Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

Woodworker's tool chest: drill bits

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  • These drill bits were contained in a tool chest belonging to woodworker Jesse Bryson Stalcup. Countersink bits are used to drill a hole so that the head of a bolt or screw will rest flush with the surface of the wood. The countersinks in the middle back row are stamped "Germany" "Hilger Ksohne" Gimlet bits come in a variety of designs and are used in a hand brace for drilling holes in wood. The gimlets pictured here are the five bits on the left side of the front row. Reamer bits are used to slightly enlarge holes. The two reamer bits on the right front are stamped "Keene" and "T & R." The two drill bits, center front, are stamped "Belknap Bluegrass." Stalcup was a skilled carpenter, millwright, and woodworker who worked in and around Waynesville, N.C., Macon County, N.C., and Hiawassee, Ga., circa 1880s-1930. The chest contains a variety of woodworking tools typically used by craftsmen in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.