What is it? Set 257

[Rob H.]

I need help with the specifics of the first two items in this week's set:

[Alexander Thesoso]

I wish I could help, but all I have are worthless obvious generalization guesses...

1453 Dial Indicator No idea about the specific application. 1454 Tool to trim the outside diameter of end of wood dowel. Guess... chair back rods. 1455 Puller (obviously) But I can't visualize something sticking out about 2.5" from a surface that has a lip to be grasped and pulled hard for a short distance. 1456 Drug preparation tool/kit/set. Alcohol lamp heats drug in top compartment to prepare for administration. I do not speak from experience. 1457 Tomahawk gun. Strange... grip style is 2nd half of 19th century, tomahawk guns were 18th century tools, so probably a decorative piece. 1458 Core sampler, for something moderately soft, like cheese.

[Andy Dingley]

measuring probe clear of the surface, then lowers it down gradually. I bet the actual measuring probe is somewhere at the left hand end, or might even be missing by now.

1454 Giant pencil sharpener for putting cylindrical tenons onto the ends of square section stock. Could be for almost anything, but I'd guess some sort of small-scale production basket or cage-making process. Chicken coops, that sort of thing. 1455 yet another patent nail inserter / extractor. Forget better mousetraps, that patent office had its time filled with claw hammers. This one looks very similar to a Bahco brand I bought new a few years ago - used for lifting cut nails out of floorboards. 1456 Surgical or medical steriliser. Only a small one, so it might be for an injection set rather than scalpels. 1457 Obviously a combination pistolaxe, but _why_ is anyone's guess. Favoured weapon of the Parisian Apache? 1458 Sample corer.

[Lee Michaels]

firearms were essentially one shot devices, they used to put knives on the top of pistols. You fired your shot and continued to fight with the knife. So, I guess, this has a similar philosophy. But an axe instead of a knife.

It sure would be hard to aim and carry in your belt. I would love to know more about it.

[Lee Michaels]

Oops, minor correction.

Most of the gun-knife combo's had the knife attached to the BOTTOM of the pistol.

Not so with this little tomahawk-gun. This arrangement makes the use of either weapon very unwieldy. Not terribly practical in my opinion.

[J. Clarke]

I don't think it's an axe. The edge appears flat, and the hook on the "blade" along with the two protrusions on the barrel suggest that it is to be positioned against something else and possibly latched. Doesn't seem to be any kind of loading or firing mechanism either, but it looks like there _might_ be a slot of some kind on the top--perhaps it is spring-loaded?

[Metal Cutter]

#1453 Don't know but hope someone does, I've had one for years and never have figured what it does.

#1458 Used to cut the holes in golf course greens.

[Dwayne]

1453 Dont really know but my guess is that its a precision angle finder? 1454 looks a lot like a pencil sharpener maybe for those carpenters pencils? 1455 I'm thinking its maybe a farriers tool for removing horse shoes and stones? 1456 I think this is for heating water the top compartment looks to have enough volume for one cuppa? I would expect a pourer though? 1457 maybe a slaughter tool I would guess there is a pretty powerful spring inside the user would push a bolt into it until it caught on the trigger and place it against the animals head, maybe the extended bit at the front would be so the user could place his foot on it to avoid the gun just bouncing off the skull? either that or a early spring version of a nail gun. 1458 is almost definatly for digging cylinders out of the ground possibly in clay soils, once it has gone as far as possible the long handle could be used to get rid of the plug of clay/earth?

[DoN. Nichols]

1453) Hmm ... you don't mention whether the knob is spring-loaded towards the position in which it is shown.

At a guess, this mounts on top of a tripod or some other stable surface, and a telescope with cross-hairs fits over the round-nosed pin to the left, and the knob to the right. It is pointed at some reference at a distance, and while it is held there, the thumb press lever in the middle is used to rotate the scale to establish the zero. Then the telescope is shifted to view some other reference point, and the angular separation is read from the scale.

I do wonder what the wheel below the round-nosed pin on the left is -- and what happens when you move it.

1454) This appears to serve two functions. 1) To drive a large diameter wood cutting drill bit using the chuck, with the device mounted to a stable surface. 2) The other function involves the spiral-toothed burr which is either to cut flats on pieces of wood fed through the adjustable guides shown, or (perhaps) to somehow sharpen the drill bit. 1455) Perhaps a wire fencing tool? 1456) The metal bottle is something like an alcohol lamp, and the compartment at the top is perhaps for holding something to be sterilized -- hypodermic needles, perhaps? 1457) A suicide dueling gun? :-)

Perhaps something like a rubber-band powered crossbow pistol? (Hook the bands around the flag at the front, and over something which slides in the barrel and projects up a bit?)

1458) For cutting holes in which to plant flowers or other desirable foliage? Perhaps for plants which grow from bulbs? The upper one can then dump the extracted dirt back into the hole by operating the lever, and the smaller one on the bottom can pour the dirt out of the top.

Now to see what others have guessed.

Enjoy, DoN.

[Rob H.]

I took the photos of this device several months ago at the flea market, I was thinking that the knob on the right was connected to the gauge but I could be wrong. Can you take a close look at yours and tell us what the various knobs and levers are for? Also, if there are any names or numbers on it, please let us know.

Rob

[news.houston.sbcglobal.net]

With reference to your picture when the knob on the right is pulled down it opens a set of jaws on the far left of the tool along with moving the needle. It's spring loaded so when you release it the jaws close and the dial indicator returns toward zero. This leads me to believe it's some sort of thickness gauge. The brass button on the face of the tool is marked 80 Train with either a degree or pound symbol after the 80. The bottom half of the tool is wood with a few hand craved initials on it. Previous owner marking his tool I suppose. The only machine markings I see are the number

45138 near the slot for the right hand knob. The orientation of the dial on my sample is rotated 180 degrees from the one pictured. The graduations on the dial of mine are different as well, yours goes from zero to one hundred with mine going from zero to forty. The lettering on the face of the dial states:

NUMBERED IN .001"

1 DIV. = .0002"

The rounded knob on the left side of the tool appears to be a cover for the pin which the jaws pivot on. The two protrusions just to the left of the dial are a lock screw and knob to finely adjust the zero of the dial.

It would be neat to find out exactly what this tool was used for.

[Rob H.]

Good guess! The first part is correct, but the description of how it works goes in the wrong direction.

Rob

[Stuart]

You commit suicide with it >:-o ?!

[Morris Dovey]

Butcher beaned by berserk bovine! Full report at 10.

[Robatoy]

coffee.......

[Dwayne]

Now I am curious, I cant wait to see the answers.

[Scott Lurndal]

What's wrong with a hatchet and a tree-stump? Worked for us every Sunday.

scott

[Gerald Miller]

or other parts

Gerry :-)} London, Canada

[kfvorwerk]

My Grandfather just swung them around by the head and broke their neck. Karl

[Dwayne]

So I guess putting your foot where i suggested wouldn't be a good idea then :/