Hole Scribe
In 1851, Great Britain staged the first ever global exposition of ingenuity and progress. The inaugural World’s Fair, or as they called it: “The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations”, was an event so spectacular it attracted the likes of Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Lewis Carroll, Samual Colt, and Charles Dickens. This was the year the first total eclipse was photographed, the Library of Congress burned down, Moby Dick was published, and the YMCA opened its doors. Later that same year, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte dissolved the French National Assembly in anticipation of declaring himself Emperor. It was a big year.
A pencil and watercolor sketch of the opening of the Great Exhibition, May 1st, 1851 by Eugene Lami
Of lesser global impact, 1851 was the year Peter Lowentraut, his six siblings, and his mother Anna, were forced to leave Germany and land on the shores of New York on Christmas Day. He and his brother operated a furniture lacquering company until 1859, when it burned to cinders in a great fire. Undaunted, in 1872 he started a second business, called eponymously the P. Lowentraut Mfg. Co., focusing on tool making. The early hole scribe pictured here was his design and we can see his name stamped on the side. The square shank allows for handle attachment while a brad point keeps it centered. The blades do the cutting. It is the perfect tool for making holes in drywall, ceiling tiles, plywood, and acrylic sheets, or simply marking out circles.
Circle cutter in action
At the same time Peter was improving tool design, “rink mania” was taking its hold on America. Seeing opportunity, Peter rather improbably capitalized on the phenomenon and began fashioning skates. He captured at least two patents and even garned an exclusive contract to produce all skates for the Ice Rink Construction Co, making his one of the only Tool and Ice Skate manufacturing centers in the world.
F. Otto, Berlin Skating Club, Jan. 14, 1900 published in “A handbook of figure skating arranged for use on the ice; with over six hundred diagrams and illustrations” by George Henry Browne
Knowledge Sources
Peter Lowentraut – Biographical Encyclopedia Successful Men of New Jersey, Vol 1, 1895 https://brace-whisperer.com/peter-lowentraut/ https://craftsofnj.org/images/sitemedia/toolshed/Tool-Shed-188_06-2017.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_skating https://thehomewoodworker.com/tools-to-make-holes-in-wood/ https://woodworkingformeremortals.com/how-to-cut-perfect-holes-in-wood/ https://www.thehandymansdaughter.com/how-to-cut-a-circle-in-wood/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Exhibition
Image Sources
https://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/taming-the-circle-cutter-the-tool-i-love-to-hate/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_handbook_of_figure_skating_arranged_for_use_on_the_ice;_with_over_six_hundred_diagrams_and_illustrations_(1907)_(14596023919).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eugène_Louis_Lami_-_Opening_of_the_Great_Exhibition,_1_May_1851_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg