As I have mentioned before on this site, I LOVE Adon Brownell’s books about hardware! Even though they were written way before I was born, I have them all in hard copy; I especially love the illustrations.
Because these books are long out of print they can be difficult to find, so imagine my excitement when an iDigHardware reader posted links to some of Adon’s books in an online archive! They’re a great slice of hardware history, and some of the information is still valid today. You can check them out here:
Hardware Age Builders Hardware Handbook
Taking the Mystery Out of Builders Hardware
And speaking of old hardware, Michael Chusid is offering up some antique door and window hardware to anyone who will make a $100 (minimum) donation to the CSI Foundation + pay for shipping. If any of you are collectors, send Michael an email.
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Someone new to the industry recently asked me what books she should read in order to learn about doors and hardware more quickly. Scott Tobias wrote Illustrated Guide to Door Hardware: Design, Specification, Selection, which is available in bookstores and on Amazon.com. This book was a huge undertaking, and includes comprehensive information as well as photos and details to help clarify the key points. Here’s a paragraph from the description on Amazon:
When designing, specifying, creating, and reviewing shop drawings for door openings, there are many elements to consider: physical items, such as the door, frame, and hanging devices; the opening’s function; local codes and standards related to fire, life safety, and accessibility; aesthetics; quality and longevity versus cost; hardware cycle tests; security considerations; and electrified hardware requirements, to name a few. Until now, there hasn’t been a single resource for this information.
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Where else do you find information about doors and hardware? I’d love to compile a list of reference books and other resources here, so if there is a publication, booklet, or website that you use, please leave a response in the reply box!
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IDIGHARDWARE.COM 😉
Here’s a link to a site I use frequently
http://safranekgroup.com/resources/
With a belief that allowing individuals to have free access to building code and accessibility requirements is an important step towards achieving compliance, the Safranek Group, provides below, a consolidated list of links to free accessibility and building code resources.
Many thanks for those links to Adon Brownell’s books. I remember devouring them both years ago, and although a bit dated; still fascinating stuff. They were, and hopefully still are; in our local public library’s Science & Technology Dept.
My first resource for hard to find info about doors and hardware is an awesome website called iDigHardware.com. I highly recommend it. There’s a search box in the upper right corner where you can enter a key-word and find several articles on the subject. It’s very useful. There are also a lot of videos that are very helpful, especially for newcomers.
Awww…thanks Eric!
– Lori
Hi Lori
I read this “Hardware Age Builders Hardware Handbook” book and it is a very fascinating book with all the vintage vocabulary and hardware sketches. It is an awesome resource. Is there a way I can download it for my use and reference.
Regards