September 6, 2008

Recently Ebay vendor tootiejim offered a set of three C. DREW wood chisels, in the original cardboard box housing, which was the 1st such set I've seen auctioned. Photos are included here as few collectors are likely to ever find such a set at a yard sale, flea market, or antique tool show.

C. DREW produced three types of wood chisels over the years. As late as 1947 the type illustrated in their catalogues was an all-steel headless version. see: http://www.numismalink.com/drew.ency.36.228.html for details. At some unknown date between 1947 and 1954 the style changed, and C. DREW wood chisels were forged with a head.

These remained available till c. 1968 at which time it appears that the all-steel C. DREW wood chisels were discontinued, leaving only a line of tang-butt wood chisels with plastic handles which first appeared in C. DREW catalogues and price lists subsequent to 1962 but prior to 1967. http://www.numismalink.com/drew.ency.196806.2291.html

The set of chisels described here contains the 1/2", 3/4" and 1" sizes (width of blade). Between 1954 and 1967 these sets were offered by C. DREW as item no. 2289. By 1963, this particular set was no longer distributed in cardboard boxes, but instead in a holder of the type illustrated here: http://www.numismalink.com/drew.ency.59.2289.html So by inference, it seems likely that the wood chisel set offered on Ebay predates 1963:

Another interesting feature is that all three chisels appear to have black paint. By 1959, and perhaps subsequent years, different sizes were painted in coded colors; in 1959 for example the 1/2" size was black, but the 3/4" size was orange and the 1" size was red.

Illustrations of wood chisel set and box offered on Ebay: