About
How this archive is made
A record of tools, written from published sources and checked before it is cited.
Every entry follows the same plan: what the tool is, how it works, its parts and variants, the standards it is made to, how to use it safely and keep it, and a dated history with an analysis of why it took its form.
Sources are primary where they exist: patents, standards bodies, manufacturers’ own catalogs, museum collections, archaeological literature, government data and period trade manuals. Every address cited was fetched and read before it was used. Wikipedia is a lead and never the only source. These 87 entries cite 757 distinct sources.
Where sources disagree about an inventor, a date or a place, each account is shown with who makes it. Where something is not known, the entry says so under its gaps; nothing is filled in.
Quality is judged only where there is evidence to judge by: published tests, specifications, standards, injury or recall data. The basis is stated beside the judgment. Where a question is one of preference, every camp is shown.
No retailer or affiliate links appear in the reference pages. Trades are grounded in the US Department of Labor’s O*NET occupational database.
Status
This is the first build, made from the research branch as it stood on November 5, 2026. Not yet written: kits, arguments, standards comparisons, makers, history eras, the WorldSkills ledger, glossary, technique essays, the frontier and Not a Tool. Engraved plates for each tool are specified but not yet made.