David R. Russell (23 September 1935 – 21 March 2018) was a builder who for many years collected antique woodworking tools.

Career and collecting

David Richard Russell was born at

Burneside Burneside () is a small village in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. It is located to the north of Kendal and to the south east of Staveley, on the River Kent, just upstream from the confluence of the River Sprint. It has about 3,00 ...

near

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness, England. It lies within the River Kent's dale, from which its name is derived, just outside the boundary of t ...

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland''R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref>) is an area of North West England which was Historic counties of England, historically a county. People of the area ...

(now part of

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

), England, the younger son of Albert, a worker in a Cumbrian gunpowder-keg factory, and Alice Russell (''née'' Mason). He left school early to work alongside his brother as an apprentice to a cabinet-maker and joiner in Kendal. One of his first jobs as a young apprentice was working on site with his brother at Sizergh Castle, near Kendal. "His first love was the foreman's Norris jointing-plane, which he was not allowed to touch however much his fingers tingled," wrote Huon Mallalieu in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

''. "Seven years later his passion was assuaged, but not extinguished, when he bought his first Norris for £5 in a Sunday antiques market."Huon Mallalieu, ''

'', 27 November 2010. This was the beginning of what was to become one of the foremost collections of woodworking tools in the Western world. Although David Russell's career was to follow a different path, one of his lifelong passions was

wood-carving Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ...

. After completing his National Service in Malaya he went into the building trade, working first of all in

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

and then for Wimpey in London. Back in Cumbria he formed a partnership with his brother and by the end of his career their building firm, by then known as Russell Armer Ltd, employed some 250 men. His firm's building project in collaboration with the local architect Mike Walford at Webster's Yard, Kendal, was reviewed in depth in the ''

Architects' Journal ''Architects' Journal'' is a professional architecture magazine, published monthly in London by Metropolis International. Each issue includes in-depth features on relevant current affairs, alongside profiles of recently completed buildings. Ten t ...

''. Throughout his working life and well into his retirement Russell could be seen raising his paddle at tool auctions on both sides of the Atlantic as he bid for some of the finest tools on offer. When tool historians and tool book writers began to pay him visits to see his collection and publish items from it, he came to realise that what he had amassed was worthy of a book in its own right. He struggled to pull together a team to bring the book to fruition, but after much toil spanning several years, and with the great support and insightful input of Abigail Saxon and others the book was published to critical acclaim in October 2010. The dust-jacket text summarises the book's aim as one of "providing a broad survey of hand tool-making from prehistory to today." As David Linley wrote in the foreword: " avid Russellis to be congratulated on amassing with unerring eye such a fascinating array of tools." Eve M. Kahn, writing in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' averred that "The Russell collection volume . .was intended to glamorize unsung innovations". Mark Bridge in his review in ''Antiques Trade Gazette'' was more specific about the numerous photographs by the

Courtauld Institute The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. The art collection is known particularly for ...

-trained photographer James Austin : "This is a truly huge work . . . and is quite unrivalled in the size and quality of its illustrations. ames Austinhas managed to capture the elusive qualities of balance, texture and patina which make the finest tools a pleasure to handle, frequently lifting them into the realm of folk art".Mark Bridge, "The young apprentice cabinetmaker who became a connoisseur", '' Antiques Trade Gazette'', 22 October 2011, p. 19.

Bibliography

* Russell, David R. with Robert Lesage and photographs by James Austin, cataloguing assisted by Peter Hackett, foreword by David Linley. '' Antique Woodworking Tools: Their Craftsmanship from the Earliest Times to the Twentieth Century''. Cambridge: John Adamson (2010)

Other books featuring tools from the David Russell collection

* Eaton, Reg. ''The Ultimate Brace: A Unique Product of Victorian Sheffield''. King's Lynn: Erica Jane Publishing (1989) * Hambly, Maya. ''Drawing Instruments: 1580–1980''. London: Sotheby's Publications (1988) * Lampert, Nigel. ''Through Much Tribulation: Stewart Spiers and the Planemakers of Ayr''. Pascoe Vale, Victoria, Australia: Oliver Publications (1999) * Nagyszalanczy, Sandor. ''The Art of Fine Tools''. Newtown, CT:

Taunton Press Taunton Press is a publisher of books for the hobbyist and building trades based in Newtown, Connecticut. It was established in 1975 by Paul Roman and his wife Jan. On December 3, 2023, Active Interest Media acquired The Taunton Press. Active I ...

Inc.: Paperback (2000) * Proudfoot, Christopher, and Philip Walker. ''Woodworking Tools''. Oxford: Phaidon, Christie's Collectors Guides (1984) * Rees, Jane and Mark. ''The Rule Book: Measuring for the Trades''. Lakeville, MN: Astragal Press (2010)

Notes

External links

Obituaries and tributes
"David Russell: Collector and authority on traditional woodworking tools"
''

Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...

'', 1 May 2018, p. 29
"David Russell obituary"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 11 June 2018, "Journal", p. 11
"Obituary: David R Russell, expert on vintage woodworking tools and builder"
''

Scotsman Scottish people or Scots (; ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded the Kingdom of Scotland (o ...

'', 1 May 2018, p. 43 * "David Russell: Builder and collector", ''

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire, although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

'', 21 April 2018
"David R Russell, the tool collector extraordinaire"
'' Antiques Trade Gazette'', issue 2339, 28 April 2018, p. 62
"David Russell, businessman and expert on Britain's industrial past"
''

Herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen ...

'', 14 April 2018 * "Woodworking tools collector dies aged 82", '' Sheffield Telegraph'', 26 April 2018, p. 28
"David R. Russell - Some Thoughts on His Legacy"
Tools for Working Wood, 18 April 2018
"Obituary: David R. Russell"
Norris Planes, n.d.
"In Memoriam—David R. Russell"
''Shavings'', Newsletter of the Early American Industries Association, Inc., Issue 248, Spring 2018, p. 5 * "Obituary", ''Tool Chest'', Hand Tool Preservation Association of Australia Inc, no. 128, May 2018, p. 11 Other
''Antique Woodworking Tools'' (book)

Helen Perkins: "Antique Tools under the Hammer"
''

Westmorland Gazette ''The Westmorland Gazette'' is a weekly newspaper published in Kendal, England, covering "South Lakeland and surrounding areas", including Barrow and North Lancashire. Its name refers to the historic county of Westmorland. The paper is now owned ...

'', 28 September 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, David R. 1935 births 2018 deaths British collectors British art collectors People from Kendal Military personnel from Cumbria British military personnel of the Malayan Emergency