Issue No. 50 - Published March 1, 1890

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My father is not a watchmaker. This is no failing on his part, of course, but it remains a pertinent fact. What my father happens to be, among other things, is a tool fiend. He takes after me in this regard. Consequently, I have been exposed to tools all my life.

Now to some of us, the word "fiend" in "tool fiend" can be used interchangeably with "hoarder" so it should come as no surprise that my father owned quite a few more tools than he could use with any degree of regularity. He was like the crazy cat lady of contemporary myth. How did she get so many cats? Well after about five or six anyone who wanted to get rid of a cat sent it her way. Thus explains my father's in-home orphanage for wayward tools.

This was great for me. At a very young age I learned how to be an abject terror in my father's workshop. His solution was to build me a little bench of my own; boy-sized vise, eggbeater drill, diminutive saws, you get the idea. This only made things worse. I got into everything that wasn't mine and probably ruined quite a few things.

I also questioned my dad ceaselessly about the super mystery tools. Somewhere along the way he'd acquired a number of things that, frustratingly, neither of us could figure out. To this day they stand out in my memory.

Pop kept one of these on a high shelf in a little leather-covered box. Naturally the box was all beat up on the outside. Lifting the lid revealed an exquisite work in brass and steel nestled in some immaculate, close-fitting purple velvet. Finding it as a child was the very essence of discovering magical treasure. For years though it sat in its box doing absolutely nothing because neither of us had the foggiest idea what it was for. It might as well have been something that fell off the supply truck on its way to Fermilab. Enter Work No. 50.
Put another way: It helps you to determine the correct spacing for gear axles and then functions like dividers so you can scribe the layout on your watch plate. Seeing this in use will really drive the point home, so to speak.

It turns out the advent of a new information age and about two decades worth of patience is nothing without the right search terms. The really funny thing is that I happen to be doing some light clock work right now in my personal shop. I could actually use a depthing tool these days ("depthening" appears to be either antiquated or British or both).

I wrote Dad yesterday about my findings. I have no doubt he'll remember the mystery box. I just hope he can find it after all these years. It would appear that I'm still in the business of raiding my dad's shop. — TIM





Disclaimer: Articles in Work: The Illustrated Weekly Journal for Mechanics describe materials and methods that would not be considered safe or advisable today. We are not responsible for the content of these magazines, and cannot take any responsibility for anyone attempting projects or procedures described therein.

The first issue of Work was published on March 23rd, 1889. The goal of this project is to release digital copies of the individual issues starting on the same date in 2012, effectively republishing the materials 123 years to the day from their original release.

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