Hello from Hazard!
Two brave souls finally responded on item No. 647 – and since they both said it’s the same thing, they must be right!
The tool is a wrench, or screw clamp, used with a four-sided nut. R.G. Rauhauser of Thomasville, Pa., even adds that it was patented by Charles Kingsley, assigned to Charles Parker, both of Meridian, Conn.
Reader Julius Shinko explains the nut was used to tighten the vise, and the handle (Item No. 647) provided the leverage. Once the vise was tightened in position, the handle hung below supported by the bosses in the machined cavities of the nut. To reposition the vise, the handle was used to loosen the nut and the vise was rotated to a new position and retightened. Shinko has one of these on a vise currently mounted to a carpenter’s horse.
Item No. 648 is a primitive-looking tool shared by Ralph Anstine of Alliance, Ohio. As you can see, the handle is about 12 inches, and the prongs extend another 3 inches.
If you think you know what this was used for, share your ideas with: Hazard a Guess, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460; or via e-mail at: editorial@farmanddairy.com.
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