Jack Hargreaves

[demographic]

Whilst perusing my local secondhand tool sales place buying things I'm not entirely sure I really need but are mercifully very cheap I spotted this thing.
Now I can usually work out most things there, even when they are about as random as it gets but this ones got me baffled.
Anyone?
Its got a handle like a file, a point at the end thats got a curve on it and what looks like a blade,scoring device that slides along the length of it from just by the handle to the tip.
The nuts and bolts are nothing to do with it, just a flat surface to put it on while I took some photos. Its hard to find a flat surface in that place so thats as close as it gets.

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[Robbi]

I would suggest for scoring radius's from a central point, maybe, dunno

or marking heights ?

or even cutting a radius ?

 

[toilet digger]

you know what, i seen these before but its on the tip of my noggin, so to speak.
sure there's one knocking about the workshops at work. will check on monday.
does the sliding point look tempered?

regards jamie.

 

[Robbi]

could it be a lathe tool ? used on a bowl / dish / vase type thing......stick the pointy bit into the centre of the work piece and..................?

 

[demographic]

I would suggest for scoring radius's from a central point, maybe, dunno

or marking heights ?

or even cutting a radius ?

I can usually figure out most tools so this one is out of my field, wouldn't surprise me if its a leatherwork tool but as I'm a total numpty as far as leatherwork tools are concerned its just a wild guess.

you know what, i seen these before but its on the tip of my noggin, so to speak.
sure there's one knocking about the workshops at work. will check on monday.
does the sliding point look tempered?

regards jamie.

Not sure about tempered, I would assume hardened then tempered but it looks like it should be sharp if that helps? Its not sharp by the way, just about as sharp as the false edge on a Bowie knife but it looks like it should be if you get my drift.
Not taken a file to it to find out how hard it is (its not mine).

Would love to know what it does.
There's masses of random tools in there from Scotch Eye Augers to Hydraulic trench shoring pumps so unusual tools aren't that unusual if you see what I mean.

 

[demographic]

could it be a lathe tool ? used on a bowl / dish / vase type thing......stick the pointy bit into the centre of the work piece and..................?

Maybe?

Can't say I know much about turning wood either so could well be as far as I know.

 

[Robbi]

it's doing my head in ...i NEED to know what its for ! LOL !

 

[Nomad]

No idea what it is, but the square shaft is there to keep the point on the sliding bit aligned with the point on the hooky bit.

Don't think it's a radius marker. The point at the end would need to be perpendicular to the shaft. Even then, the handle looks too low for that - your knuckes would hit the surface that you're marking. Also doubt that it's a lathe tool because the cutting blade would be in line the rotation and thus score the work piece rather than scrape material away. And, for both, the sliding bit would move around during such use, which is probably not what you want. Unless there's a bit missing that clamps the sliding bit in place - any witness marks on the square shaft?

I'm wondering if it's some sort of sliding hook thing that might be used for moving a loop of something into position. In other words, the sliding bit is static (inserted into groove or something?), and the rest of it does the sliding.

 

[Robbi]

don't think so, the slidy bit is blade like, so not really a locating bit.

what about something daft like a grain sack opener spoik the pointy bit into the grain sack and pull the cutting blade round................................clutching at staws here guys ! LOL !

 

[Robbi]

AHA !............the pointy bit is offset the same distance as the round slidy bit behind the blades diameter ( see bottom photo )...........so.............pointy bit sticks in something.........round slidy bit sits on something ( maybe something locates in the grooves to give a distance to the blade )..........and the blade bit cuts or scores something.................but what ?

AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH !

 

[demographic]

No idea what it is, but the square shaft is there to keep the point on the sliding bit aligned with the point on the hooky bit.

Don't think it's a radius marker. The point at the end would need to be perpendicular to the shaft. Even then, the handle looks too low for that - your knuckes would hit the surface that you're marking. Also doubt that it's a lathe tool because the cutting blade would be in line the rotation and thus score the work piece rather than scrape material away. And, for both, the sliding bit would move around during such use, which is probably not what you want. Unless there's a bit missing that clamps the sliding bit in place - any witness marks on the square shaft?

I'm wondering if it's some sort of sliding hook thing that might be used for moving a loop of something into position. In other words, the sliding bit is static (inserted into groove or something?), and the rest of it does the sliding.

Could be, never thought of it like that.
Honestly, I'll be chuffed to bits when someone tells me exactly what it is and I don't mind at all if I'm well and truly proven wrong as long as I learn something in the process.

 

[Robbi]

hurry up !!!!!! i'm not going to sleep tonight !!!!!!!

 

[Nomad]

don't think so, the slidy bit is blade like, so not really a locating bit.

Ah, but the slidy-cutty bit could go into something softish like the end grain of some wood.

Thinking some more on the shape of the hooky bit and how it might be used, it could go into something that's thin... Hold it up, point downwards, and stick the point into a smallish hole. Then level the tool off so that the perpendicular part of the pointy-hooky bit is in the hole.

 

[Robbi]

like your thinking but does that take us back to radius cutting / marking ?

ends of barrels ?

 

[demographic]

I'd be fairly surprised if it gets the point stuck into hardwood then the sliding bit marking something as I think the point would snap off if bent too much in hardwood.

But, then again although I'm a carpenter I'm not sure about every historical use of all the tools.

 

[Robbi]

yeah, see what you're saying.

wood ?

metal ?

leather ?

fabric ?

ceramic ( tiles ) ?

i feel sure the blade bit is either for cutting using the 2 blade edges but they don't appear "sharp" so maybe creasing ( push and pull on the handle ) or piercing ( pushing down on the handle )

not getting very far are we ! LOL !

 

[Nomad]

like your thinking but does that take us back to radius cutting / marking ?

The problem with that is no apparent clamp to hold the slidy bit in place, which is kinda why I'm considering that the sliding motion might be part of how it's used (rather than something that's used to fix a length and then used).

ends of barrels ?

Hmmm...

 

[Robbi]

if you look at the round bit behind the blade, it has 2 grooves in it, this could set a fixed distance to the blade by locating in or running on something, it could also be used to guide the blade through gentle curves ( by sliding up or down the square shaft ) maintaining a set "edge" distance to the cutting / creasing edge.

Jeez ! i do talk some cack !

 

[Nomad]

The handle has a shiny ferrule (nickel plated brass?), but the rest is slightly rusty steel. I'm tempted to think that the handle isn't original. Doesn't mean that the original handle was any different, but perhaps it could have been.

 

[Nomad]

if you look at the round bit behind the blade, it has 2 grooves in it, this could set a fixed distance to the blade by locating in or running on something, it could also be used to guide the blade through gentle curves ( by sliding up or down the square shaft ) maintaining a set "edge" distance to the cutting / creasing edge.

Jeez ! i do talk some cack !

Yes.

The grooves could ineed be used for guiding it.