E.Preston & Sons Spokeshave
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I just cleaned up a lovely little Edward Preston & Sons spokeshave, but can’t seem to find much information about this particular one, have any of you folks come across one before?
Edward Preston were in operation during the 19 thC and then up to about 1932, when they were taken over by Rabone and Co. for their and Rules and Hampton (who later became Record) hived off the tools. The name then disappeared, but some of their tools were excellent, very original design and still command good prices.
A long monograph was published just this year on the subject of Preston Spokeshaves by Joseph Stanus in the USA.
Iron Spokeshaves and Related Tools Manufactured by Edward Preston & Sons – Joseph Stankus
ISBN: 9781735004204I believe that it is a self-published book, but it’s obtainable from bookshops.
Also, information here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Preston_%26_Sons
Your shave was probably being used before the First World War……
Thank you, I wasn’t aware of the catalogue but I have now ordered a copy. Hopefully I’ll find some more information on it in there even if not it’ll be interesting to read
There is also a Catalogue of all Preston gear from May, 1909, reprinted by the Astragal Press……. it covers all their products that were sold at that time, including the prices in Pounds, Shillings and pence.
I think that it can still be bought.
The spokeshave is a Preston No. 1374 which was made between 1900 and 1932.
BTW – I am the author of the book that was mentioned in one of the previous posts.
The paperback edition of the book is discounted on the US Amazon site. I do not know why, but it is currently less than half price.
Cheers,
Joe
The spokeshave is a Preston No. 1374 which was made between 1900 and 1932.
BTW – I am the author of the book that was mentioned in one of the previous posts.
The paperback edition of the book is discounted on the US Amazon site. I do not know why, but it is currently less than half price.
Cheers,
Joe
Thanks for confirming Joe, it’s really a very nice spokeshave. Unfortunately in the UK so can’t take advantage of the offer, though I’ve added your book to my Waterstones wish list đź‘Ť
I received my copy of Joe’s book on Preston shaves from Amazon today and–WOW!–what a great piece of work. This is certain to be THE standard reference to the bewildering array of Preston spoke shaves, sash shaves,quirk routers, stringing routers etc. If any of you guys have even the slightest interest in these tools you should order a copy NOW before the book goes out of print.
Thanks for the Amazon tip , Joe! You’ve done a great job.
Dave
Hi Dave,
Thank you for the kind words. As part of my research, I have identified 158 unique Preston shaves and have acquired 140 of these. Most of the unique shaves that I have are illustrated in the book. I have added several to my collection since the publication of the book. Only one significant variation has been discovered in the last year. The new variation is a No. 1392 with green cellulose paint.
I published the book through Ingram Spark, which allows small orders. As such, I do not think the book will go out of print; however, I think it may be harder to order as Amazon may not continue to stock copies of the book. The Amazon UK site indicates that the paperback edition currently ships in 1 to 2 months. I assume that this means Amazon orders a copy from Ingram Spark when someone purchases a copy. I would not be surprised to see this occur on other Amazon sites.
For those who are not comfortable with a long shipping estimate from Amazon, you can send me a private message and I can have a book printed and sent directly to you. Ingram Spark has printing facilities in UK, USA, and Australia. The estimated printing time varies daily. I should be able to query Ingram Spark to get an estimate.
Cheers,
Joe
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