North Bros. key acquisition was the hiring of Zachary Furbish when it purchased the Forest City Screwdriver Co in 1897. He brought with him patents related to a spiral ratchet screw driver and considerable experience in tool design. This was their foothold into the tool manufacturing industry which would later become the core of their business. Furbish alone would eventually amass 30 patents related to hand tools produced by North Bros., despite passing away in 1906, and his designs would become the backbone of their product lines for years to come. North Bros. tool brand was called Yankee, much as Sears tools are branded Craftsman, and every tool they sold sported this trademark. In later years the Yankee name would become synonymous with the spiral ratchet screw driver invented by Furbish but it was originally seen on everything from bench vises to cutting tools. Building upon the line of tools originally made by Forest City, North Bros. soon expanded their selection of offerings. Screwdrivers were joined by push drills, breast drills, hand drills (also called egg beater drills), hand powered bench drills, bit and braces, ratcheting tap wrenches, vises, cutting tools and small tool kits.
