Craftsman tool archives

The finish is plain steel. Sears was probably supplying socket sets for automotive service by or even earlier. By this time the automobile market was growing rapidly and the socket sets produced by Bay State, Mossberg, and others were regarded as effective even essential tools for automotive maintenance. The scan in Fig.

This set is easily identifiable as a Bay State No. Within a few years the Frank Mossberg Company had become the prime supplier of socket sets for Sears, as a Justice Tires catalog lists several sets recognizable as Mossberg production, as well as ratchets, tools, and individual sockets. We also have Justice Tires catalogs from , , , and The catalog has a listing and illustration for the "Aristocrat No.

A somewhat later Justice Tire catalog from lists several socket sets identifiable as Mossberg production, plus a set that appears to be a Packer Auto Specialty "Ray" socket set. The illustration for the "Aristocrat No. The sockets in the illustration are clearly marked with the Mossberg M-Diamond logo. A second set is called the "Universal Socket Wrench Set", and the illustration shows a large wooden box holding the sockets and drive tools, with a lift-out tray to hold open-end wrenches, pliers and other tools.

The distinctive appearance clearly identifies this as the Mossberg No. In addition to the familiar pressed-steel socket sets, the early Sears catalogs also offered other types of socket tools, such as the socket sets of malleable iron made by the Chicago Manufacturing and Distributing Company.

With the thousands of artifacts at Alloy Artifacts it's always difficult to pick a favorite, but this next set would certainly be high on the list. It offers both an interesting and innovative design with historical importance as our earliest documented example of a socket set sold by Sears Roebuck. The set is labelled with a placard inside the top lid printed with the text "Sears, Roebuck Autokit No.

The "Autokit" name and distinctive rotating head ratchet immediately identifies the set as a Bay State No. The sockets are arranged from smallest to largest beginning left to right with the fourth socket in the bottom row, continuing left to right in the middle row, then continuing right to left in the top row.

Currently our earliest catalog reference for this set is from a Sears "Automobile Supplies" catalog, where an illustration and description of the set appears on page 99 under the heading "Aristocrat No.

This socket set can be identified as production by Mossberg by the illustration and contents. In later catalogs the illustration for this set shows the sockets spilled in front of the box, with the Mossberg M-Diamond logo visible on the sockets.

This set can be easily identified as a Mossberg No. The set is functionally identical to the examples shown in our Mossberg article, but is illustrated in a fiberboard case instead of the wooden box or leather cases used for earlier sets.

The catalog page with the Aristocrat socket sets also included other socket-related tools. Tools available separately included the Mossberg No. These items were not identified as the Mossberg brand in the text, but the illustrations for the sockets clearly show the M-Diamond logo.

One of the more significant listings in the Justice Tires catalog is a table offering individual Mossberg hex and square pressed-steel sockets, as this next example shows. Note that each socket size and type is listed with its own catalog number, and that all sizes carry the same 15 cent price. Although the text doesn't mention the name Mossberg, the illustration clearly shows the Mossberg M-Diamond trademark on the sockets. This catalog listing goes a long way in explaining why old pressed-steel socket sets of any brand frequently include Mossberg replacement sockets.

Sears continued to offer Mossberg socket sets at least into the mid s. This next figure shows a listing for the Aristocrat No. The illustration is a little different from the earlier example, as a number of the sockets are displayed lying in front of the box, and a careful look shows that several sockets are marked with the Mossberg M-Diamond logo. Some of our readers may recognize this as the infamous W. Mystery Ratchet. The illustration shows a set of seven sockets in a box, with a ratchet handle, universal, and extension displayed in front.

The distinctive design of the tools allows the maker to be identified as the Chicago Manufacturing and Distributing Company, and the illustrated set is very similar to the Chicago Manufacturing No. Note in particular that the illustration shows the "A1" model number on the ratchet handle and the "A25" model on the extension. The socket sizes in the catalog listing differ somewhat from the sizes in the No. The Chicago Manufacturing and Distributing Company was notable for making sockets and drive tools of malleable iron, a less common construction method at a time when pressed-steel sockets were the dominant technology.

