A History of the Amateur Woodworking Movement A Decade-by-Decade Narrative of Amateur Woodworking in America From 1900 to 2000 Chapter 7: 1951-1960 An Online Book -- Raymond McInnis -- Amateur Woodworker

 

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Chapter 7:3 1951-1960 Typical workshop space available to amateur woodworkers

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The fragment on the left is taken from Robert J Shiller, an economist at Yale University. The data comes originally from the United States census, but the actual source is not cited. This is an area that I will continue work on, because it is important, when considering the space in the home dedicated to a workshop.

(Source: Robert J Shiller, "Long-Term Perspectives on the Current Boom in Home Prices", Economist's Voice March 2006, page 6.)

On the right is a graph that shows us the upward incline of the square-footage of the average new house, from the 1950s to 2000.

Source: ?

Will cover this in greater detail, but note briefly the post-WW II housing boom resulted in the "attached two-car garage", a spot homeowners soon discovered was perfect for a homeworkshop. 

(Note that needs more follow-up: Earl Raab, Gertrude Jaeger Selznick Major Social Problems Evanston, IL: Row, Peterson and Co.,1959, Page 511

In 1952, for example, "hobbyists spent about $100 million on woodworking tools as ... [C]reativity is not a spigot that can suddenly be turned on at age 65 and retirement..."

Source: Wall Street Journal October 14, 1952, but page number not given. (Raab was President, California Association for Mental Health and Selznick was in the Survey Research Center, University of California Berkeley.)

From a home-built fallout shelter out in the backyard to a pine umbrella stand for the front hallway, do-it-yourself supported projects of every kind. So widespread became the idea of creating, building, modernizing, repairing, and sprucing up things around the home without professional help that Time magazine devoted an August 1954, cover story to the popularity of "doing it yourself." Almost overnight, home workshops from simple to sophisticated became commonplace. The home itself emerged as a primary hobby—its proper upkeep and improvements occupied many a do-it-yourselfer's time. The sales of multipurpose power tools like the Shopsmith, a five-in-one combination woodworking machine introduced in 1947, skyrocketed, creating a new generation of craftsmen. Simpler power devices, like table saws, jigsaws, lathes, and drills also enjoyed surging popularity, along with quality hand tools. By the mid-1950s, power tool sales exceeded $200 million a year, and they continued their stratospheric climb for the remainder of the decade.13 Source: Carolyn M. Goldstein, Do-It-Yourself: Home Improvement in 20th Century America. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1998. page ?.) .... Lumberyards and home supply stores flourished, urging on the public with attractive displays of plywood, free how-to brochures and plans, plus much in-store advice. Husbands saw their shops as male redoubts, even if they got tucked into a closet or a corner of the garage. Advertising emphasized father-son bonding, but seldom did mothers or daughters appear, at least in the idealized workshop. Despite the gender bias found in most depictions of woodworking and carpentry, home improvement and the do-it-yourself craze eventually transcended such barriers when it came to projects outside the confines of the home shop. Not just women's magazines, however, supported the popularity of the do-it-yourself concept. Popular Mechanics, Popular Science Monthly, and Mechanix Illustrated, journals that had long enjoyed a largely male readership, also jumped on the bandwagon. They moved from their traditional articles about science and mechanics to an increasing emphasis on how-to pieces. In no time, they watched their circulations rise. For example, 1951 saw the launch of a magazine called The Family Handyman. Within a few issues, it had attracted over 200,000 readers. The Better Homes and Gardens Handyman's Book, also first published in 1951, quickly soared to number five on some nonfiction lists for the year. Fawcett Publications is-sued a number of magazine-like paperbound books such as How to Use Power Tools and a series of Build It! plan books. One magazine, Profitable Hobbies, stressed making money from projects, an approach that caused some hobbyists to become entrepreneurs—often with the result that lei-sure turned into work. At hobby shows across the country, many home-crafted items could be found for sale, not just for display. (Source: William H Young, The 1950s. Westport, CT: Greenwod Press, 2004, pages 122-124)

How to Plan a Home Workshop is a 56-page pamphlet issued in the 1950s by Delta Manufacturing, located in Milwaukee. The cover includes the info, "Book No. 4541", and indicates the price: 25 cents. Inside we learn that the little book is edited by Ed. Hamilton. Replete with many photos and drawings, diagrams and other types of illustrations, this publication would definitely be a  helpful source for anyone planning a home workshop in the 1950s, or even today.

In this same 56-page booklet on planning your home workshop space, the debate about potential size ranges from 7' X 10' to 9' X 12' to 15' X 20'.

With such evidence, can we argue that considerable credibility exists about the validity of the claim about well-stocked home workshops in the article below?

