A friend of ours brought this wooden thing by

[Bill Houghton]

I'm totally flummoxed.  Wood (birch or similar) with a little trough on one side of an oval shape, and raffia or cornshuck "ropes" through holes on each side of the trough.  Any ideas?

[Chillylulu]

If it was cherry ir another fruitwood, and because of the char, my swag is that it is  a glassworking paddle.
Soaked in water and used formjng hot glass.

Chilly

[Branson]

If it was cherry ir another fruitwood, and because of the char, my swag is that it is  a glassworking paddle.
Soaked in water and used formjng hot glass.

Chilly

Agreed.

[Bill Houghton]

My bride's niece (I guess that makes her mine, too, and damn proud I am that she is) ID'ed it: it's a "bats-head" used on colonial-style spinning wheels.