The Sears catalogs offered socket sets by Chicago Manufacturing from or earlier until at least the mid s. By the late s Sears was offering socket sets under a number of brands, including Duro-Bilt, Hinsdale, Merit, and others. We have several examples of pre-Craftsman socket sets, from Duro Metal Products, Hinsdale, and other makers, and are currently preparing them for display.

The set consists of a No. The No. This ratchet is a familiar tool and further information can be found in the section for the Duro Ratchet. The pending status for the ratchet and L-T handle places the manufacturing date for the set in the range The sockets are all stamped with the fractional size, and most are marked with a stylized "D" referred to as the Duro D-Trapezoid logo, although the "D" marking has been omitted on at least one socket.

The Sears set includes the same drive tools with 14 hex sockets and a screwdriver socket, and the listing even mentions the green metal box. The sheath is stamped "Duro Metal Products Co. The pending status refers to patent 1,, , filed by E. Peterson et al in and issued in The sheath can be placed either over the short end of the bar to form a Tee-handle, as in the photograph here, or placed on the long end of the bar as a grip and extender. The sheath can be completely removed from the bar if not needed.

The sockets are stamped with the Duro D-Trapezoid logo on each side of the fractional size, except that the 1 inch socket has only one "D" logo. The sockets have a band of cross-hatched knurling at the service end, with the knurling coarse enough to assist with turning a nut by hand. The and Sears catalogs offer a number of "DuroBilt" brand socket sets, and the tools in the illustrations closely resemble the sets from Duro Metal Products and Indestro Manufacturing.

See our article on Duro and Indestro for more information on these important companies. Although these Duro-Bilt sets are now seldom found, we have acquired two examples of the sets and can confirm that Duro Metal Products was the manufacturer. Our first Duro-Bilt set is listed in the Sears catalog as the "Piece Wrench Set" and consists of drive tools and sockets in a hinged metal case. The catalog listing is on page , for any readers with this Sears catalog.

A check of the contents with the catalog listing showed that our set is nearly complete, with only a few pieces missing. The ratchet's patent status, together with the known catalog reference, places the manufacturing date for the set around The decal matches the one shown in the Sears catalog, making the identification of the set quite certain.

The origin of this set means that it predates the Craftsman C-Series Socket Sets by a year or two. We were fortunate to acquire an example of this set, as presented in the next figure. The set is marked with a Duro-Bilt decal on the inside lid, badly chipped but still mostly readable. Readers can refer to the DuroBilt Decal shown with another set for a more readable example.

All of the sockets are stamped with the fractional size, but only three of the original sockets are marked with the Duro D-Trapezoid logo.

The finish is nickel plating. The nickel finish of these tools provides a estimate for the production year, based on the nickel finish noted in Sears catalog, but with cadmium plating noted in the following year. This next figure shows an example of a Hinsdale socket set believed to have been the first alloy-steel socket set offered by Sears, based on the listing in the Sears Spring-Summer catalog.

This extensive collection consists of long and short speeders, a ratchet and drive plug, a TL-1 handle, an extension, a universal, a screwdriver bit, 21 hex sockets, and 10 square sockets. As promised by the "Cadmium Plated Rust Proof" sticker on the cover, all of the tools and sockets have a cadmium finish.

Our set was acquired in good condition, but is missing six drain plug sockets and a valve grinder attachment, based on the Sears catalog listing noted below. The catalog listing notes the hip roof toolbox and the inventory of tools matches well, including the 21 hex and 10 square sockets of alloy steel. The same set was listed again in the Sears Spring-Summer catalog. Based on a review of the Sears catalogs, this Hinsdale set appears to have been the first alloy-steel socket set offered by Sears.

This set is listed in our article on Hinsdale as the Hinsdale "Mechanics" Socket Set , with additional photographs and information.

Introduction This is the first of several articles covering Craftsman brand tools. Craftsman History The story of the Sears Craftsman brand begins in with the registration of the Craftsman trademark. The Origin of Manufacturer's Codes One well-known but undocumented aspect of Craftsman tools is the presence of a manufacturer's code marking on most although not all tools.

A Hypothetical Scenario To help understand how the manufacturer's codes might have arisen, imagine that you are the manager of a tool company in the s, and that your company has recently signed a contract with Sears to produce tools for their new Craftsman brand. Further Discussion Although the hypothetical scenario above may not capture all of the details of the manufacturer's code system, it's plausible that at least some parts of this dialogue could have occurred, and probably on multiple occasions.

