Cook V Gedge

Post date: 01-Nov-2020 00:03:39

Some say Cook, others Gedge.

We’ve all seen these auger bits with their curved cutting lips, some of us may have wondered why some manufacturers refer to them as Cooks Patent bits and others call them Gedges Pattern. To all intents and purposes they are exactly the same.                                               Basically, it’s down to where they were made, USA or UK, American catalogues, such as James Swan 1920,  call them Cook’s Patent,  while in the 1933 Mathiesons of Glasgow catalogue they are Gedges Pattern. 

Cook and Gedge bits with varying pitch  lead screws.             R. Cook 1851 patent drawing.

To clear up the confusion these are the facts.                                                                                                                                                                                      Ransom Cook of Saratoga Springs New York, USA, was granted a patent for a new style of wood auger on 17th June 1851 (US 8162) for “new and useful improvements in boring implements”. In his patent description he says, “The nature of my improvements consist in giving to the lips or cutting edges of boring implements a curved or gouge shape at in connection or combination with the under cutting, or back-sloping of said edges,  in order to give said edges a sliding askew or drawing movement in cutting.”

Meanwhile , in England, John Gedge, describing himself as a Patent Agent,  responsible for a number of inventions as varied as Curry-combs, Letters & Envelopes, Preparation of Leather  to  Adjusting Ladies Dresses,  Billiard Cues and many more. The two gentlemen came to some arrangement to lodge the patent for Cooks new auger bit in the UK, Gedge  does so in August 1854 and the patent is sealed in November 1854.  (GB Pat No 185,401,872). At the outset Gedge acknowledges Cooks involvement stating: “A communication from Mr.Ransom Cook of the United States of America” but uses his own name throughout the rest of the documentation process.  The wording of Gedges patent application and description of the tool is identical in every respect  to that of Ransom Cook. Whether Cook received royalties for his bits made in The UK or Gedge purchased the rights to it from Cook would be interesting to know, I suspect the latter would be the case.

To sum up, Cooks and Gedges auger bits are the same tool made on opposite sides of the Atlantic and we, in Australia, being importers from both countries get to find the two examples quite frequently. 

     My thanks to Andy T. on the UKWORKSHOP forum for his valuable help in researching this project.