This maker appears to have continued the post-drill line of Wells Brothers Co., perhaps after that firm was acquired by Greenfield Tap & Die Corp. One educated guess is that B. B. Noyes & Co., which was primarily a job shop, acquired the leftover inventory of Wells drill and vise parts and manufactured those tools until the supply ran out. This likely puts the manufacturing at some short interval in the 1912-1916 timeframe.

The titular head of the company was Baxter Bardwell Noyes, whose company earlier made carriage hardware; the business seems to have dated back to at least 1870. There is also some connection to the tap and die industry, perhaps making blanks or some such supply.

Information Sources

• Thanks to correspondent Adam Hall for bringing this maker to our attention.
• Thanks to Albert Shane of the Museum of Our Industrial Heritage for providing information on this maker. It is his educated speculation that Noyes acquired the Wells inventory of drill parts. Albert also reports that he has never seen a Noyes catalog, and doubts they ever made one since they primarily made parts for other companies.
• Baxter Bardwell Noyes of Greenfield, Mass., received several patents related to carriages. The patents span 1870 through 1882. One, granted in 1876, was assigned to B. B. Noyes & Co.
• A 1904 catalog of B. B. Noyes & Co., "Manufacturers of 'Little Giant' blacksmiths' drills, foot vises, etc." also says on the cover, "Wells Brothers Company / Sales Agents / Greenfield, Mass., U.S.A.".
• A 2007-01-27 The Republican article mentions "the 1890 B.B. Noyes Foundry" on Hope Street. It also says, "The Noyes foundry supplied hardware for carriages and to tap and die companies. After a merger in 1912, it became the Wells Tool Co." That last part seems to be inaccurate.
• Auction listing for a "B. B. Noyes & Co., Greenfield, Mass foot vise w/5-inch swag jaws & V groove anvil".
• A posting on the Anvilfire.com forum mentions "B. B. Noyes Shoeing vice and bolt header which is very similar to the Little Giant one showed on pg. 182 of A Historical Guide to Wagon Hardware and Blacksmith Supplies edited by Spivey".
• Auction listing for a "Little Giant No. 10" post drill, made by B. B. Noyes & Co., Greenfield, Mass.
• From the September 1912 issue of Machinery, in the Obituaries section: "Baxter B. Noyes, senior member of the firm of B. B. Noyes & Son, Greenfield, Mass., manufacturers of hardware specialties, small tools, blacksmiths' machinery and iron castings, died July 22, aged sixty-eight years, as the result of an accident, Mr. Noyes having fallen from a staging in the factory."