A Brief History of the Wooden Machinist Tool Chests
Old-Style Machinist Tool Chests
Old-Style wooden tool chests that were being manufactured in the late 19th and early 20th century were heavy, bulky, ornate, had handles at each end and were not considered portable. They were most generally called Chests. When loaded with tools it took 2 men to move them. What set a machinist tool chest apart from standard tool chests was the fact of having drawers. One added wide drawer could qualify, but 2 to 4 was a sure thing. There were three major manufacturers of the Old-Style machinist tool chests.
In 1899 the R. Bliss Mfg. Co. in Pawtucket, RI, introduced their Machinist and Jewelers Tool Chest line.
In 1901 C. E. Jennings & Co. in NY, NY, introduced their Machinist or Jewelers Tool Chest.
In 1902 Goodnow & Wightman in Boston, MA, introduced their, THE “ACME”, Machinist and Jewelers Tool Chest line. (Theirs may have been built by R. Bliss, very similar features).
Portable Machinist Tool Chests or Cases
The whole portable industry started off manufacturing machinist tool cases (no top storage till). The name of Case or Chest was used interchangeably. Through the years an industry definition arose for a Chest having a top opening lid with an upper storage compartment, called a till. A Case is defined as having a solid top, no till. ‘The’ Guide uses this definition.
In 1907 it appears that Union Tool Box Co. were the first ones to transition from the Old-Style Chests to Portable Machinist Tool Cases with just a top single carrying handle. Here’s the reasoning – Old-Style chests did not have any small half-drawers above the lower wide-drawers, neither did Union Tool Box Co. Old-Style chests were typically dimensioned with inside dimensions, not outside, so were Union Tool Box Co.’s. Old-Style chests were NOT offered with leather or leatherette coverings, neither were Union Tool Box Co.’s. Old-Style chests used 5/8” thick body boards, so did Union Tool Box Co.
Hammacher Schlemmer & Co. and H. Gerstner & Sons were the first and only companies to mount a mirror on the inside surface of the removeable front panel on cases. You ask why a mirror ? – most any reasonable answer will work. Here's what one manufacturer advertised - "Larger sizes have towel, comb and personal belongings compartment in top, with a mirror on underside of cover".
H. Gerstner & Sons were the first company to offer leatherette covering on cases and their cases were the smallest.
In 1910 Wedell & Boers were the first company to offer chests. Their first model was a 7 drawer ‘Machinist Tool Chest’. This chest design became an industry standard. It had a diamond shaped mirror mounted on the inside surface of the lid. It also featured what I call a ‘full front panel’. This means that the bottom of the panel set in or on the bottom board of the chest and its top locked to the lower edge of the lid’s front board when closed.
In 1914 Pilliod Lumber Co. was the first manufacturer to build a chest with what I call a ¾ front panel. This means that the bottom of the removeable front panel sat in or on the bottom board of the chest and its top locked to the bottom of the till’s face board. All the chest manufacturers eventually switched to this design.
In July of 1914 WW1 started and lasted into Nov. 1918. This was a boom for the machinist industry making war equipment.
Around 1915 a ‘secondary’ marketing market had opened up. Tool manufacturers-suppliers and some hardware catalog companies in the tool supply business, figured out they could sell their own brand of machinist tool chest. These companies ordered a manufacturer’s standard unit and had their own nameplate installed. Sears Craftsman, 1945-49, was the most notable one. Here’s another example – J. M. Waterston “The Home of Good Tools”, Detroit. In their catalogs they offered machinist tool chests and cases in the late teens and early 20’s with J. M. Waterston nameplates. However, Wedell & Boers, Pilliod and Union were the actual manufacturers. In the late 20’s they offered the same plus some Gerstner’s, which had the H. Gerstner & Sons nameplate, not J. M. Waterston. I have no idea as to the actual numbers of secondary suppliers, but there were quite a few. These companies did not publish tool chest brochures, they were listing and selling out of their own catalogs. Look at how misleading this companies name is, Pauwen Tool Case & Mfg. Co., Chicago IL, were selling tool cases in 1917 that were actually standard products of Pilliod Lumber Co., but they had the Pauwen nameplate, as if Pauwen had actually manufactured them.
Take a look at National Cabinet Co.’s brochure. Notice the ‘SPECIAL CASES AND CHESTS’ box at the center, bottom. They would, of course, make thousands for other suppliers.
Other machinist tool chest supply companies contracted out the manufacturing of their product. You may run across a chest or case that we, nor anybody else, can identify or date. The reason being that these companies contracted with companies like Pilliod Lumber Co. or The Pilliod Co., National Cabinet Co., American Chest Co., Malen Tool Box Mfg. Co., SIPCO, Erwin Grottke Co. or others to have their own chest or case manufactured. The contracting companies do legally qualify as manufacturers and their nameplates may state so. With or without a nameplate, there isn’t any way we can identify those manufacturers, the records are simply lost and/or not available.
Around 1955 all the wood machinist tool chest manufacturers had gotten out of the business, except one – H. Gerstner & Sons Inc. They are still doing the same business today in the same 1914 location. Smart business practices paid off.