Buck Bros.
Millbury, Massachusetts
1853-1972

DATM (1999) states that Buck Brothers was formed in 1853 by John, Charles and Richard T. Buck in Rochester, NY, after immigrating from England and working for D. R. Barton.  In 1856, they moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, then in 1864 to Millbury, MA.  John stayed in Worcester as part of Buck & Reeves, later rejoining Buck Brothers as only an employee.  Charles Buck had a fight with his brother and started his own edge tool company in 1873.  Old timers say Charles' edge tools were very slightly superior to those of his brother.  There are several different stories of their later activities: one states they both used the Buck Brothers name until an early 1880s lawsuit forced Charles to stop; another says Charles regained an interest in Buck Brothers in 1877 while still maintaining his own business.

Richard Buck was born in 1832, died in 1893.  After his death, his sons-in-law E. M. Ward and William L. Proctor ran the company.  Proctor bought out Ward in 1913 and Charles Buck's separate business in 1915.  The business continued until 1972.

The company made edge tools (awls, axes, chisels, draw knives), hammers and plane blades.  Marks consisted of several arrangements of their name and such things as a deer head, CAST STEEL and WARRANTED.  A facility name RIVERLIN WORKS was also used.

Charles Buck started his own business called the Charles Buck Edge Tool Co. and/or the Millbury Edge Tool Works in 1873.  He used the mark CHARLES BUCK CAST STEEL.  DATM states he made chisels, but the Museum also has an example of a gouge with this mark.

Nooduck Chisel Co., also known as Nuduck Chisel Co., of North Grafton, MA, made chisels for Buck Brothers under a subcontract around 1890.

Photographs

References:
Buck Bros. Price list of chisels, plane irons, gouges, carving tools, nail sets, screw drivers, handles, &c. manufactured by Buck Brothers.
Kebabian, John S. Early American factories: Buck Brothers, Millbury, Mass. The Chronicle. 25(1).

Tools of the Buck Brothers in the Museum collection.

http://www.geocities.com/sawnutz/buck/index.htm -- Buck Brothers history
http://www.craftsmanstudio.com/html_p/BuckBrosChisels.htm -- Information on the modern Buck Brothers
http://www.davistownmuseum.org/bioBuckBrothers.html