[CliffordK]

In case you missed it...  Geezer???

The third tool hanging on the wall is a 2 man bucksaw.  Before the chainsaw, they would have been used for cutting down trees, cutting up logs, firewood, and etc.  They are still used in wildernesses where motorized engines are prohibited.



The first tool is called a spider, and is used to check the set of the tooth as is shown in this Government Document



Every 5^th (double) tooth on the saws above is called a raker tooth.  They remain flat (no set).

The second tool is used to measure the depth of these raker teeth.

[Geezer]

Ya got me Bugsy!

Wait a minute - in the first piccy it looks as if all four legs are resting an a flat surface, which cannot be the case.

[CliffordK]

I was told that this was used to gauge the flatness of stuff (granite tables?), although I'm not sure it wasn't also used for grinding.  My goal is to eventually make it into a telescope. 


Glass.JPG (16.24 kB . 403x352 - viewed 3580 times)↓↓↓↓

[CliffordK]

Here's another tool...  and some questions along the the same line.

Obviously an axe.
But, what type of axe?  Why?
And, why are there grooves in the handle?


Axe.JPG (126.92 kB . 884x1713 - viewed 4183 times)

[Geezer]

Here's another tool...  and some questions along the the same line.

Obviously an axe.
But, what type of axe?  Why?
And, why are there grooves in the handle?


Axe.JPG (126.92 kB . 884x1713 - viewed 4183 times)

It must be an axe that can be used by right or left-handed people. Why else would it have two cutting edges (unless it's for chopping down two trees at the same time?)

[Karen W.]

Here's another tool...  and some questions along the the same line.

Obviously an axe.
But, what type of axe?  Why?
And, why are there grooves in the handle?

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

I believe this is a double-bit axe.
It is used to Perform the same function as single-bit axe, only difference is it has two cutting edges one on each end of the head so that the lumbermen or person using the axe can rotate it in their hand and use both edges.. I believe the marks are the falling count.. how many trees its cut down.. but thats just kinda what I remember as a kid hearing. It was a long time ago so I can't be sure that my memory is correct.LOL

   The Double-bit axes have straight handles that are symmetrical with the double-edge head.
 I know one type or pattern head is called a western and then I think we used to have one that was refereed to as a reversible head. There are likely more but those are the types I have seen around here.
We are in the land of lumberjacks and most of them use the double bit axe wen downing  trees and working with the logs.. ect

[Karen W.]

Here's another tool...  and some questions along the the same line.

Obviously an axe.
But, what type of axe?  Why?
And, why are there grooves in the handle?

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

I believe this is a double-bit axe.
It is used to Perform the same function as single-bit axe, only difference is it has two cutting edges one on each end of the head so that the lumbermen or person using the axe can rotate it in their hand and use both edges.. I believe the marks are the falling count.. how many trees its cut down.. but thats just kinda what I remember as a kid hearing. It was a long time ago so I can't be sure that my memory is correct.LOL

   The Double-bit axes have straight handles that are symmetrical with the double-edge head. I think the straight handle kinda provided balance to the ax o the weight was dispersed evenly to either blade.
 I know one type or pattern head is called a western and then I think we used to have one that was refereed to as a reversible head. There are likely more but those are the types I have seen around here.
We are in the land of lumberjacks and most of them use the double bit axe wen downing  trees and working with the logs.. ect

[Karen W.]

P.S. that one looks dull enough to use as an awl..LOL Needs a good sharpening from looks of this picture..

[CliffordK]

Apparently not all double-bitted axe heads are the same.

This is a photo from E-Bay.  But, notice that one axe head is virtually flat on one side (like the one above).


AxeHeads.jpg (19.17 kB . 457x358 - viewed 5047 times)

Why?

Still no comments on the grooves in the axe handle?

[Geezer]

I tracked down an expert in this subject. Waiting to hear back from him.

[Karen W.]

Apparently not all double-bitted axe heads are the same.

This is a photo from E-Bay.  But, notice that one axe head is virtually flat on one side (like the one above).


AxeHeads.jpg (19.17 kB . 457x358 - viewed 5047 times)

Why?