Why are the early examples of some tools not marked with a manufacturer's code? Why do some manufacturer's codes appear to be mnemonics for the maker's name? Why has Sears never published a list of its manufacturer's codes for hand tools? Could one manufacturer use multiple manufacturer's codes?

Case Studies for Manufacturer's Codes In this section we plan to include discussions of how certain manufacturer's codes were successfully attributed to a particular maker.

Table of Manufacturer's Codes After the brief discussion of manufacturer's codes in the previous section, in this section we'll provide a table of the various codes that appear on tools in the articles here. Block letters J. Danielson Observed on earlier Craftsman Vanadium adjustable wrenches. Also noted on Dunlap Pliers. Found on open-end, box-end, and combination wrenches.

Identified by patented clip on Merit 6-Piece Wrench Set. Found on Craftsman pliers, e. Craftsman Angle-Nose Pliers. Also known on other Craftsman, Dunlap, and Merit tools. Craftsman Electrician's Pliers.

Forged-in or stamped on box-end and combination wrenches. Also noted on Fulton wrenches, possibly from s. Less common on Dunlap wrenches. Found on Craftsman Four-Way Screwdriver. LC Block Letters J. Danielson s to s Stamped code observed on pliers, e. Dunlap Combo Pliers.

Usage appears to overlap with "A. N-Square "N" in a Square Unknown s to s? Found on chisels and punches, e. Dunlap Center Punch. Also noted on Craftsman 4-Position Waterpump Pliers.

Often found on pliers with rope-banded gripping pattern. Early usage noted on tappet wrenches and Dunlap wrenches. Danielson Early s Observed on later Craftsman Vanadium adjustable wrenches.

Also noted on Fulton Pliers. Craftsman Vanadium "Midget" Socket Set. Craftsman Vanadium Wrench. Summary of Catalog Listings Appendix A provides extensive reviews of the tool listings in the Sears catalogs from the late s to early s.

Craftsman C Open-End Wrench. Craftsman Vanadium Steel Craftsman block logo. Craftsman Vanadium Fall Craftsman underline logo. Size 8 inches only. Button's Pattern Fall Pliers with three Button's cutting slots. Sizes 6, 8, and 10 inches. Button's Pattern 8. Combination Fall Fall Slip-joint combination pliers with side-cutters.

Sizes 5. Craftsman Diagonal Cutters, 5 Inch Fall Diagonal cutting pliers in size 5 inches. Later discontinued. Diagonal Cutters, 6 Inch Fall Diagonal cutting pliers in size 6 inches. Diagonal Cutters, 7 Inch Diagonal cutting pliers in size 7 inches. Electrician's, 6 Inch Fall Lighter duty lineman's pliers in size 6 or 6. Electrician's, 7 Inch Fall Lighter duty lineman's pliers in size 7 inches. Electrician's, 8 Inch Fall Lighter duty lineman's pliers in size 8 or 8.

Size 6 or 6. Lineman's Fall Heavy-duty Klein Pattern lineman's pliers. Sizes 7 and 8. Long Nose, 6 Inch Fall Long nose needlenose pliers with side cutters. Size 6 inches. Long Nose, 7 Inch Fall Long nose needlenose pliers with side cutters. Size 7 inches. Three models available. Standard Angled Spr Angled heads in standard length. Six models available. Standard Offset Fall Offset heads in standard length. Short Angled Fall Fall Angled heads in short length.

Raised panels with "Craftsman Vanadium" markings. Raised Panels Raised panels with "Craftsman Vanadium" markings. References and Resources Photographs and observations of particular tools are based on items in the Alloy Artifacts collection. Catalog Coverage Product information was obtained from a number of Sears Roebuck general catalogs in the earlier years, and from Craftsman tool catalogs for the years after First Craftsman open-end wrenches.

First Craftsman pliers and adjustable wrenches. First Craftsman C-Series socket sets. First Craftsman box-end wrenches. Lists Cross Country tools. First Craftsman "BE" socket sets. Pliers with "Nested Diamond" gripping pattern. Tools of the Pre-Craftsman Era Sears had been selling tools and hardware for several decades prior to the introduction of the Craftsman brand in Fulton and the "Fulton Tool Company" Fulton was a familiar brand of tools in the early 20th century by virtue of numerous listings for Fulton tools in the Sears Roebuck catalogs.

