WHATIZIT

[formariz 11,987]

Can anyone identify this tool and its function ? 
 

 

 

[ri702bill 8,326]

Got me - some type of prying or lifting tool - the center of the radius shows wear where it was bucked up against a fixed object......

[Gasaholic 224]

My first thought would be a farrier's tool - used to pry old horseshoes off when re-shoeing a horse? (an actual live horse, not a wheel horse, of course!) 

 

Edit: But then again..... I could see it being used to re-shoe a wheel horse too.... 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Gasaholic

[SylvanLakeWH 25,577]

Looks like an old-style manhole lid pry bar, but i'm thinking too short... 

[Ed Kennell 38,181]

What do you use to scrape out the bottom of your mortise holes?

[formariz 11,987]

21 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

What do you use to scrape out the bottom of your mortise holes?

What mortises are you talking about?

[stevasaurus 22,742]

I know what I could use it for.  Removing patio blocks or bricks from the ground.  Maybe fixing paving bricks in the old days when they had brick roads...or even cobble stones.  

[Pullstart 62,902]

I know I could use it to move heavy pieces of wood (or steel ) as needed in the shop.  Workbench prying/lifting tool?

[JoeM 7,874]

I think it is some kind of furniture tool, 

Coil spring make r happen er thingy 

used something very similar for taking off valve springs on a overhead cam engine. 

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,046]

Chisel used to clean up the bottom of a blind mortise?

[lynnmor 7,307]

My dentist has one of those.

[ebinmaine 67,534]

2 hours ago, Joey Small Block said:

make r happen er thingy

Quite the technical term there!

 

 

1 hour ago, lynnmor said:

My dentist has one of those.

 

You MAY wanna find another teefs maintenance person. 

 

 

[lynnmor 7,307]

1 minute ago, ebinmaine said:

Quite the technical term there!

 

 

 

You MAY wanna find another teefs maintenance person. 

 

 

There is an Amish community here in Pennsyltucky that has a part time "dentist" that works cheap, I think the only tool he has is a Channelock.

[Rick3478 428]

7 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

What do you use to scrape out the bottom of your mortise holes?

 

I believe you're actually right.  I think it's a special chisel for blind mortise work.

 

[8ntruck 7,007]

No idea.  The angles don't look right for it to be a chisel.  The marks on the OD of the semi circular section look like hammer strikes to me.

 

It is old.  It is forged.

[formariz 11,987]

Some of you almost have it. It is a chisel but dedicated for mainly one type of task. This is the one I use to clean the bottom of mortises. The question is now what is the other one for? It is very different. 

[Pullstart 62,902]

Chisel for bowl making?

[Pullstart 62,902]

What are they called, rabbet?  Biscuit?

[oliver2-44 9,756]

So we know it’s a chisel and I’m thinking the rounded metal section is a handhold to apply force or pressure. 

[formariz 11,987]

A little help. It has the same function as the other one but really for a specific mortise. What is the mortise it is designed for? A job that not too many carpenters do anymore today. 

Edited August 8, 2023 by formariz

[wh500special 2,184]

Perhaps for a lock set in a door?

[Ed Kennell 38,181]

17 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

What do you use to scrape out the bottom of your mortise holes?

PM me for the shipping address.        

 

I'll be checking my mail.

[953 nut 55,260]

10 hours ago, formariz said:

A job that not too many carpenters do anymore today.

That statement covers about 90 % of the tools you have in your shop!      

It appears that the half-round portion on the tool has been hammered on.     Perhaps it is used for a mortised lockset like @wh500special said.

[formariz 11,987]

Yes it is a mortise chisel designed to clean the bottom of mortises in this case a lock mortise. So it is a lock mortise chisel. It is a difficult and sometimes precarious task since some lock mortises will go dangerously close to the other side of door stile not allowing for mortise bottom to be chiseled in a regular manner. With this chisel one can in a very controlled way scrape or shave the bottom of mortise until depth is reached. It is extremely strong since that type of levering requires considerable effort.It will not work properly unless mortise is at least 5 inches deep since the fulcrum point would damage the ends of shallower mortises which may be seen. 
  It is seldom seen since lock mortising was not attempted by many anyway and with the introduction of mechanized methods and availability of pre mortised doors need became nearly extinct. Besides being impressive looking it is a very effective tool for any mortise over 5 inches in depth. This one is very early 19th century. 
  There are some out there also called lock mortising chisels but in reality are really large goose neck chisels designed for a regular mortise. Their fulcrum point is too shallow not allowing chisel’s cutting edge to reach center of mortise. Lock mortises can be pretty long. This one will allow complete work on a mortise 6 inches deep by 10 inches long. 

Edited August 8, 2023 by formariz

[formariz 11,987]

@Ed Kennell  curious to know if you actually knew it was specifically a Lock Mortise Chisel , reason being because I only know of  one instance of a similar one being shown on the web. It is identical in design but different in appearance at the fulcrum point. I actually only have seen four in my lifetime and I own one of them.