It has been a few weeks since I posted a Throw Back Thursday article. I was having lots of pain in my right knee and took off for a bit until I had surgery to replace the knee. Two weeks after the replacement I am recovering and doing well. Working on getting the bend back in my knee, but I can say the pain I was having before the surgery walking it totally gone and now it is just the pain from the surgery. So enough of that and lets talk about a piece I picked before I went down.

I am not normally a bit yard sell person, but I got a call from a friend and told me there was a yard sell not too far from my house and they had lots and lots of tools. At first I wasn't going to go by, but then decided to drive by and see what they had. Mostly electrical tools but as I walked around the tables several times trying to take in all that was laid out a few items started to jump out to me.

This really neat looking Stanley level that was attached to a ruler suddenly caught my eye. Picked it up and began trying to look it over. I did notice a patent date on this level so I presented it to the guy at the table and ask how much since it wasn't marked. I believe he said a dollar so I took my pile to the table and checked out.

It was not in mint condition and has a couple of cracks, but for it's age, it is probably in better shape than I am. The Patent date on the top is june 23, 98 (1898). So I was excited to get it home and try to do a little clean up.

So with a little work I was able to get it cleaned off enough to see that all of the japanning is gone from the piece. However I love the ornate look of the top.

So it appeared to be nice enough to clean up a little more of it and put it in the display case. Upon on cleaning the ruler, I found out it was not a Stanley and was surprised to see the name.

Goodell-Pratt Co. was stamped on the ruler so I began doing a little research into this ruler. Made in Greenfield, Mass.

William M. Pratt was the founder of the Goodell-Pratt Co and was a third generation tool man. 

William M Pratt was born in Shelburne Falls, Mass., August 13, 1867. He graduated for Arms Academy, a secondary school at the age of 16. In 1890 he became secretary of the H. H. Mayhew Company, the hardware manufacturer where his father served as manager and plant superintendent. William Pratt did not stay with Mayhew long. He moved to Greenfield in 1892 to become a sales representative for the Wells Bros. Company, a tool producer that would eventually become Greenfield Tap & Die.

William Pratt purchased 50% of the Goodell Brothers Company. Goodell Brothers was a manufacture of carpenter and mechanics' tools. With his purchase of 50% he became the Treasure and Manager of operations of the company. In 1898 he purchased the controlling interest in the company and in February 1899 the Board of Directors renamed the company Goodell-Pratt Company.

The Goodell-Pratt Company in 1899.

In 1900, William M. Pratt organized the Massachusetts Tool Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Goodell-Pratt, for the purpose of manufacturing machinists’ and precision tools. The operation was capitalized at $25,000, and construction began almost immediately on a building with an eighty by sixty footprint situated on land leased from the Goodell-Pratt Company. Located next door to the G-P plant, Massachusetts Tool was run as a union shop, giving it an edge over its competitors in situations where a customer preferred a supplier with a unionized labor force. (At the time, Starrett and Brown & Sharpe were non-union.) The strategy was not without its pitfalls—relationships between labor and management were prone to seesaw, and the right to display the union label could be withdrawn. Then too, the advantage could be lost if a manufacturer’s competitors improved their labor practices and won union approval. Unable or unwilling to meet the standard union wage, Massachusetts Tool lost the right to International Association of Machinists label in 1910. An ambivalent L. S. Starrett Company lost and recovered the use of the label several times during the first dozen years of the twentieth century.

So the ruler that is attached to the Stanley No.40 is a Goodell-Pratt No.4 9" Ruler. By looking at the dates of the two pieces, I am thinking the two pieces were made in the very early 1900's.

I was excited to find these two pieces and add them to my Patriot Picking collection.

So while you are out and looking around, take time to take it all in and look to see what is there. You never know which treasure is just waiting to be discovered.

I will be back out picking again real soon so look for more items soon.

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John Moody
Site Administratorhttp://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com
“Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.†Shaker Saying

I really like your stories that you put with the tools. Much more interesting than just looking at a tool. Thanks!

Thanks Tom. I like finding the stories to the tools when I can.

Tom Wilcox said:

I really like your stories that you put with the tools. Much more interesting than just looking at a tool. Thanks!

John what a wonderful find. It's amazing what folks will give away for a buck!

The japanning on the actual ruler is in great condition though right? It looks black anyway. By the way, can you tell us what consists of japanning?

How it is done, and how we may be able to redo it?

Thanks for the history lesson John, and thanks for posting this, way cool!

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker

And just to throw aJust a small one, right?    Might even call it a hog LegIf you carry this bad boy around by the head, cops might think you are carrying an old Josey Wales six gun.   One more look at a Monkey WrenchJust laying down on the job.    Also from the old tool boxRemember when a wood handled screwdriver was the only cordless driver around?

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Planer? I'm the 'planer', and these are what I use...