What is this

Mace Canute · Jun 13, 2015

The four point star portion of it looks like a small trip hammer but what it's purpose was is beyond my ken.

Depmandog · Jun 13, 2015

I agree it's missing a wood handle. Seriously doubt it's leather related..

I am thinking when you push down on the handle it drops the tang and forces it out. Imagine a woodworking scenario, the center pipe on the bottom rests in a workbench dog hole. You have a couple of boards laying flat on the bench that are slid up against bench dogs. You need to compress the boards and you use this to apply leverage to squeeze them together. Perhaps some custom tool for the furniture industry. The little nubbin on the side of the tang would rest on top of the board. Notice the difference in elevation from where the tool would rest on the workbench to the bottom of the tang holder? Perhaps an inch? Board thickness ?

That's my best guess. :laughing:

bcp · Jun 13, 2015

A variation on this:

72. Intermittent Gear, Trip Hammer - 507 mechanical movement animation

Bruce

Egon · Jun 13, 2015

Wheel counter activation device. Surveying???

pmsmechanic · Jun 14, 2015

I enlarged the picture to 400%. Lots more details. The right round piece (shaft) is adjustable in a slot. You can just see the slot to the right. The left round piece with the punch in it has worn a circular divot in the hammer head. The left round piece also has notches around the outside and I believe that there would be an advancing mechanism to turn that left drum every time the lever is pushed. The "punch" does not have a sharp point and it has a rounded edge on the lip sticking out. I'm starting to think that it is a tool to round over the edge of a hollow brass or similar metal bushing to rivet it into a hole.