Still no comments on the grooves in the axe handle?

Like I said I believe the marks in the handle represent the tree falling count..but Sam not sure how many trees to a  mark that one represents.....?

[CliffordK]

I presume there is one mark per tree...
But, I'm told that there is a different reason for the marks as they aren't created with a pocket knife.

[Geezer]

I presume there is one mark per tree...
But, I'm told that there is a different reason for the marks as they aren't created with a pocket knife.

Looks like they are burned in. Is it the age of the shaft in terms of years of use?

[Karen W.]

They all.oat look burned in...?

[Geezer]

They all.oat look burned in...?

Yes. Oats tend to be very burny.

[Karen W.]

Lol.. I said the same... the marks looked burned in.. sorry for my tiny phone keys and predictive text that has a mind of its own...

[CliffordK]

Ok,
You're getting a bit closer.

So, what was used to "burn in" the lines?

[imatfaal]

The hot axe blade when being reforged / re-tempered?

[CliffordK]

I've sharpened axes...  but never retempered them.

Single blade axes suffer from being used as sledges and wedges, but that isn't an issue with double-bitted axes. 

I doubt that anybody has whacked into railroad irons or something enough times to warrant multiple major rebuilds of the axe head without also breaking the handle.

[imatfaal]

Old steel would blunt quickly after much use - my uncle used to get his chisels redone (he was a cabinet maker since before wwii - now sadly gone).  He claimed that over time the whacking used to make all the steel the same all over - the body of the chisel would go brittle from being soft and flexible and the tip would become soft from being hard and brittle.  whether this was an old wives tale I do not know

[Geezer]

Old steel would blunt quickly after much use - my uncle used to get his chisels redone (he was a cabinet maker since before wwii - now sadly gone).  He claimed that over time the whacking used to make all the steel the same all over - the body of the chisel would go brittle from being soft and flexible and the tip would become soft from being hard and brittle.  whether this was an old wives tale I do not know

Never heard that one before. I think it's a bit suspect, but maybe he was right. If he was in the habit of using a grinding wheel to sharpen them, the heat produced could affect the hardness, but it's more usual to sharpen them on a stone by hand.

Wot we need is a meta-lurgy-cal person to 'splain this to us.

I don't think axe heads are hardened that much. Last time I sharpened my hand axe, I seem to remember I used a file, then a stone to put the final edge on it.   

[CliffordK]

Ok,

I think we got sidetracked a bit.  So much for woodsy stuff.

Anyway, the axe in the photo above is a feller's (or faller's) axe.  The flat edge on the bottom is supposed to make the axe into a T-Square that can be used to determine the direction a tree will fall.  What if the axe handle is warped as above?

http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/htmlpubs/htm99232823/page04.htm


As far as the notches.  I thought I was told that it was providing a guide for the crosscut saw while cutting down the trees, but the best I can tell, it has to do with underbucking with a buck saw.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underbucking


Although the Wikipedia article does suggest using a single-bit axe, presumably so you won't fall into the axe head.

As mentioned, it will give a crude count of the number of underbucks that have been done.

Geezer suggested a burnt effect, but it would be friction burning.

[CliffordK]

Ok...

Here is something entirely different...
I have a guess on what it is...  we'll see if my guess is the same as what others come up with.

I'll answer any questions that you come up with (that I can answer).


WhatsThis.JPG (29.29 kB . 755x270 - viewed 22675 times)

[Geezer]

Is it made of graphite?

[CliffordK]

Is it made of graphite?

Good question.  And, it does appear to be graphite, or a high carbon compound.  And it did chip when I dropped it.  The screw appears to be a copper alloy (copper, brass, or bronze), and does not come out the other end.

P.S.
It appears as if Geezer is on the right track.... 
Does anybody ELSE have the answer?

[SeanB]

A idler pulley of some sort, most likely for light duty, probably in a wet environment.

[damocles]

looks to me like some sort of sharpening stone or grindstone that has lost its handle

[Bored chemist]

I note that both graphite and brass are used as electrical conductors, but I don't know hat this object is for. Could it be the carbon rod from a leclanche cell?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leclanch%C3%A9_cell

[CliffordK]

As far as the pulley, it is light (which is good), but as mentioned, it chipped easily when dropped, and the screw doesn't seem strong enough to take much abuse.  So, I'm doubtful.

