The Internet Craftsmanship Museum Presents:

Paul Hamler

Miniature vintage woodworking tools

Paul displays one of his miniature tools at the 2003 Cabin Fever show in York, PA. (Click photo for larger image.)

The best of the past brought back to life in limited editions of finely crafted miniature tools

From an article for the Tool Shed, the newsletter of CRAFTS (Collectors of Rare and Familiar Tools Society)

By David J. Nowicki

I was first introduced to Paul Hamler and his miniature tools in 1990 at the MW-TCA Spring meeting held in Reading, Pa. I had seen hand-made miniature tools before, but never like these. Paul's were amazing in both their quality and detail.  He had truly elevated this craft to new heights. These miniature works of art are actual working tools, constructed with an exactness that is unexpected in something so small, and truly have to be seen to be believed. 

Paul comes from a family of craftsmen, his father was a carpenter and according to Paul, could work in any craft and fix anything. As a teen, Paul began a lifelong interest in the game of billiards and developed his craftsmanship by building billiard tables and selling them in order to, what else, acquire more tools. When asked how he got started with miniatures he relates a story familiar to most of us— "after I collected most of the common stuff, I started collecting the exotics…." And when faced with the financial realities of owning some of these rare tools, he decided that making copies of them might be a way to "own" those he couldn't afford. His first miniature was a plated brace he had seen in an old tool catalog that just happened to be illustrated in one-third scale. It was completed in 1980 and he brought it to a tool show in Memphis, TN where he showed it to Don Wood, another miniature toolmaker.With Don's assistance, Paul picked up the essentials that a budding tool maker needed to develop his skills and it was at that time that Paul realized there might be a market for his miniatures.

When Paul began making his miniatures one of the first things he had to learn was investment casting, better known as the "lost-wax" process, to create some of the metal parts. While deciding on a list of items he would need, a chance call to a company who made casting tools and supplies connected him with the company's president. The ensuing conversation resulted in a visit to Paul's shop and where Paul got a first hand education in the art of casting and further inspiration. 

Lost wax casting starts with the creation of a rubber mold of the item to be copied. The mold is filled with a special wax that takes on all the detail of the original model. An additional piece of wax, called a "sprue", is added to the wax mold to create a channel through which the molten metal can be poured. This assembly is placed in a flask into which the plaster-like investment compound is poured and left to cure. The wax mold and sprue are removed under high heat, which melts the wax but leaves the detail and creates the final casting mold.  Although very labor intensive, this method of casting provides an extremely high level of detail.

As for materials, Paul uses brass, bronze, silver and gold for casting, steel for blades and screws, with ebony, rosewood, boxwood, beech and ivory, all used just as they were in the original tools.

In addition to his miniature tools, Paul has crafted three full-sized planes. The first was a copy of Stanley's No. 212 scraper plane, which can be identified by the HT (Hamler Tools) logo in place of the Stanley logo. Next, was the exquisite John Mosely ivory plow plane, which was thought to have been created for the 1855 Paris Exposition. The original was "discovered" in the workshop of the Record-Ridgeway Tool Company in London, and was put on display in the company's main office only to disappear again a short time later. This plane was made from elephant ivory and elaborately engraved along the body, wedge and fence. Also, sadly, somewhere along the way the arms had been shortened on the original, probably so it would fit into a toolbox. Paul made five full sized copies and two 1/3-scale miniatures, all using pre-ban ivory with sterling silver fittings. 

The third plane, a working copy of Charles G. Miller's No. 50 plow plane, patented in 1872, is certainly one of the most beautifully detailed planes ever manufactured. Paul's limited edition of 500, in bronze, are actually nicer looking than the originals since the details in his castings are deeper and have better definition. The Miller's Patent plane took Hamler more than 18 months to develop, working mostly from photographs. 

A short-list of the miniature tools he has made are: marking gauges, in both ivory and ebony, a rosewood plow plane with ivory tips and nuts, the Marcus Tidey beveling plane, a Stratton Bros. brass-bound level in rosewood, a number of Stanley planes, including transitionals. The Sargent "lady bug" plane, a Sandusky center-wheel plow plane, the Millers patent plane and a Marples "Ultimatum" brace in ebony are all part of his output. Paul's most recent work includes two Davis Level and Tool Co. inclinometer levels, the 12 inch "filigree" and the familiar "mantle clock", both with working inclinometers.

