About

I have always collected something, even as a child. Hot Wheels, keychains, stamps, and coins, just to name a few. As a hobbyist woodworker since high school, it surprises me that the tool collecting bug didn't bite for another 18 years. I very quickly settled on squares and bevels as my specific area of interest. Something about their necessity and simplicity, yet endless variety intrigues me. I currently focus on early American makers as well as the full Stanley line up. I also dabble in early machinist squares and measuring tools in general.

In my day job I work for my local county government, overseeing GIS mapping and address assignment within the IT department. Past jobs have included managing mapping and land preservation efforts at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, as well as surveying and drafting for a civil engineering fim. I hold an undergraduate in Geography, and a masters in GIS from the University of Maryland. A lifelong Maryland resident, I currently live in the town of Clements with my amazing wife and beautiful daughter.

As one can see from my profession and education, I am a certified and self proclaimed data and history nerd. Spreadsheets and databases are my friends. For me, part of the thrill of collecting is the research, documenting, and organizing. I also firmly believe that what I learn should not stay locked in my head or computer, but be shared freely as a resource for all. For some, collecting is all about forging a new path into the unknown. For many others though, we need a roadmap and guide. That is what this website exists for, to be the source of information for collectors and sellers that I never had.

Why ChapticoWood.com? Earlier in life I was working to turn my woodworking hobby into a business. So I named it ChapticoWood, after the town I was currently living in. Whether it would always remain part time, or if I could eventually take it full time, I had no idea. Once I had a family though, I made the decision to make woodworking just a hobby again, a decision I have zero regrets about. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I repurposed my website to now be all things tool related.

Eric Benson