What is it? CLXXVI

I'd certainly like one that fires real cannonballs directed squarely at the little sod next door and set to go off every time he starts playing his bloody drums. This is rarely at noon however and more often than not in the early evening when there isn't much sun. How you'd arrange this to work with a magnifying glass I'm not sure.

The fire axe does look similar but the one on my site was marked "Bell System", though I can't say exactly how it was used.

Rob

I'm not familiar with that term, are try-pieces the same as go/no go gauges?

Rob

Something a machinist makes to show his skill. May have no practical purpose.

scott

Nope... that's not US-centric, pretty well everyone wants a miniature cannon. I know I do.

Connect the magnifying glass up to a tympanum. Set up a ring of photodetectors connected to an electric ignitor, and set up the glass so its focus is in the center of the ring. Drums make noise, glass shakes, moves focus to photodetectors, ignitor fires, canon goes off :-)

I'd think a multi-purpose tool like that would be a field or lineman's tool rather than a central-office tool.

This site indicates it's a lineman's hatchet:

One person on this forum claims the blade was used for blazing the poles (to mark them for replacement)

This is on Ebay at the moment. May be related to yours.