Smith's Key available online from BNF

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AndyT

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I saw this on Chris Schwarz's excellent blog but in case you missed it or don't read it I thought it was well worth re-posting on here.

"Smith's Key" was a general catalogue of the standardised designs of tools made by the various Sheffield manufacturers. It shows a wide range of edge tools including planes, chisels, saws and knives. It's pretty much unobtainable in print, as is the 1975 reprint. It's not online in any of the usual places, but Sheffield was the workshop of the world, so it's no surprise really that catalogues travelled widely. This edition was published in 1816 and is available from the digitised collection at the French national library - the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

The full colour scan can be downloaded for non-commercial use, either as individual images or as a pdf. To get the whole thing, go here http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8529037p/f1.planchecontact# and use the Download link at the top right. These plates should give you a flavour of what is available. (I'm not sure about the angles on the plough plane but I'd really like a combination ruler, comb and penknife!):

f57.highres


f52.highres


f110.highres
 
Thanks for posting this Andy.
Very interesting.
Makes one shudder looking at the trepanning instruments though..... :shock:

All the best.

Adam.
 

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