Pennsylavania School's 'Enrichment' Plan a Marker for Community Knowledge of Numbers of Home Workshops

When lack of "workshop space" for high school students in Chester, PA, became an issue in the 1950s, to accommodate the need for courses like woodworking, the city's l newspaper supported a proposed solution that would not require tax payers to fund new buildings or additions to existing buildings. Instead, the paper noted that

"the Parents' League of the Penncrest Junior and Senior High School, secondary school of the expiring Central Delaware County Joint School District (EMU becomes a union in July), believes it is possible. As the Chester Times states

There is an expandable "classroom" equipped with expert instructors, training aids and libraries, available to every school district in the county at no cost other than a little effort. This classroom is the surrounding community. Who are the instructors? The fathers and mothers of the children attending school. or perhaps their relatives or just concerned neighbors. They are earning livelihoods each day as research physicists and chemists, accountants, biologists (doctors and dentists), teachers, mechanics, skilled technicians, stenographers any endeavor you can mention. What of the equipment and the libraries? Think of the workshops in the basements of talented persons in the neighborhood. Woodworking and machine shop equipment abounds in most. Some go in for electronics, others for chemistry, or perhaps some are operating "ham" radio stations. As for books, each person engaged in a hobby, or studying to further himself at his work, collects the latest books and periodicals on his specialty. Can these resources be made available to the schools? Will persons with special backgrounds volunteer their services, homes and the use of their libraries? Will other citizens volunteer the time necessary to organize and operate such a project, do the stenographic work and maintain enthusiasm? The Parents' League of the Penncrest Junior and Senior High School, secondary school of the expiring Central Delaware County Joint School District (EMU becomes a union in July), believes it IS possible.... Source: Chester (PA) Times 12-05-1957

See Mansfield (OH) News Journal January 17 1954 page 29 for a report and six images of three amateur woodworkers, George Drumm, Mahlon A Judy, and W L Miller, engaging in elaborate woodworking projects.

The article's first sentence declares,

Basement Workshops in Mansfield (OH)

Like millions of other throughout the nation, Mansfield businessmen in all professions are turning to hobbies for relaxation, and one of the most popular is woodworking. In hundreds of homes all over Mansfield basement workshops are becoming the favorite spot for relaxation and few wives are bemoaning the fact that they are "basement widows" because they are finding their husband's hobbies paying dividends. Source: Mansfield (OH) News Journal January 17 1954 page 29

The posting below comes from Mario Dal Fabbro's How to Build Modern Furniture , volume 1, 1957, page 155. (For an extended discussion of Dal Fabbro, click here.)

IN THIS COUNTRY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE SMALL WORK-SHOPS IN THEIR HOMES

is interesting -- and believable -- because of the numbers of amateur woodworkers recorded as members of the National Homeworkshop Guild in the 1930s. Further, Phil Creden -- writing in Collier's Magazine 1953 -- declares:
 

Notice the highlighted sentences in paragraph 1. "

... On the average, there is now one home workshop in every fourth home in every residential block in America. To equip these workshops, homeowners are buy­ing 80 per cent of all the hand tools sold by hardware dealers, and are spending $100,000,000 for power tools this year [1953], compared to $6,000,000

FURNITURE FOR THE HOME CRAFTSMAN IN THIS COUNTRY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE SMALL WORK-SHOPS IN THEIR HOMES, WITH THE NECESSARY TOOLS TO MAKE REPAIRS AND TO BUILD VARIOUS USEFUL OBJECTS. THE MAJORITY OF THESE PEOPLE ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN BUILDING VARIOUS PIECES OF FURNITURE. I HAVE DEVOTED THE LAST 15 PAGES OF THIS BOOK TO A SERIES OF EASY FURNITURE PIECES WHICH THEY CAN MAKE. I HAVE SIMPLIFIED THE METHOD OF PRESENTATION BOTH IN DESIGN AND IN CONSTRUCTION SO THAT THE READERS CAN READILY UNDERSTAND ALL THE PROCEDURES. IT IS POSSIBLE TO BUILD THESE PIECES WITH THE ASSURANCE OF SUCCESS. PROCEDURE AFTER YOU HAVE SELECTED THE PIECE OF FURNITURE YOU WANT TO BUILD, THE NEXT STEP IS TO ORDER THE LUMBER. ONE WAY IS TO COPY A LIST OF THE MATERIALS REQUIRED AND ASK ANY LUMBER DEALER TO CUT THE PIECES FOR YOU. ANOTHER WAY IS TO USE LUMBER CUT IN STANDARD SIZES. IF THE MATERIAL IS PURCHASED IN THE SECOND WAY, IT IS ADVISABLE TO DRAW AN OUTLINE OF THE PIECES DIRECTLY ON THE WOOD. CUT OUT WITH A SAW. PLANE THE SAWED PIECES AND USE A FILE ON THE CURVED SURFACES. MARK AND EXECUTE THE JOINTS OF THE VARIOUS PIECES, CHECKING TO SEE THAT EVERYTHING FITS CORRECTLY. THIS DONE, PROCEED WITH THE ASSEMBLING AS SHOWN IN THE DRAWINGS, USING GLUE AND SCREWS. BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS INDICATED IN THE LEGEND. FINISHING AFTER BUILDING THE PIECE OF FURNITURE, SANDPAPER ALL PARTS FIRST WITH COARSE SANDPAPER AND THEN WITH FINE SANDPAPER, RUBBING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE GRAIN. APPLY A COAT OF FIRZITE AND ALLOW IT TO DRY FOR ABOUT EIGHT HOURS; THEN SANDPAPER THE SURFACE AGAIN. WITH A CLEAN BRUSH APPLY TWO COATS OF SATIN LAC (ALLOWING FOUR HOURS BETWEEN COATS), AND FINISH WITH FURNITURE POLISH.

