Some of you know I've been diligently working on a new tool history site. This came about as a consequence of whatever life changes the AA site owner has been / is experiencing. There have been many revelations and discoveries since he quit editing his AA site, and they've not been captured anywhere but random forum posts and are doomed to be lost unless someone fixes it.
I've spent 3 weeks and 2 days so far on this site, with the help of many folks from here, other sites, and some folks that don't frequent forums. I have a new found respect for just how much effort went into the AA site! We are nowhere near the content they have where they left off, but we're working on it, and we've found many new discoveries already! So, I'd like to invite you to take a look around, register if you feel compelled, and contribute what / when you can. Unlike AA, I've designed this site so any registered member can contribute pictures, knowledge or whatever to any and all of the content, AND WE NEED CONTENT. This way, I feel we will capture a much broader knowledge base and ultimately become THE source for old tool identification, dating, etc. The vast majority of information is in Plomb and Bonney, but we're working other sections as well.
Just this morning I discovered 2 new company acquisitions on the part of Plomb, previously undocumented! Those are under the "Timelines & Case Studies" tab, under the Plomb timeline.
My current project is a "webified" catalog browser where users will be able to explore, sort, combine, discover production dates, etc. of 1,d, 3 or all catalogs at the same time. All catalog data will be stored in tables so, for example, one could select a given socket set, and view it's contents/configuration over it's entire lifespan, all in one spot. By the end of the week, I'll also be adding the capability for anyone to upload their catalog scans as well.
Ladies & Gents, this is a LOT of work and we could use all the help we can get. So, register and post up your knowledge! Last important note: Do NOT copy ANYTHING from the AA site. I humbly request anyone who contributes to respect his wishes, which are to not use ANY of his content.
www.toolarchives.comThanks! Todd.