I haven't tried scraping  it, but if it is carbon, it would likely crumble more than a whetstone.  It also has a gear tooth like shape that would be inconvenient for sharpening many items.

I note that both graphite and brass are used as electrical conductors, but I don't know hat this object is for. Could it be the carbon rod from a leclanche cell?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leclanch%C3%A9_cell

Geezer?  Your thoughts?

The battery post is down my line of reasoning, The carbon part reminds me of the carbon rod that one finds in the middle of typical alkaline batteries, just much bigger.

The screw reminds me of the screw-on top on many 6V lantern batteries.

Unfortunately I haven't taken apart many larger alkaline batteries.  At about 6" long, it would be tall for a lantern battery, and everything I see indicate that at least the modern 6V batteries are made of multiple independent smaller cells wired together.

[Geezer]

I was thinking it might be a brush for a large dynamo or motor. The fluted section is likely to prevent rotation, which is required with a brush.

[CliffordK]

Interesting idea.  The end is flat and not worn concave.  However, it doesn't mean it isn't new.  The profile, however, is round (with flutes).  Most brushes I've seen are square or rectangular because they are designed to match the shape of the commutator.

The piece was found in the mountains near a long abandoned remote homestead which is also in a mining region.

[damocles]

Unfortunately I haven't taken apart many larger alkaline batteries.  At about 6" long, it would be tall for a lantern battery, and everything I see indicate that at least the modern 6V batteries are made of multiple independent smaller cells wired together.

The voltage put out by a galvanic cell depends on the chemical reaction that takes place when electricity is generated. The maximum possible for any practical system is around 2.5 volt, and most of the practical cells produce about 1.5 volt. (Lead-Acid as in a car battery is 2.0 volt). So any 6 volt battery must consist of 3 or 4 cells wired in series.

But we are here looking at a rather old artifact, so 6 volt is probably rather irrelevant. I think that Bored Chemist's suggestion

Could it be the carbon rod from a leclanche cell?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leclanch%C3%A9_cell

is the least problematic of the various suggestions so far put forward.

The fluted profile is consistent with trying to maximise the surface area of an electrode, while maintaining the mechanical integrity of a rather fragile material.

[Geezer]

Unfortunately I haven't taken apart many larger alkaline batteries.  At about 6" long, it would be tall for a lantern battery, and everything I see indicate that at least the modern 6V batteries are made of multiple independent smaller cells wired together.

The voltage put out by a galvanic cell depends on the chemical reaction that takes place when electricity is generated. The maximum possible for any practical system is around 2.5 volt, and most of the practical cells produce about 1.5 volt. (Lead-Acid as in a car battery is 2.0 volt). So any 6 volt battery must consist of 3 or 4 cells wired in series.

But we are here looking at a rather old artifact, so 6 volt is probably rather irrelevant. I think that Bored Chemist's suggestion

Could it be the carbon rod from a leclanche cell?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leclanch%C3%A9_cell

is the least problematic of the various suggestions so far put forward.

The fluted profile is consistent with trying to maximise the surface area of an electrode, while maintaining the mechanical integrity of a rather fragile material.

Give the location, and the rather wimpy connection, I think that's a good assumption.

Clifford, can you measure its resistance?

[CliffordK]

Clifford, can you measure its resistance?

Awww heck,
I just use my meter as a go/no-go gauge. 

Anyway, the resistance in the wires of the meter seems to be about 0.3 ohms.
The resistance from end to end on the "handle" seems to be about 0.8 ohms, or a difference of about 0.5 ohms.

I may have to do some polishing as I seem to get some very high resistance across the screw.

[Geezer]

Anyway, the resistance in the wires of the meter seems to be about 0.3 ohms.

Isn't there a lttle thingy you can adjust to zero the reading? Either that, or you are needing to change the battery before it leaks and ruins your meter []

If it's about 0.5 Ω, it does sound a bit high for a motor brush, so that would suggest it's the carbon  electrode for a primary cell as BC and the dangly sword guy suggest.

