The H. Chapin Co. (est. 1826) was a great innovator in the production of boxwood rules and several of their employees (such as Lorenzo Stephens with his son, Delos H. and Henry Seymour) went on to form their own manufacturing companies. The H. Chapin Co. subsequently merged with the D. H. Stephens Co. in 1901 to form the Chapin-Stephens Co. which produced fine quality boxwood rules (and other tools) before going out of business in 1929.

 

 

All of the boxwood rule makers made a ruler that was called either the "Blindman or in the case of C-S C0. the "Nearsite". These boxwood rulers had larger number to make it easier on the bad eyes to read the scale and the number.

 

I ran across this one and got to talking to the person that owned it and after explaining it to him, he gave me the ruler.

 

 

Some of the Chapin Stephens rulers are marked "Chapin-Stephens and others as this one are simply marked "The C-S Co."

 

 

If you will look just above the "C-S Co" you will see a small black "7" indicated this is a No.7.

 

Stamped on the ruler is also the word "Nearsite"

 

 

The numbers on the outside are worn and there is some black ground into the ruler. I have actually started cleaning it up using Murphy's Oil Soap and have gotten a good bit of it off.

 

The numbers on the inside still have the nice red color to them.

 

 

This one certainly looks as though it was in someone's tool box and maybe even used a good bit by the looks of the outside. To me that makes it special knowing another woodworker had his hands on this ruler and depended on it for measurements.

 

 

The four fold, two foot ruler was a staple in the woodworkers tool box and the No.7 was sure a help to those dim lit shops and those failing eyes.

 

I have a special place already set aside for this one to reside.

 

More Patriot Picking come soon.

 

 

 

Cool!

 

Love the old history.