# Craftsman Chisels made by Winchester?



## bentontool (Dec 8, 2018)

I have a few "Craftsman" chisels that are exactly shaped like those made by Winchester... you know... the Winchester chisels that are shaped like "slicks" with the handles angled up to give clearance for paring... anyone have info on this topic? If they were made by Winchester, perhaps we should not snub them...
NOTE- not all Craftsman Chisels were made in this pattern. Although, most were chrome-plated. I suspect that Craftsman Chisels were made by various manufacturers.


----------



## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

> I suspect that Craftsman Chisels were made by various manufacturers.


Years ago, I had a customer in SC that made Craftsman power tools.

I would venture that Winchester contracted it out like Craftsman, probably to the same manufacturer. Winchester brought out a line of archery equipment but don't know who made that for them. FWIW, as an example, Murray-Ohio made Craftsman riding mowers- saw them on the assembly line, gray right behind the red.


----------



## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Winchester manufactured many different tools, there is a 1923 catalogue here:

http://www.blackburntools.com/articles/rose-tools-catalog-archives/pdfs/winchester-1923-catalog.pdf

I also have a Winchester fishing reel listed here:

https://vintageinternetpatents.com/sports.html#fishing


----------



## tbruce (Jan 13, 2019)

Winchester went into the hardware business for a short time following World War I. According to Wikipedia, the idea was to put some of the production capacity they'd built during the war to use making consumer goods -- tools and general-line hardware were among the things they made. Winchester-branded hand planes are not exactly scarce, but not common either. It's likely the chisels were made by Simmons Hardware company; they had some deals for a while; Craftsman outsourced pretty much everything they made (a lot of their planes were made by Sargent, for example). Anyway, I find the bought-from-the-same-third-party theory likely....


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Craftsman doesn't manufacture anything. They bid out what ever product they sell to what ever manufacturer can do the work for the best price. You may never find out specifically who made the chisels. It could have even been more than one company. I'm would imagine sears kept the patent for the design.


----------



## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

Sears/Craftsman changed suppliers more often than Elizabeth Taylor changed husbands. The job went to the lowest bidder.


----------

