Benjamin Forstner
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Forstner was an American gunsmith, inventor and dry goods merchant.
Forstner was born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania
. His successful invention of the Forstner bit, patented on September 22, 1874, was to make him a rich man. Without the lead screw (which Forstner called the "gimlet-point") and cutting lips of more conventional wood boring bits it would prove especially useful to gunsmiths like himself and other high-end woodworkers. The bit was unsurpassed in drilling an exceedingly smooth-sided hole with a flat bottom. It was better than the Russell Jennings twist bits for boring at an angle and not following the grain of the wood. Forstner eventually worked out licensing arrangements for the manufacture and sale of his bit by a number of companies, most notably two Connecticut firms: the Colt Firearms Company of Hartford and the Bridgeport Gun Implement Company, successors (in 1886) to the Union Metallic Cartridge Company. Even today, the Forstner bit continues to be manufactured, although it has changed to a split-ring design.
Forstner also invented an electric motor.
In the early 1850s Benjamin Forstner moved to Missouri where he came under the influence of communal utopian William Keil
of Bethel, MO. He followed Keil to the Pacific Northwest in 1863, where they founded the colony of Aurora, Marion Co. Oregon. In 1865 Forstner settled in Salem, Oregon and the following year he married Miss Louisa Snyder. Their only child was an adopted daughter, a niece of Mrs. Forstner. Forstner became established as a gunsmith. He traveled East on business often, including to the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and the 1893 Columbian Exposition where his bits won highest premiums. Through lucrative royalty payments he became a wealthy Salem citizen and property owner.
Forstner retired in 1891, having by his business acumen accumulated sufficient money and property. His residence and workshop were situated on the west side of Commercial Street and later occupied by the Salem woolen mill store and E. F. Neff. He erected a large and handsome residence on his block of land near the northern end of Commercial Street. He also possessed considerable farm property across the river in Polk county, and also owned 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of timber near Gates, on the upper Santiam river.
Benjamin Forstner died in Salem, Oregon
after a prolonged bout of flu. He was interred on 2 Mar 1897.
Louisa Forstner died 12 Sept 1917 aged 75 at 265 North Commercial Street, Salem and was interred in the Odd Fellows cemetery.
Forstner was born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania
Beaver County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 181,412 people, 72,576 households, and 50,512 families residing in the county. The population density was 418 people per square mile . There were 77,765 housing units at an average density of 179 per square mile...
. His successful invention of the Forstner bit, patented on September 22, 1874, was to make him a rich man. Without the lead screw (which Forstner called the "gimlet-point") and cutting lips of more conventional wood boring bits it would prove especially useful to gunsmiths like himself and other high-end woodworkers. The bit was unsurpassed in drilling an exceedingly smooth-sided hole with a flat bottom. It was better than the Russell Jennings twist bits for boring at an angle and not following the grain of the wood. Forstner eventually worked out licensing arrangements for the manufacture and sale of his bit by a number of companies, most notably two Connecticut firms: the Colt Firearms Company of Hartford and the Bridgeport Gun Implement Company, successors (in 1886) to the Union Metallic Cartridge Company. Even today, the Forstner bit continues to be manufactured, although it has changed to a split-ring design.
Forstner also invented an electric motor.
In the early 1850s Benjamin Forstner moved to Missouri where he came under the influence of communal utopian William Keil
William Keil
William Keil was the founder of communal religious societies in Bethel, Missouri, and Aurora, Oregon, that he established and led in the nineteenth century....
of Bethel, MO. He followed Keil to the Pacific Northwest in 1863, where they founded the colony of Aurora, Marion Co. Oregon. In 1865 Forstner settled in Salem, Oregon and the following year he married Miss Louisa Snyder. Their only child was an adopted daughter, a niece of Mrs. Forstner. Forstner became established as a gunsmith. He traveled East on business often, including to the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and the 1893 Columbian Exposition where his bits won highest premiums. Through lucrative royalty payments he became a wealthy Salem citizen and property owner.
Forstner retired in 1891, having by his business acumen accumulated sufficient money and property. His residence and workshop were situated on the west side of Commercial Street and later occupied by the Salem woolen mill store and E. F. Neff. He erected a large and handsome residence on his block of land near the northern end of Commercial Street. He also possessed considerable farm property across the river in Polk county, and also owned 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of timber near Gates, on the upper Santiam river.
Benjamin Forstner died in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
after a prolonged bout of flu. He was interred on 2 Mar 1897.
Louisa Forstner died 12 Sept 1917 aged 75 at 265 North Commercial Street, Salem and was interred in the Odd Fellows cemetery.
External links
- http://www.router-bits-shaper-cutters.com/information/cfb.cfm
- http://www.rootsweb.com/~ormarion/MarionObits.html
- http://www.ptreeusa.com/forstner_bit_sets.htm
- http://archive.oldtools.org/archive_get.phtml?message_id=115898
- http://www.open.org/pioneerc/pg16.html
- http://jonzimmersantiquetools.com/tools/stanley_bits_a.jpg