c.1890s Machinists Supply Co Chicago Industrial Tool Trade Catalog Book For Sale

An original trade catalog from the Machinists Supply Co. of Chicago, U.S.A., this volume documents the tools, machinery, and industrial supplies marketed to machinists, railways, mills, and mining operations at the turn of the twentieth century. Issued by the firm from its address at 16 and 18 South Canal Street, Chicago, the catalog combines detailed technical information with price lists, making it both a historical record of American industry and a practical reference for anyone interested in vintage machine tools and shop practice.

Inside, the catalog outlines terms of sale, pricing policies, and shipping arrangements before moving into extensive listings of equipment and parts. Pages are filled with tables, specifications, and concise descriptions designed for working machinists and purchasing agents. It highlights the company’s role as a distributor for leading manufacturers of the era and reflects the growth of heavy industry, railroads, and metalworking in Chicago and across the United States.

• Title: Machinists Supply Co. Catalog (Machinists, Railway, Mill and Mining Supplies, Tools and Machinery)
• Publisher: Machinists Supply Co., 16 & 18 South Canal Street, Chicago, U.S.A.
• Approximate Date: Late 19th / early 20th century (company established 1882, incorporated 1885)
• Format: Hardcover trade catalog with printed boards and cloth backstrip
• Language: English
• Subjects: Machining, industrial tools, machine shop practice, railway and mining equipment, technical trade catalog

• Comprehensive listings of machinists’ tools, railway, mill, and mining supplies, and shop equipment.
• Detailed tables of screws and screw threads with U.S. Standard dimensions and across-flats measurements.
• Sections on the sizing and cutting of gear wheels, giving formulas and step-by-step instructions.
• Price lists for dies, collets, chucks, vises, drills, lathes, and many other specialized components.
• Manufacturer index naming prominent makers whose products the firm carried, offering a snapshot of the period tool market.
• Valuable reference for historians, industrial archaeologists, restoration specialists, and collectors of vintage machine tools and catalogs.

• Terms, Prices, Shipments: credit policies, shipping routes, and return procedures.
• Manufacturers Represented: multi-page list of tool and machine companies whose lines are stocked.
• Screws and Screw Threads: pitch and diameter tables, double-depth thread data, and hex/square size charts.
• Gear Cutting: explanations of diametral pitch, circular pitch, and formulas for determining blank sizes and tooth counts.
• Specialty Tools & Supplies: drills, reamers, taps and dies, chucks, vises, files, emery wheels, pipe machines, lathes, and more.

Antiquarian condition with significant wear to covers and spine fraying. Interior pages show age-toning and minor foxing but remain legible.

An impressive surviving example of a Chicago industrial supply catalog, this volume offers a rich look at the tools and techniques that powered American machining, rail, and mining industries. It is ideal for collectors of early technical literature, students of industrial history, and anyone who appreciates original trade catalogs as working documents of engineering and manufacturing practice.