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What is this Grandfather's tool?

SteveJM

Plastic
Joined
Feb 19, 2018
I found this tool in my grandfather's trunk and wonder if anyone knows what it is. He was a machinist during the Depression and until he retired sometime in the 1050's.
 

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I found this tool in my grandfather's trunk and wonder if anyone knows what it is. He was a machinist during the Depression and until he retired sometime in the 1050's.
How about a few more pictures of what appears to be the "blade", so we can see the edges.
Edgar

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
It is interesting, what are the handles made of, Micarta?

Not sure what it is... But in addition to a draw knife as above, it has some similarities with a "tanners fleshing knife", the straight handle on one side and T handle on other, as well as two blades.
https://www.antiquesnavigator.com/archive/2010/12/14/130463891370.jpg
https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/...nife_360_e4ed9fe96a2cdf3653487d174bad82ad.jpg


Some sort of tanners or leather workers tool was my first thought as well, from what I can see the cutting angles are all wrong for wood.
 
i.d. spherical bearing scrapper

or not


That sort of thing was my thought also.... but the "edge" does not seem like what I'd use for that. Need the pics up closer to get a better idea.

Looked as if the scraping portion, if it is one (the edged portion), might be replaceable.
 
SteveJM:

It's a very interesting tool!

Note the two hexagonal areas on the body of the tool. Using two properly-fitting wrenches, try unscrewing the handles. I would mask the hexagons with some tape, to prevent scratching. DO NOT TWIST TOO HARD. If it's stuck, don't try to force it!

My hunch is that one handle will unscrew, and the blade will then be removable for sharpening. The other hex will be found to be of one piece with the body of the tool.

See if there is anything stamped upon the blade.

John Ruth
 
I wondered if it might be a tool used by someone like a pattern maker or core box maker to smooth the inside of a core box for something like an engine manifold or pipe elbow where the core box ends in a bend or elbow and the round part of the tool body on either side of the blade acting as a depth guide as a guide bearing would on a wood shaper or router bit.
Manifold core box - Google Search

Perhaps also a variation of a cooper’s draw knife ?
Cooper's Chamfering Knife | Penobscot Bay History Online

cooper draw knife - Google Search

Regards,
Jim
 
Sorry to have not been present here for a while.

Some good suggestions have been brought forward. I will take a few more pix but I can say that the blade (because as best I can recall it looked like one, two-edged blade went thru the central shaft) or blades are beveled on one side only, not double edged.

I initially thought the handles were a very hard wood painted or dyed black but I'll see if I can gather any additional info to help determine composition. If they were painted or stained, they haven't been used very much because there doesn't seem to be any other color exposed from wear.

And, no, my grandfather actually did not work in 1050! Someone put the "0" too close to the "9" on this keyboard! :-)

He was a machinist for the American Can Company in Portland, Maine until his retirement. They, of course, are no longer in operation. He also had a shop in his basement but he mostly did woodworking projects there. His shop lathe was geared slow for metal turning, though.

I'll also try loosening the hex nuts to see if that reveals anything about the blade. I'm guessing there are some kind of flange or arms extending horizontally away from the blade and into the central shaft.

I will measure when I get back to the shop but I'd say the whole tool is about 16 inches long. The blade portion is about two inches wide along the beveled dimension.

Appreciate the input...

How about a few more pictures of what appears to be the "blade", so we can see the edges.
Edgar

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
He was a machinist for the American Can Company in Portland, Maine until his retirement. They, of course, are no longer in operation.
Utterly useless bit of industry trivia: American Can Company reinvented themselves as the financial services firm Primerica. See History of Primerica.

American Can was founded in 1901 and was one of the 100 largest companies in the US for several decades. They were the significantly larger part of a market duopoly in tin can production until 1950, when the Feds forced competition back into the market and their big customers started making their own cans in-house. American Can diversified in response to the loss of their captive market, became a classic focus-less conglomerate in the 1960's and 70's, and eventually realized the real money was in the money (and also selling records and tapes!), selling off various divisions and eventually changing their name to Primerica in 1987.
 
New Pix

Those of you who've mentioned scraping some form of metal work may be on to something!
tool 1e lo res.jpgtool 1f lo res.jpgtool 1g lo res.jpgtool 1d lo res.jpgtool 1b lo res.jpg

These pictures help convey the size, construction and blade configuration. Notice that the blade is NOT honed to a sharp cutting edge. Rather, the edge is blunt. As suggested, I tried detaching the handles and both very easily unthreaded. The blade is, therefore, held in place by the set-screw-type ends of these two handle pieces. I tried to slide the blade out - it looks like it could and should - but it seemed stuck (it's probably been sitting in there for 40 years or more!). I didn't want to force it and ran out of time, but I still think it is meant to be removed for sharpening or replacement or whatever.

So, I'm quite sure this is a metal working tool, not a wood working tool. The hex portion of the two handles had a small amount of indication of wrench wear, so I'd guess they'd been removed several times in the past. My grandfather etched his name on one side of the barrel that holds the blade, making me even more inclined to think he took this to the factory for machine work and wanted to make sure it always found its way home again!

I am guessing here. Could it have been used for scraping in large diameter Babbitt bearings?
 
Still a little hard to see the handles, but I further suspect they are black colored Micarta. (layers of canvas cloth pressed together and set with phenolic resin)

Quite possible he made the whole tool.
 








 
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