With each new creation Paul seems to challenge himself further by "raising the bar" to increase the quality of his work and as Paul says, "the fun part is figuring out how to do it". At the recent Brown Tool Sale and Auction in Harrisburg, PA Paul displayed prototypes of three of his recent projects: a Kinney's patent marking gauge, consisting of 35 individual parts, a Disston and Morss, Fisher Patent bevel with 32 parts and a very elaborate foot powered scroll saw, based on the Seneca Falls "Fleetwood" model. 

For himself, Paul is constructing a miniature working model of a Bridgeport milling machine, which when completed will stand only nine inches tall. Also he's just completed a miniature of the elaborately engraved Colt Firearms powder flask for a friend who makes miniature Kentucky long rifles.

The days of tedious filing and fitting, once required to finish the many pieces which make up his miniatures, are coming to a close since Paul introduced Computer Numeric Controlled or CNC machines to take up the slack. He has three lathes and three milling machines run by two computers along with a Computer Aided Design or CAD program to provide the fixturing and machining chores. A total of 22 separate machines are housed in Paul's shop, which is less than 600 square feet.

 

Paul's 600 square-foot workshop in the Georgia woods is packed with tools and materials. On the right is Paul's new 1800 square-foot workshop, which will soon be the new home for his operation. (Click each photo for a larger image.)

Paul Hamler has developed a significant following for his limited edition miniatures and most pieces sell out very quickly.  He's the only tool collector I know of who can boast of carrying his entire collection in a briefcase. He also hosts a blog on miniature tools at www.hamlertools.blogspot.com.

Here are several examples of Paul Hamler's work:

(Click photos for larger images.)

Paul carries his models to shows in a custom made wooden attaché case.
Here's a recent shot of the same case at the Cabin Fever show in 2003. Note the saws tucked into the flap on the lid of the case.
A closer shot of the same case.
A Davis level atop a dollar bill gives a good idea of the small size and level of detail of Paul's work.
A John Mosley plow plane exhibits a lot of engraving detail. Obviously this type of tool comes from an era when a craftsman was really proud of his tools. This is one of only five 1/3 scale models Paul made from pre-ban ivory.
Powder flasks in various sizes are compared to the Davis level from a couple of photos above.

A plane made from brass and dark hardwood sits among many tools in Paul's case.
Another close-up of tools in Paul's case.
A separate glass-covered display case houses some of Paul's spokeshaves, powder horns and an ornate slotting plane.
A Charles G. Miller Patent plane sits in the display box with a quarter for size scale at the Cabin Fever show.
Here's a photo of the original full-size Miller Patent plane for comparison. Considering its tiny size, the model above captures an amazing amount of the original's fine detail.
A wooden block plane.
A pattern master for casting the brass fence for the Miller plane.
Some of Paul's past products.
More past projects in another case.
A folding ruler is exhibited next to one of Paul's planes.
Paul's newest piece is the beautifully painted 7.5:1 Dirago treadle scroll saw. The original was manufactured in Maine in 1854, and Paul's small model captures every detail of the fine castings despite the fact that it stands only about 5" tall.
Another treadle scroll saw by Fleetwood of Wilmington, DE from about 1884 also shows fine casting detail, this time left in natural brass and wood. This model is also in the scale of 7.5:1
A Stanley #45 Type 4 multi-plane is modeled after the full size original which was used to shape wooden mouldings. It was aparently named the #45 because it had 45 differnt shapes of cutters that could be used with it. T
Paul's model of the Stanley Type 4 is done in 1/3 scale and captures all the fine detail of the original full-size prototype.
This view of the Stanley Type 4 is from an angle often shown it catalogs when the original was advertised. In those days a good craftsman expected his tools to last a lifetime, and the care and ornate decoration put into them reflect the importance he put on quality in both his tools and his work.
With tongue firmly in cheek, Paul presented the Foundation's collection with one of his fun pieces, which he calls "the Original Rabbit Plane." It actually is a tiny functional plane, and while it might not be very ergmetric, it is certainly charming. A quarter shows the small size.

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