What is it? Set 280

[Rob H.]

There is just one unidentified item in this week's set:

[Richard Heathfield]

by the fact that my list was getting so strained near the end that I couldn't think of a way to justify posting it.

But I did think the first photograph looked very like an early sandcrawler design (dating back to Tatooine's Wood Age), and the second was clearly a snap of a couple of prototypical lightsabers.

[woodchips]

A tough set.

1595 - a corner clamp, used for holding wood in a mitered corner to be glued. Those dogs would dig in quite heavily, so if the wood is a softwood, the dogs would leave marks.

John

[kfvorwerk]

1593. The step for a carriage. The kind attached to the carriage not this kind of carriage step: Clay bird thrower for skeet shooting.

[grrly girl]

1592 : I don't know the name, but it goes around a hearth. 1593 : Carriage step 1596 : Looks like a /frisbee-like launcher

[RogerN]

A guess of 1591 Maybe it went on top of a mine shaft and was used as an elevator winch. Maybe the poles were to hand crank it to lower or raise.

[Alexander Thesoso]

1581 I have a guess, but I have conflicts about my guess. A cotton baler. (to compress cotton into bales) Supporting the guess: It is about the right size and shape. How it might work: Rotating the bottom shaft with the ratchet levers winds up a rope on the shaft. This pulls the angled levers (one we see, and its opposite mate) inward. This raises a platform (A rectangular box, tall enough to not twist or bind) to squash the cotton against a fixed top. The machine is shown in its squashed position. In its open position, the levers stick out a couple of feet. In the fully squashed position, the platform is at the height of the belt around the machine. Then the hooks at the top are opened, the door lowered onto a wagon, and the bale pushed out. Then lower the platform, heave in more cotton, latch the doors and repeat. Problems with this theory: There doesn't seem to be a latch on the shaft, so losing one's grasp will swing the levers up, knocking the worker's (slave's?) teeth out. There doesn't seem to be any way to tie or strap the bale. There is no good way to unwind the rope or to lower the platform, other than gravity. The compression is less than 2:1. I thought cotton bales were compressed more that that much. There is no good way to get the cotton in, or to keep it in.

[Alexander Thesoso]

1591 I have a guess, but I have conflicts about my guess. A cotton baler. (to compress cotton into bales) Supporting the guess: It is about the right size and shape. How it might work: Rotating the bottom shaft with the ratchet levers winds up a rope on the shaft. This pulls the angled levers (one we see, and its opposite mate) inward. This raises a platform (A rectangular box, tall enough to not twist or bind) to squash the cotton against a fixed top. The machine is shown in its squashed position. In its open position, the levers stick out a couple of feet. In the fully squashed position, the platform is at the height of the belt around the machine. Then the hooks at the top are opened, the door lowered onto a wagon, and the bale pushed out. Then lower the platform, heave in more cotton, latch the doors and repeat. Problems with this theory: There doesn't seem to be a latch on the shaft, so losing one's grasp will swing the levers up, knocking the worker's (slave's?) teeth out. There doesn't seem to be any way to tie or strap the bale. There is no good way to unwind the rope or to lower the platform, other than gravity. The compression is less than 2:1. I thought cotton bales were compressed more that that much. There is no good way to get the cotton in, or to keep it in.

[Steve W.]

1591 - Looks like an OLD vertical baler. Would like to see the internals to see if it's for hay or cotton. Tools were for the ratchets as you surmised. 1592 - Hearth irons for your fireplace. Those look more decorative than usable though. 1593 - Carriage step, Used for driver or passenger access depending on how expensive the coach was. More expensive and fancier ones used them only for the driver or footmen. 1594 - Looks like a small hand press or possibly a spice/mineral grinder. Set it on a HARD surface or a grinding stone and load it, use the piston to provide pressure while you ground the item? 1595 - OLD 90 degree clamp. May have been used to secure crates while they were being nailed together. 1596 - Mechanical clay thrower used to throw single or double clay targets for skeet or trap shooting. They simulate birds flight so you can practice.

[jeff_wisnia]

1592 - Upper edging for the safety barrier developed by engineers at the request of The Republican National Party after 73 year old presidential canditate Bob Dole fell off a stage during the 1996 campaign.

Jeff

[Stuart]

Fender.

[Dan Major]

1591. is a big "compresser" of sorts. Man, that's a BIG chunk of butter! Probably for compressing cotton for baling. 1592. railing from the end of a bar (not that I would know *anything* about such things!) 1593. carriage or wagon step

1594. put some rosin between the two parts and twist - it's a bird call

1594. a clamp for gluing up miters or a latch that holds the corners together

1595. clay pigeon trap

[DoN. Nichols]

1591) Looks like something for casting either ice or concrete and then dumping it. 1592) For turning the mold above to dump whatever was cast. 1593) Surrounds the front of a fireplace -- usually with a folding wire screen behind it to keep glowing embers from shooting out onto the rugh. 1594) A step for getting into a waggon? 1595) Piston fire starter? 1596) For holding the corner of a frame together while it is glued? 1597) Two things. The gray rectangular box with a red handle is a power disconnect -- probably with fuses inside.

The thing on three legs looks like a clay pigeon launcher.

Now to see what others have suggested.

Enjoy, DoN.

[Rob H.]

It's for hay, I took the photos at an auction and didn't have a chance to take any of the inside. I did take a look through the cracks and saw a rope around the shaft at the bottom, as someone already mentioned. I was hoping to find some patent drawings for it since text on it said "Dederick No. 4 Hay Press, Patented", I found a few Dederick patents but none that showed how this press worked.

Rob

[Steve R.]

1592 I have seen these around the hearth of old fireplaces. 1593 A step for a carriage or high wheeler vintage car.I seem to remember steps like this on a 1902 (???) single cylinder Cadillac.

Steve R.

[Andrew Erickson]

My guesses:

1591 - It would be interesting to see the interior of this thing. Is it perhaps a cotton baling press or something along those lines?

1592 - I'd guess this is either a decorative thingy for the top of a cabinet, or else a large andiron sort of protector for a fireplace--most likely the former.

1593 - Step for mounting a carriage, wagon, train car, or other high wooden vehicle, bolted to the framework of said vehicle

1594 - Would seem to be a press of some sort, not really sure for what though.

1595 - Clamp/tool for assembling picture frames or window frames; the claws draw the frame up into the corner, and the notches near the corner presumably allow the application of some permanent fastener. I'd imagine you'd have to do some further filling/finishing to get rid of the claw marks afterwards.

1596 - Sporting clay pigeon thrower, sitting next to an unrelated electrical disconnect box. Pulling the string would release the spring-loaded arm, tossing the pigeon. This particular one doesn't seem to have any adjustments except for spring tension; I'd kind of expect to see an elevation adjustment, too, but maybe that's done by pounding the stakes more or less into the earth.

Now off to read other people's guesses!

[Leon Fisk]

I think these patents are about as close as you can get:

?vid=RE5022 would guess that in the picture you took the plunger was in the up position (shrug).

That dude had a lot of patents too, especially concerning hay/cotton pressing...

[Rob H.]

Excellent work on finding those patents! I just added 99295 to the answer page, it does a good job of explaining how the press works.

Thanks, Rob