What is it? Set 498

[Rob H.]

Just posted this week's set:

Rob

[lektric dan]

2903. corner chisel. Used to make 90 degree cut at the corner of an inset, such as is made to set a hinge. The bevel is to the inside of the angle, if it were on the outside, it would be a BAV (Big Awesome Veiner)

[j Burns]

2901: I suppose the first two would be called plumb squares and the third a plumb level. (The spirit level was invented in 1661 and became common in the 19th Century.)

[j Burns]

2900: I wonder if it might be a float to measure the density of a sample of fuel oil. That way, they'd know if they were getting the kind of oil they paid for. The density might also have told them how to set their boilers. If it ever came unscrewed, it might have been for the manufacturer to add a certain amount of lead.

[joeljcarver]

2899 - Marking gauge for multiple settings ... Appears to be craftsman made 2903 - Corner chisel for cleaning out mortises .... Here are some high end ones:

[Stormin Mormon]

2899, multiple probe depth gage. beyond that, no ide what is the use. 2900, don't know. 2901, don't know. 2902, don't know. 2903, probably a chisel for cutting wood doors, for mortise locks.

Rob

[Scott Lurndal]

2899 Marking Gauge. Maintains five settings. 2901 Plumb Bob 2902 Trammel points 2903 Corner Chisel

[Rob H.]

Corner chisel is correct.

[Rob H.]

Yes, I was told the first two were plumb squares, I never got a name for the third but plumb level sounds good to me.

[Rob H.]

Correct, I had seen a similar tool but it had only one setscrew for multiple gauges.

[Rob H.]

This answer is correct.

[woodchucker]

Well, this week was pretty easy, you all seemed to get most so I won't repeat.

2904. A noise maker, put a piece of card stock in the clip and spin it around to make noise on New years or some festive occasion.

[j Burns]

I'm inspired with another guess! A pin to hold a watertight door open! Doors on a freighter should normally be left closed for protection from fire and sinking. If a ship's officer goes into a compartment and closes the door behind him, they may be unable to find him if they need him. Besides, he may want fresh air. So he carries a pin on a fob with his initials. Then crewmen know the door was intentionally left open, and they can find him quickly.

If the captain sees the officer without his fob on his uniform, he knows the officer has left a door pinned open. Maybe the captain saved this one as a keepsake from a friend with the initials SE.

[G. Ross]

2904 A single edge razor blade sharpener.

[DoN. Nichols]

Posting from rec.crafts.metalworking as always.

2899) Looks like a tool for scribing a number of lines parallel to the edge of a piece of wood. Scribe one line (using the hex wood block sliding along the edge), then rotate it to the next flat and scribe the next, until all are done.

Since all the adjustment pulls seem at the same level, yet the scribe points at the other end are in steps of something like 1" spacing, based on the 8" overall length., it looks like that is the default spacing of the lines -- though you can loosen one of the "tuning pegs" and slide a scribe to a different depth.

Since there is apparently no "tuning peg" on the bottom-most flat, it is for five parallel lines, and may be related to a music staff -- though why you would want to make one in wood is not clear -- other than for decorative purposes.

2900) If it were from earlier, I would consider it to possibly be a container for needles for stitching up sails. Not sure what a merchant marine would put in there. Maybe salt or some other seasoning?

As for opening it -- take two pieces of wood, drill holes which are a slip fit near for the each of the two diameters one end of each, cut a slot in the wood from the long end to the hole, and when you squeeze the sides of the handle together, it will grip the surface without distorting it.

Is it steel, or silver? (Check with a magnet.)

2901) These are a set of levels -- most for horizontal or vertical surface checks, though the last is for horizontal surfaces only.

The longer the distance from pivot to plumb bob, the more resolution.

2902) These look like two scribe points for some form of trammel (like a divider, but all mounted on a beam instead of a hinged pair of legs.) The center one could hold a larger pivot point to fit into an existing hole.

2903) A wood-turning chisel -- apparently to make a sharp right-angled corner.

2904) An optical tool for sure. It looks as though it is intended to accept a narrow beam from below (assuming the handle is vertical), deflect it to something held in the clip, and it looks like it will hold a single-edged razor blade, likely for the knife-edge test of a mirror lens being made for an astronomical telescope.

It is probably made to be sold to amateur telescope makers.

Maybe it it held with the handle down, and the eye above looking down on the 45-degree mirror (probably first-surface).

I am surprised that the cavity surrounding the 45-degree mirror is not painted flat black.

2838) So -- someone finally identified this one. Thanks.

Enjoy, DoN.

[Dan Coby]

,

This was the first thing that I thought about when I saw this tool. Since no one else has mentioned the Lee Valley version, here it is:

Note: Check page two of its description.

Dan

[Rob H.]

Pretty funny, they have some good products, good to see they have a sense of humor.

[Alexander Thesoso]

I was very much impressed with the skill and professionalism in their AFD pages. A lot of work went into their preparation.

[Rob H.]

Razor blade sharpener is correct, my link in the answer for this one shows the missing leather stropper that goes on the round piece.

Still not sure about the second item but the rest of them were all answered correctly.

Rob

[j Burns]

I have a triple beam desktop scale where one can suspend an object by a thread to measure its weight in a container of water to calculate the density. If it's solid steel, I'd think it must be a pin to keep something mechanical from moving. On a ship, you probably wouldn't need a padlock to keep somebody from removing such a pin: just a fob with the initials of the authority who had disabled the device.