Antique Try Square by Manual Training Tool Co. | 6-Inch Steel Blade, Brass-Edged Rosewood Stock – Early 1900s Classroom Tool

For the educator … a vintage 6-inch try square by the Manual Training Tool Co. of Sheffield, dating to 1900-1925.  Featuring a steel blade, brass-edged rosewood stock, and painted diamond markings, it bears the visible scars of long service in the classroom. Once used to teach generations of boys the basics of joinery, it now stands as a tangible link to the history of woodworking education.

The Manual Training Tool Co. was one of a number of Sheffield firms catering specifically to the late Victorian and Edwardian “manual training” movement, which sought to instill practical skills through woodworking and metalworking classes in schools. The movement emphasized discipline, accuracy, and self-reliance, and British schools adopted it enthusiastically from around 1890 into the 1920s.  

The company supplied saws, planes, and squares to school workshops across Britain, ensuring that thousands of young craftsmen-in-training had sturdy, dependable tools in hand.  Tools like this one, now rare because they were so often discarded, reflect a fascinating chapter of UK social history—the effort to integrate craft into education at the turn of the 20th century. 

Dimensions: (Blade) 6” x 2”; (Stock) 3-3/4” x 1-1/2” x 5/16”
Weight: 5 oz.

Condition notes: Overall in good condition exhibiting wear consistent with extended classroom use. Rosewood stock shows heavy indentation on one side, likely from a vise, as well as a gouge along the edge near the diamond marks. Painted diamonds, indicative of school workshop design, remain visible but gold paint shows wear. Brass edge displays natural tarnish throughout but remains intact. Steel blade displays broad areas of surface corrosion, along with slight residue from an old label, but remains relatively smooth with no flaking or pitting of structural concern.  Blade seats securely in the stock with no wobble. Marked “MANUAL TRAINING CO. SHEFFIELD” on one face of the stock. Lightly polished and waxed. 

Unless noted, all items are hand-wrapped and gift-boxed. We offer flat rate shipping via USPS Ground Advantage for $10, or USPS Priority Mail for $15. Orders over $100 ship free via USPS Priority Mail — any shipping charges for orders over $100 will be refunded after checkout. We pack with safety and care using recycled and recyclable materials whenever possible.

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