Item D11 - Cooper’s Inshave (Scorp).
A
tool from the collection of Wm Davis owned tools that was obtained by Hingham,
Mass historian Joseph Richardson, this cooper’s inshave is the largest one that
I’ve seen. Favored today by chair makers for scooping out the seats of Windsor
chairs, in the day this tool would have been used to smooth the inner surfaces
of cask staves after they had been fitted in a hooped barrel. This example has
a good sharp and deep blade curved with a radius of about 6 inches. There is
only minor scattered pitting on the blade, and it is in wonderful condition for
a tool that is over 150 years old. The hand carved handles have large beads at
their bases and are equipped with steel ferrules. The handles are slightly
charred on their upper sides (as befits a genuine cooper’s tool), and one is
marked with Wm Davis’s distinctive stamp (he worked in Hingham from 1829, and
collected all sorts of ship-related tools). With J.R. Richardson’s original tag
and provenance. For use or a collection, this is a superb tool. Easily Good+.
Price - $125.00