Woodworker's Journal 2008-32-3, страница 28
mm>m Richard Smith's mystery tool has our readers scratching their heads and paging through old Sears and Roebuck's catalogs... alas, to no avail! What's This? John Premo from Western Springs, Illinois, sent in the tool below. It cost him $1 at a church garage sale for the 8"-long item. Know what it is? Send in your answer for a chance to win a prize! If you have your own woodworking mystery tool (or the answer to this issue's entry), send it to Stumpers, c/o Woodworker's Journal, P.O. Box 261, Medina, Minnesota 55340. Or send us an e-mail: stumpers@ woodworkersjournal.com What IS This Whatsit? It's happened again. Woodworker's Journal readers (and staff) are completely stumped by a tool submitted to our mystery tool department. Or at least, so it seems ... unless there are those of you just sitting out there in your easy chairs, chortling to yourselves at everyone else's confusion. You do know those are evil chortles, do you not? Just checking. Or, it's possible that the antique shop at which Richard Smith of Rock Hill, South Carolina, purchased the mystery tool featured in our February 2008 issue was just messing with him. (And yes, that's a large photo of it above ... hey, we're not throwing in the towel just yet!) We did get a few guesses from readers on Richard's tool. At least Tami Swanson of Dayton, Ohio, was honest about it: "I am guessing," she said, "it is a wine bottle stopper/carrier." Roger Secord of Henderson, Nevada, on the other hand, just said "It looks like a frame for a wooden hack saw blade." Oh, does it, Richard? Regular correspondent Amy Nielsen of Maple Valley, Washington, went for the minimalist approach in her response to this mystery tool: "a stretcher," she said — and that's all she said, folks. Perhaps she meant, as did Paul Ringus of Barnwell, South Carolina, "a shoe stretcher." Paul wondered, "Could it be part" of one? Since Paul's answer had some meaty thoughts to it, we'll include them here: "In earlier times, all shoes were made of leather, and the toes would curl when the leather shrank. Wood laths were inserted in the unworn shoes, but the laths had to be pushed to the toe of the shoe for proper stretching. "The taper part, which looks like a handle in the photo, would be inserted into the heel of the shoe and then, though the photo does not reflect a threaded stem, the tip on the adjustable knob end is pushed against the toe and the turn knob is tightened to put pressure on the heel, making the shoe straight to prevent the toes from curling when not worn. The longer shaft is really the handle so you can pick up the shoe with the lath in place." Quite a lot of details, Paul. But you know what? The reason the photo doesn't reflect a threaded stem is because that piece isn't threaded - and therefore wouldn't apply pressure. And then, of course, we have Jim Davis of Reston, Virginia. Jim says "My wild guess is that it had a use related to attaching or removing the thread cones or spools used on weaving machines." Yep, Jim, that's a pretty wild guess: so much so that we can't even begin to figure out how that would work. And, we admit it: we can't find a good answer, either. —Joanna Werch Takes _S WINNER! Roger Secord of Henderson, Nevada, wins a Porter-Cable 12" Deluxe Dovetail Jig (model 4212). We toss all the Stumpers letters into a hat to select a winner. 28 June 2008 Woodworker's Journal |