But, nonetheless, from whence does Mr. Dal Fabbro's figures come? With all my research, I have yet to discover the source. Below is more from Dal Fabbro: 

Rockwell Manufacturing - through its subsidiary, the Delta Manufacturing Divison -- Offers 'A Tool-At-Time' Plan

Uniontown PA Morning Herald : The "tool-at-a-time" plan is aimed at making it easier for home do-it-yourself enthusiasts to assemble a DeItashop. The Deltashop -- a multi­purpose woodworking tool that will do approximately 98 percent of all home workshop operations -- is a new machine announced by the Delta Power Tool Division of Rockwell Manufacturing Company. Available heretofore only as a completely assembled unit, the Deltashop is now available in four separate packages which can be purchased "a-tool-at-a-time" The first of the four packages consists of a tilting arbor circular saw and the basic Deltashop stand to which the three other tools are later attached. These three tools, listed in recommended order of purchase are a jointer-planer a drill press a sander. "Our decision to offer this equipment 'a-tool-at-a-time' is in response to the rapidly-growing 'do-it-yourself' market", F. P. Maxwell, Vice President of Delta Power Tool, said. "Hardware retailers across the country have reported hundreds of instances where homeowners have expressed a desire to own a Delta-shop, but have been unable to make the entire capital outlay at one time. The design of the Delta-shop is such that it lends itself to 'a-tool-at-a-time' sale without any mechanical modification whatsoever". The Deltashop was originally introduced two years ago. Its wide acceptance by home work­shop owners has been predicted on its compactness and on the fact that it consists of four separate power tools -- rather than a series of attachments. Its footprint is approximately three square feet and so engineered that change-over from one tool to another is quick. No changeover is required to move work from the circular saw to the. Jointer, the two most often used tools. Source: Uniontown (PA) Morning Herald April 21, 1955, page 24

The 'Expandable House' What Set Rockwell's Juices Flowing

Rockwell Manufacturing -- of which Delta is a subsidiary -- is closely watching ways in which the corporation can tap into the exploding house building boom. (The housing boom started in the late '40s, and continued into the '50s.)

An FHA loan could help the new owners, but -- for many -- jumping into home ownership was still both "pricey and dicey".

Keeping construction costs down was helped by having future owners agree to move into an unfinished structure, with an understanding that the home's new owners would finish the incompleted parts.

To get started, these new owners needed woodworking tools that they could afford. Buying a Unisaw was -- for the most part -- out of the question, a situation that encouraged instead several options: either a major purchase like the Delta multiplex radial arm saw or the Dewalt radial arm saw. (The latter are domesticated versions of their industrial level cousins, detailed here.) a Shopsmith, which provided an 8" circular saw, a drill press, a disk-sander, a 30-inch lathe. To compete, Rockwell thatought that it needed a Shopsmith-like product.

The result -- pictured here -- was the Deltashop. Hence the Deltashop was launched in 1953, and still being marketed in 1955. However, the Deltashop was not seen by prospective buyers as a logical alternative to the more thoughtfully engineered Shopsmith, and the Deltashop had a short life.

(click here to see the discussion of home-ownership and woodworking.)

Uniontown (PA) Morning Herald Deltashops In Homes Expandable house, which in gaining popularity In the South and Southwest. may soon include power tools as standard equip ment, enabling the man of the house to finish the extra rooms at low cost with a professional touch. The Idea has already been put Into effect in Chicago, Illinois, where Quinn Home Builders has built a 40-home development. Four basic styles of homes are aveilable in the Quinn develop. ment. Two of the models are ex, pandable, and these include the Deltashop as standard equipment. "The expandable home and the Deltashop naturally go together," according to Harry J. Quinn, architect of the homes. "Our homes are built with one or two rooms unfinished so that as the home-owner's family grows and more apace is needed, the house can be 'expanded' by completing the unfinished rooms. The Deltashop gives him a tilting arbor circular saw, drill press, Jointer and disc sand or, yet take up only a three-foot square of floor apace and operates from just one motor." In addition to furnishing a Deltashop, Quinn Builders help the owner even further by providing him with it complete met of plans and sketches, instructions, materials list and estimated cost sheet for completing the rooms. Mr. Quinn estimates that the owner can finish a room for about onetbird of the cost that a builder would have to charge That is because the owner supplies his own labor and does not have the builders overhead costs. "That's where the Deltashop comes in so handily," Mr. Quinn added. "With the Deltashop, the home owner has all the basic power tools needed to complete his home." Source: Uniontown (PA) Morning Herald April 21, 1955, page 22

 

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