What Is This??

[Dave Arnett]

I know nothing about it's age, and even less about it's purpose. .

The wedge and ring are steel, and the split piece is some kind of wood.

We're not even sure if it's assembled correctly.








It’s been suggested that it might be a “feather & wedge set”, used the cut/break stone. But the wood on this thing is as smooth as a baby's butt (top to bottom). I just can't believe it's ever been driven into a hole in a rock.

My gut feeling is that this thing has been used a lot...on something not abrasive. The wood is smooth...not sanded smooth, but worn smooth.

Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[amertrac]

i sure could have used it a couple days ago i had two pieces that had to be bolted together i could have alignment the holes by using the item in one hole while i put the bolt in the second hole.   bob w.

[wvtools]

I think Bob may be on to something.  It may be for aligning two holes in wood.  They wanted to use it a lot, but not mushroom the head, which would happen with a wooden wedge.  The metal wedge was probably beat on with a wooden or leather mallet because it is not mushroomed at all.

[Dave Arnett]

Thanks for the feedback, Gentlemen.

You're talking about a "spud wrench". I was an iron worker in my previous life, I've used many a spud wrench.

I can see the thought behind it, but I'm just not convinced.

This is a piece that was recently donated to a historical museum in my neighborhood. It’s a long story (not worth telling) on how I got involved. I assured them I could find out what it is/was, but I’m finding out “assure” is a lot like “assume”.

But then again, I ain't givin' up.....yet.

[Papaw]

That's the attitude!

[jimwrench]

 Went thru Sellens Dictionary of American Hand Tools but did not find this tool. Doesn't mean its not there but I looked at every page.

[rusty]

Perhaps for expanding something like lead pipe?

[john k]

Expanding lead pipe?  Hey, could be, or early soft copper or brass pipe.  Have to make the end round to fit things together.  Could see where any pipe could be knocked out of round in transport.  The marks on the shaft could be from being driven into pipe.  The ring was definitely a limiter, as to stop the expansion.   Pipe rounder, or expander?   Be interesting to have a lab take a scraping of the marks on the shaft and analyze them. 

[wvtools]

I wasn't thinking spud wrench, which is for aligning holes in metal.  I was thinking more like a wooden draw bore pin (most are steel), which is used for aligning holes in woodworking.  Most drwa bore pins that I have seen have a similar taper.

[Billman49]

John K's idea for lead pipe seems most feasible, although most plumbers used a tapered box wood pin that was smacked in with a mallet. Maybe just for bringing the end of a tube circular if it had been damaged..... At first sight I thought a jewellers ring holder, but that has the ring acting as a pivot, and the two jaws are seperated...

[Papaw]

All good suggestions above, but none really satisfy me.
I'm thinking we are looking at this from the wrong end. Couldn't the wood be so smooth from hand use over many years? With that ring set in a groove, it wouldn't move, nor would the piece fitted in there move.
Could it have been a hand made hand tool like a burnisher, a gauge, or even have been sharpened to be a cutter or scraper?

[leg17]

It's shape sort of looks like the tapered reamer used in chair making, but it's construction is completely different.
The ring seems to indicate a fixed pre-determined size limit.
I don't know.

[Dave Arnett]

I picture driving it into something....something not harder than the wood (no nicks). Then doing whatever to that something. Then pulling the wedge out, releasing the pressure and the ring, so the tool can pulled out of the "something".

Make sense?

[Rhoderman]

If the head were installed 90 degrees to what you have, could it be some type of hammer or tomahawk?  Add a piece of rawhide to keep it from splitting out the other end?

I agree that the thing can't get much bigger with the ring preventing expansion.

Very interesting though.  I hope somebody knows for sure.

[Branson]

>I agree that the thing can't get much bigger with the ring preventing expansion.

The more I look at this, the more I think we're going at it the wrong way.  I suspect the tool isn't for expansion, but for compression.  Something light, like sheet tin, could be placed *under* the ring.  Then driving in the wedge would make it conform to the depression the ring sits in.  In other words, the wedge serves to press material into conformation of the ring and groove.  I admit I don't see the utility of this process, but it does seem to fit. 

We may never know what this tool really did.  It has all the earmarks of a shop made, field expedient, limited use specialty tool, perhaps for a small run order.   It's split to accept the wedge, not sawn.  The split is not contained by a pin or a band.  It doesn't seem to have been made for a life time tool.

The only thing I can think of for its use is some kind of tin work, something used after a piece of tin was worked into a tube.