Marples Trade Mark History

[Jim Koepke]

While I was out and about today I saw a thrift shop with a going out of business sign.

Stopped in and saw a lot of junk that was priced a little high even with the 30% discount. A Stanley type 9, rusty blade, broken tote and lever cap, chip out of corner of mouth was priced $29.99.

A few items were found that looked like they would be priced OK. One spoon type bit 1/4 inch, one 1/2 inch doweling bit and a countersink, about 3/4" that is marked W. Marples & Sons with a triple Shamrock. It turns out the tang on the countersink is too big to fit into a regular brace.

I have been trying to figure out if there is any significance to the marking to enable dating of the tool. Just spent some time on a search and found a lot of family information and some amazing tales about affairs between different members of the Marples' family.

Have not found anything to help with dating of their tools or trade marks.

Anyone here have any ideas or links to information?

Not really sure if this tool should be kept or if it should be offered for sale on eBay.

My accumulation of countersinks is beginning to become respectable. Of course, some work better than others.

Gee, maybe a picture should be taken.

jim

[Jim Koepke]

Here is a picture of the countersinks and some of the other odd tools in my accumulation.

the odd looking one in the center below the odd duck above is just a shell countersink and has an 187? patent date. I should have written down the makers names.

That can be edited in later.

The wife is waiting for me to do something right now.

jim

[Mark Stutz]

I've got a couple of those countersinks, but they need sharpening, and I haven;t tried it yet. Any suggestions? sandpaper wrapped aroung a tongue depressor?

Mark

[Johnny Kleso]

Small Arkansas stones called Files can help with sharpening tasks.. Even the small diamond card files might work..

[Jim Koepke]

Slip stones come in handy for this kind of thing. Slip stones and a lot of time.

The more neander one wonders, the more sharpening methods one must employ.

jim

[ralph cox]

:)Jim,you must go to the same FM I do; my reamer/countersink collection looks just about like yours! I keep picking up more, so I can justify all the braces I've accumulated! Isn't that how the slope works? Now you have to find a brace to fit the bit:D! In my internet meanderings re: Record/Marples connection I believe there was mention of a shamrock logo (early 20th cent ?),sorry I can't be more specific,been a while. Regards ralph

[Wiley Horne]

Jim,

Regarding Marples trademarks, here's an excerpt from message number 75463 on OLDTOOLS, by Tony Blanks:

"The shamrock mark was used by Wm Marples when trading alone before 1860
(1820 - 1862), then by Wm Marples and Sons from 1862 up until the firm
ceased trading in its own right in the early 1960s. The company was then
bought up and split up between C J Hampton (Record) and Wridgeways, who
very shortly after were amalgamated as Record-Wridgeway and started to go
through some very rough times. The Marples name is still on a lot of stuff
made by Record Wridgeway, but I haven't seen the shamrock mark on any of
those tools."

Hope this helps (a little anyway).

Wiley

[Jim Koepke]

"The shamrock mark was used by Wm Marples when trading alone before 1860
(1820 - 1862), then by Wm Marples and Sons from 1862 up until the firm
ceased trading in its own right in the early 1960s. The company was then
bought up and split up between C J Hampton (Record) and Wridgeways, who
very shortly after were amalgamated as Record-Wridgeway and started to go
through some very rough times. The Marples name is still on a lot of stuff
made by Record Wridgeway, but I haven't seen the shamrock mark on any of
those tools."

Hope this helps (a little anyway).

Wiley

Yes, it does help, thanks.

In what I found, there were at least 6 tool makers doing business using variations of the Marples name. Wm. Marples, R. Marples and J. Marples just to name a few.

They were all related according to some information.

Some brothers were in partnerships and then broke apart into separate companies. One brother ran off with another brother's wife. This lead the spurned brother to take up a life at sea. One time when his ship came into port in South America (iirc), he and some of the other sailors when to the local house of ill repute only to be greeted by the madam who was his former wife.

There is still a Joseph Marples tool maker that has been in the same family for 6 or 7 generations. All of the owners with the name Joseph Marples. The current owner also has a son named Joseph, so time will tell.

Also found the name was Marpple, but writing conventions and other historical occurrences caused the name to morph into Marples.

Interesting what one finds when one looks for an answer to a simple question.

Found all kinds of things but a reference to the dates for the trade marks.

Thanks Wiley,

jim