EARLY AMERICAN TOY: WOODSMENA few years back I read a very memorable book by Eric Sloane entitled 'Diary of an Early American Boy'. While renovating an antique farmhouse in Connecticut, Sloane discovered the diary of fifteen year old Noah Blake. It was dated 1805. The diary documents how the Blake family improved their rural homestead over the course of that year. Sloane enhanced the story by filling in some gaps and adding illustrations.
Noah's entry for August eleventh describes a clever toy that he made as a birthday gift for his father. The two of them had recently built a mill to harness the river's power. Among the mill's many applications was to operate a bellows and a triphammer for their iron forge. No longer would Noah and his father spend hours at the anvil hammering iron with alternating blows. The toy was Noah's way of acknowledging that although he and his father would not be I was impressed by Noah's ingenuity, by the toy's simplicity and by its thoughtful message. I felt complelled to make a replica. My version, however, shows two woodsmen chopping wood because I've never done any blacksmithing. I have chopped plenty of wood.
I make this toy out of pine and protect it with shellac. It'll hold up to gentle use but is not sturdy enough for young children. I have searched high and low for any other reference to a toy like this without success. It's entirely possible that this toy is unique to my workbench.
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pounding iron anymore, they would always be a good team. By gently pulling and pushing a horizontal stick, the two characters representing Noah and his father, would take turns pounding on the anvil. 
