Tool Talk

Woodworking Forum => Woodworking Forum => Topic started by: hurler99 on October 19, 2017, 04:26:20 PM

Title: Pre-Sears Craftsman Torpedo Level?
Post by: hurler99 on October 19, 2017, 04:26:20 PM

I have uncovered a torpedo level, 8-1/2" long wood, marked with a curvy Craftsman logo.

It appears to me that this is a pre-1927 Marion Tool Ohio level, but there is so little literature on this era I can't be sure.

Hoping there are a flock of experts to mull this over with me.

Title: Re: Pre-Sears Craftsman Torpedo Level?
Post by: Bill Houghton on October 19, 2017, 06:17:31 PM

Does the logo look kind of like this?
(http://web.archive.org/web/20031003172201im_/http://www.sears.com/images/craftsman/whyCraftsman/1927logo.gif)
If so, it's an early (Sears) Craftsman logo.  It appeared in 1927, but it's not clear to me when Sears moved on to the next logo.

I can't see the level very well, but it looks like a wooden body with metal on top and bottom; is that right?  Cool design, if so.

Title: Re: Pre-Sears Craftsman Torpedo Level?
Post by: bill300d on October 19, 2017, 10:14:52 PM

Hopfully it's not a repro.  They produced some of tools with the logo from that era back a bunch of years, I just don't remember when. 

Title: Re: Pre-Sears Craftsman Torpedo Level?
Post by: hurler99 on October 20, 2017, 06:57:07 PM

Aluminum top, wood bottom.

The Sears I saw like this had two horizontal levels (one each end) which made me think this was different.

I also remember seeing a comment (can't find it now) that somehow the curved Craftsman was changed to add "TOOLS" when Sears bought the name.

Title: Re: Pre-Sears Craftsman Torpedo Level?
Post by: hurler99 on October 25, 2017, 04:14:14 PM

Sorry my photos are so small, just figuring that out. Here is a larger photo of the logo.

Title: Re: Pre-Sears Craftsman Torpedo Level?
Post by: bill300d on October 25, 2017, 04:51:01 PM

Here is a portion of a page from the 1930 catalog