:

Tools To Measure At Matthew Curtiss House

(sidebar on antique tools exhibit @Matthew Curtiss House, 3/14/97)

When the Newtown Historical Society presented its 16th annual open house and

antiques show last Sunday at the Matthew Curtiss House, it also marked the

opening of a new temporary exhibit presented by Fred Kampmeier. Mr Kampmeier,

a member of the historical society and a longtime collector of early tools,

arranged "Tools To Measure," a display of early tools men used to measure and

organize their world.

Displayed in the birthing room of the Matthew Curtiss House, "Tools To

Measure" offers visitors examples of rules, try squares, bevels, dividers and

calipers. Many of the tools are accompanied by explanations of their history

and use.

According to Mr Kampmeier:

In 14th Century England, it was decreed that three grains of barley, dry and

round, laid end to end, represented one inch. This standard remained in effect

for hundreds of years. It was not until the 19th Century were precise

standards for yard, foot and inch established.

Rule making probably started as early as the 17th Century. The rule was a

common item among the tools of the carpenter, but rulers being made at that

time lacked standardization, resulting in varying inch measurements. Errors of

simple arithmetic were frequent.

By the early 1800s, rule making had become a factory business. By the end of

the century, Stanley‘ had captured the major share of the American rule

market.

The joiner and cabinet maker normally used small try squares, which they

frequently fashioned themselves. The manufactured square, with a steel blade

and rosewood or ebony handle, brass trimmed, was appropriate for the craftsman

who handled fine tools with care. For rough and ready use, a square was also

made in metal.

The usual carpenter's square was blacksmith-made into the 19th Century, then

factory made in steel from 1820. These had a two-foot blade with a 14- to

18-inch tongue and had many functions in building, but was basically used to

mark right angles and measuring feet and inches.

Bevels were also constantly used. The tongue would be set at a prescribed

angle and used as a straight edge for marking angles. The marking gauge and

mortise gauge were carpenters' tools for scribing construction lines in laying

out work.

A scribed line served as a guide in sawing, planing and outlining a mortise. A

marking gauge had one scribing point and the mortise gauge a second,

adjustable, point.

Woodworkers used the dividers, or compass, to scribe circles and arcs, or to

transfer a measurement from one piece of work to another. For laying out large

circles or ellipses, the beam compass was used.

Calipers are used to determine the thickness or diameter of objects, or the

distances between surfaces, and are noted for their artistic curved design.

Wood turning on a lathe must be constantly measured. Double calipers gave two

measurements with one tool. Depending on the trade, calipers can be one inch

up to several feet in length.

"Tools To Measure" will remain on display at the Matthew Curtiss House, 44

Main Street in Newtown, indefinitely. The house will be open for Sunday

afternoon docent tours, running 1 to 4 pm, beginning in late March.