Farm Shop Booklet

[Jim Koepke]

This is from 1942. A member from another board sent me the scanned pages of this booklet, thought others might like to see a couple of the images.

The price list is sure to make some of us cry:

166744

Here is a shot of the front cover showing the bench and shop tool board:

166743

jtk

[David Weaver]

Excellent list. I don't get so much out of the level of the prices, because I can't see them adjusted with real inflation, but the relative difference of prices between certain items is really interesting when you compare it to something today.

I'll bet, though, that even with inflation adjustment (which has its own bias issues and is just a ballpark), a lot of those high quality tools wouldn't be seen for a similar price now.

(the BLS says $13.40 as a multiplier of those prices to get to today's prices, but it does ingore the fact that we all have more discretionary income as a percentage of gross earnings).

Confirmation of the price levels - the inflation adjusted price of the 5C is still only $46.90. How's that for a barfer!

More examples, the saw files are about $2 in today's values, and they're probably better files. I wish I could find them for that!
* A little less than $68 for the four everlasting chisels, new
* $6 for the mallet
* $93.80 for the brace bits, which looks high until you compare it to the cost of new brace bits
* about $42 each for the high quality carpenter's saws....wow



Thanks for sharing it.

[Gil Knowles]

Jim
Interesting, would not mind getting a set of chisels at those prices today. To put it in perspective the average salary was $2,400. per year, min. wage 0.30 cents per hour, coke 5 cents and gas 19 cents per gallon.

[george wilson]

The framing square back in those days had a precision ground edge. Today,they are left as chomped out with the shear. look at old framing squares in flea markets. If you are lucky enough to find an old one that has ground edges,buy it and don't loan it out so it can't get dropped off a roof.