ogue as source material, is seen in Chandler and
Farquhar's illustrated pamphlet of 1900. Their advertisement for
Barber's improved ratchet brace (fig. 66), a tool much admired by the
Centennial judges, amply illustrates the evolution of design of a basic
implement present in American society since the first years of
settlement. The Barber brace represents the ultimate sophistication of a
tool, achieved through an expanded industrial technology rather than by
an extended or newly found use for the device itself. It is a prime
example of the transition of a tool from Moxon to its perfected form in
the 20th century:

These Braces possess the following points of superiority: The Sweep
is made from Steel; the Jaws are forged from Steel; the Wood Handle
has brass rings inserted in each end so it cannot split off; the
Chuck has a hardened Steel antifriction washer between the two
sockets, thus reducing the wear. The Head has a bearing of steel
balls, running on hard steel plates, so no wear can take place, as
the friction is reduced to the minimum. The Brace is heavily
nickel-plated and warranted in every particular. We endeavor to
make these goods as nearly perfection as is possible in durability,
quality of material and workmanship, and fineness and beauty of
finish.[27]

[Illustration: Figure 65.--1900: AMERICAN PLANEMAKERS had been cited at
the Philadelphia Centennial as having introduced a dramatic change in
the nature of the tool. Although wood-bodied planes continued to be
used, they were outdated and in fact anachronistic by the close of the
19th century. From the 1870's forward, it was the iron-bodied plane,
most frequently Bailey's, that enlivened the trade literature.
(Catalogue of Chandler and Farquhar, Boston, 1900. Smithsonian photo
55798.)]

[Illustration: Figure 66.--1900: FEW TOOLS SUGGEST MORE CLEARLY the
influence of modern industrial society upon the design and construction
of traditional implements than Barber's ratchet brace. It is not without
interest that as the tools of the wood craftsman became crisply
efficient, his work declined correspondingly in individuality and
character. The brace and the plane, as followed from Moxon through the
trade literature of the late 19th century, achieved perfection in form
and operation at a time when their basic functions had been usurped by
machines. (Catalogue of Chandler and Farquhar, Boston, 1900. Smithso