This is the home page for PAST Tool Collectors (formerly Preserving Arts and Skills of the Trades).


We now provide password-protected login capability to allow members to update their address and contact information. You can also download current and some older issues of the ToolTalk newsletter in PDF (Portable Document Format) form. IF YOU ARE A MEMBER and you wish to obtain a user/login name, send a message to tool.room (note the "dot") at the domain pasttools.org requesting site access. Please specify what you want to use as your user name - do NOT provide a password. A temporary password is created by the system and sent to you via email. You can change it later.

We also have two mailing lists: General Announcements and Tool Experts. The first will allow us to send you information about tool shows, board elections, membership renewals, etc. This will help us keep postage costs under control. The Experts list will allow us to forward questions we receive about tools (this happens quite a bit) to a group of people who would like to answer "whatsit" questions. Both are completely voluntary, of course. You can change these preferences once you are logged in.


The purpose of PAST is to encourage the study and better understanding of the early American industries (at home, shop, farm, and sea); also to discover, identify, classify, preserve, and exhibit obsolete tools, implements, and mechanical devices for educational purposes and to share this knowledge with others. PAST was organized in June of 1968 in Los Angeles, CA. PAST is the successor to the Early American Industries Association-WEST which was under the abbreviation EAIA-WEST. In July of 1987, the name of the organization was changed to PAST. PAST is a non-profit, tax-exempt, educational organization.

Any person or organization may become a PAST member upon completion of a membership application and payment of dues. Spouses, significant others, or partners are automatically covered without any additional dues required. If a spouse, significant other, or partner wishes to have his/her own membership, the payment of separate dues shall be necessary. There may be specific meeting fees, over and above dues. Members are entitled to attend all meetings, receive PAST publications, and vote for elected officers and directors. The primary meetings of PAST members occur in the Winter and Summer. Regional meetings are held in the Spring and the Fall.

Become a part of the PAST! Click here for membership information.


Thanks for visiting!

Ken Greenberg, webmaster

Visitors:

 PAST Tool Collectors News

Spreckels show presentation videos!

George Anderson gave an excellent presentation (and had a fine display) about infill plane makers at the 2024 Spreckels show. Yang Ji filmed the presentation and it has been made available through his company, Fusion Woodworking. The three videos are really well done and highlight the breadth and depth of the quality tools that our members were selling that day.

You can view the videos here:

Spreckels videos