Hello from Hazard!
We received two more guesses to help us finish unraveling the mystery of Item No. 1294.
Eli Miller, of Middlefield, Ohio, believes it’s a tool used to drill holes through steel and other hard materials. He explained, “Hook the chain around the work piece, and the toothed collar on the threaded center tightens the work piece to help make the drilling easier. You don’t need to push so hard. These were used before electric and battery-operated tools were used.”
Rudy Yoder, of Newcomerstown, Ohio, gave us feedback similar to Eli’s, writing, “Item No. 1294 can be a handy tool if you need to drill a hole through a steel frame.” Rudy explained the tool’s operator would fasten a wood brace to the lower end, loop the chain around the work piece and position the drill and brace while tightening the round knob. “A well-sharpened drill can do the job fairly efficiently,” he wrote.
Deb Edwards submitted Item No. 1294.
Now that we’ve got Item No. 1294’s identity pinned down, we’ll move on to a new mystery.
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Item No. 1295 was submitted by WJ McChesney, of New Galilee, Pennsylvania, Sept. 25. He would like to know what his wrenches may have been used for and if they came with a machine.
If you have any thoughts on these wrenches, email me at editorial@farmanddairy.com, comment on this Hazard A Guess? post at www.farmanddairy.com or send mail to Hazard a Guess?, in care of Farm and Dairy, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460.
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We can always use more items to keep this column going. Please submit items you would like identified to editorial@farmanddairy.com.