[terrildactl]

It's a high tech refrigerant condenser. It could also be an evaporator. Some sort of fluid flows through an orifice, and a sudden drop in pressure by an expansion chamber, Blah, blah, refrigeration simple, to cool, or warm, some thing that generates heat.

[widereader]

I think this is an exhaust fan.

[CliffordK]

I was browsing at the local second hand store, and this showed up.


P.JPG (33.32 kB . 288x659 - viewed 3336 times)

Perhaps I'm off my rocker with my interpretation...  let's see what the group thinks.

[CliffordK]

No Comments?
RD had found a similar candle holder...

But, the question remains if there is any significance beyond planned obsolescence?

[CliffordK]

Nothing?

Boy it is quiet here.

Maybe I should have posted it under "Geek Speek" (hint) as they certainly would have had some good interpretations there.

[Don_1]

Perhaps this was not quite what it seemed. Not a celebration of the turn of the millennium, but a doomsday prediction that we would all be using candles after the millennium bug put an end to life as we know knew it.

Or there again, maybe it was a very early attempt at making a torch (flashlight) with a rating of 2000 candle power.

[CliffordK]

Very close, there was such a prediction...  that many people took far too seriously.

[CliffordK]

Ok, not much in the comments about the Candle.

In the late 90's, people became aware of a potential issue with dates, in that if the year was written with two digits (99), then the new year (00) would have a couple of issues.

00 < 99, rather than being larger than the previous year.
If one simply incremented the value for the year, 99+1 = 100, which could cause a number of unexpected errors when one is expecting a 2 digit date.
Dates might be calculated by concatenating the strings 19+the 2 digit year, so the new year might read 1900, or 19100.

This became known as the Millennium Bug.

Anyway, so there was a huge effort to clean up the code....  so that programs would work properly on the new year.  Many companies such as Microsoft released special Y2K patches.

Nonetheless, there were many people who were convinced that there would be a critical failure, such as a loss of major public utilities such as electricity.  Oregon Health Sciences University rented a huge semi-truck generator and wired it into their electrical system as a precaution. 

Of course, there were a number of other people who weren't convinced that power would be lost, but perhaps at most, utilities would have to do an extra run of their billing.

Of course, on January 1, 2000, there was not a single power outage anywhere in the world, but at least a few dates were written incorrectly.

So, it is my interpretation that the candle holder not only celebrates the new millennium, but also celebrates the millennium bug, and preparing for the predicted mass power failures.

[syhprum]

The Earths moon seems to have grown rather it looks about the size of Mars.

[damocles]

 

The Earths moon seems to have grown rather it looks about the size of Mars.

Yeah I was watching the magnificent moonrise out of my window last night and the Earth's moon looked many times the size of Mars.

(i.e. Wal, what on Earth -- or in the heavens -- is your last post relating to???)

[CliffordK]

Our moon, of course, is larger than Pluto.
It is nearly the size of Mercury.

And, if Syhprum had moved to Jupiter or Saturn, then perhaps he is thinking that both Jupiter and Saturn's largest moons are larger than Mercury, and approaching the size of Mars.


Click to enlarge.
http://tcaa.us/Astronomy/Moon.aspx

[Wysiwyg Mtwzzyzx]

Ok...

Here is something entirely different...
I have a guess on what it is...  we'll see if my guess is the same as what others come up with.

I'll answer any questions that you come up with (that I can answer).


WhatsThis.JPG (29.29 kB . 755x270 - viewed 22675 times)

Finally I've found another!  I've been trying to figure out what I found for months- and here you have something quite similar- Mine is 25mm diameter, 140 mm length, no flutes, copper nail sticking out one end.  I also found mine in the wild- specifically in the Angeles Forest just outside Los Angeles, miles from a paved road, just off a fire road and near an old abandoned civil defense platform.  My first guess was that it was an arc light electrode, but it wasn't tapered on the end as you'd expect it to be.  I think research also showed it wasn't the right size.  I'd love to know if you've found anything more out about it Clifford.