One of many illustrations in the book: A Twenty-Five Foot Saw
used for Crosscutting Big Logs.
While looking for more in-depth information about fish glue, I ran across a book titled "Handwork in Wood," by William A. Noyes.
One thing I learned from pages 128 to 131, is that good old Lepages Mucilage is a fish glue. Now, you younger guys probably will have no experience with LePages glue, but we old guys remember it as a school supply item required for elementary students back in the Antediluvian Period. It came in a clear, bell-shaped bottle filled with clear amber liquid glue (nasty tasting stuff) and capped with a pink rubber snout for spreading the sticky stuff on papers, desks, hands, britches or whatever else suited your fancy.
In addition to gluing skills youngsters also were required to learn basic math and reading skills in those primitive times ...
But I digress. "Handwork in Wood" is a fascinating book. Published in 1910, it was intended as a reference work for shop teachers. It is a concise and surprisingly comprehensive book. In its 200-plus pages you can, among other things, review a complete list of the tools needed to conduct shop classes for 24 students (including 1910 prices) — there’s even a section on French Polishing and applying spirit varnishes. The chapters include:
Logging
Sawmilling
The Seasoning and Measuring of Wood
Wood Hand Tools
Wood Fastenings
Equipment and Care of the Shop
The Common Joints
Types of Wooden Structures
Principles of Joinery
Wood Finishing
The book is in the public domain and thanks to The Project Gutenberg, you can view it online or download a free copy.