Sears model numbers with prefix "9-" were used on hand tools and accessories. This prefix does not identify a manufacturer. Register :: Login. Home Page. Mission Submitting Content VintageMachinery. Classified Ads Vintage Machinery Store. Manufacturers Index - Sears Craftsman. Acme was used on post drills in the early s.

Commander was used on some Sunlight -built electric motors and grinders in the s. Companion was an early brand name from or thereabouts for Sears Roebuck tools. Companion tools were less expensive than the contemporaneous Craftsman tools. It was replaced by the Dunlap name in Interestingly, in Sears applied for a trademark on the Companion name, for use in on a vast list of products. Dunlap was a Sears brand used on their basic-feature machines. Some older Dunlap machines were still good quality, and remain very good values.

Fulton was used by the Sears hardware department on some basic-feature tools and electric motors. Kenmore is, of course, best known for household appliances, but the name was also used on some electric grinders and motors in the s.

Metalcraft was used on some lathes made by Atlas Press and sold by Sears. Power Chief was a name used on some early s motors. Samson was another predecessor to Dunlap, used on less expensive tools, and, especially, vises. Makers of Wood-working Machines, Metal-working Machines, and Stationary Engines for Sears The list below contains the known makers of the above-mentioned products only. Here is a list of known North American-based makers of their machinery with their model-number prefixes some companies do not have a model-number prefix because they manufactured for Sears before they introduced the prefix system : American Floor Surfacing Machine Co.

Central Specialty later a division of King-Seeley Corp. Sears, Roebuck and Co. The story of the Craftsman name From the Sears Retirees web site "Historians do know the origin of the Craftsman brand name. Look under the "Publication Reprints" tab, above, for a manual.

Our collection is not complete, but if you cannot find the exact manual you are looking for, look closely for similar products, as some machines with different model numbers were virtually the same except for the accessories or the motor. Look under the entry corresponding to the manufacturer of your machine in the "Makers" section, above.

More information is available in the Wiki , including information on Craftsman paint colors. You can find diagrams and parts list for some Craftsman machines from the Sears Web Site.

Just put in your model number into the search box and search. Copies of manuals for many vintage Craftsman machines are still available. Call the Sears Parts Line, , and have your model number ready. Emerson Electric is another contact for machines with source code or Emerson has recalled 3. This is completely free, including shipping. Sears, Roebuck Number Prefixes Beginning in the mid s, Sears model numbers had a three-digit numeric prefix that identifies the true manufacturer.

The addition of DeWalt to the list of makers was spurred by a posting by Jeff McVey to the owwm discussion forum. Jeuck, and was forwarded to us by Ashley Kennedy. The makers behind model-number prefixes and were identified through detective work by members of the OWWM community.

Earlier Sears manufacturer lists incorrectly identified these makers. Brian Kachadurian was the one who nailed down both makers, based on a comparison of Sears-badged motors and grinders compared to products known to have been manufactured by Sunlight and Delco. In the case of Sunlight, OWWM contributor Jeff Wilson provided a key piece of evidence in the form of a patent number on a Companion bench grinder that is identical to a later model with model-number prefix The maker behind model-number prefix , found on some Craftsman electric motors, was deduced by comparing those motors to motors from known manufacturers, and finding a match with those from Leland Electric Co.

Thanks to Brian Kachadurian for making this connection. The maker behind model-number prefix , found on early Craftsman swing saws and 3-wheel 12" bandsaws, was discovered via an illustrated advertisement in the April Popular Mechanics for Lewis Machine Tool Co. Our purpose is to provide information about vintage machinery that is generally difficult to locate. Catalogs, manuals and any other literature that is available on this site is made available for a historical record only.

Please remember that safety standards have changed over the years and information in old manuals as well as the old machines themselves may not meet modern standards. It is up to the individual user to use good judgment and to safely operate old machinery. The VintageMachinery. About Us. Discussion Forum. Machine Info. Photo Index. Support Vintage Machinery. Submitting Content.