Tool, what is it ?

[Urbish]

I wonder if it is a tamper for sand casting in a foundry.

[Eugene]

I wonder if it is a tamper for sand casting in a foundry.

Prehaps for making sprue holes in sand castings.

[Urbish]

It's version 1.0 of a windshield ice scraper

[Yogie]

I wonder if it is a tamper for sand casting in a foundry.

I like this idea.... Looked it over some this evening and it's larger than I thought and maybe closer to 4 inches in diameter. Owner picked it up at a yard sale for $1.oo and he thinks it was used to crush blocks of ice. Blades were once sharp on the end but not along the sides.

[Boss Hog]

big ice to little ice

[indy61]

Barrel stave splitter?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/194273842389?h ... R9iX-PXkYA

[Yogie]

There we go... I'll do some youtube searching and see if I can see it at work. Thanks so much I'll pass the info on.

[Yogie]

Watched several videos and saw no use for this in anything made related to barrels. Not sure now the ebay seller knows what he's selling.
I'm going back to it packing sand or crushing ice again.

[indy61]

I don't know either but here is another that says it's used for making wooden barrel hoops.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ ... eaver-rare

[Jim Becker]

I don't know either but here is another that says it's used for making wooden barrel hoops.

One or the other of these guys probably got his information from the other. I find it hard to believe that something intended for splitting wood, even thin strips, wouldn't show some evidence of use with a hammer. Now there are two of them without hammer marks. The three-sidedness of the working end also seems counter to the idea of turning hunks of wood into something with a rectangular cross section.

I don't know, just saying.

[SamsFarm]

I don't know either but here is another that says it's used for making wooden barrel hoops.

One or the other of these guys probably got his information from the other. I find it hard to believe that something intended for splitting wood, even thin strips, wouldn't show some evidence of use with a hammer. Now there are two of them without hammer marks. The three-sidedness of the working end also seems counter to the idea of turning hunks of wood into something with a rectangular cross section.

I don't know, just saying.

I am not disputing your point, but if I was a barrel maker, I just might be using a wooden mallet. Food for thought!

Note:
I am not a barrel maker (Cooper), and can not see what the above tool would be used for!

Finishing a bung hole with the desired taper, seems more realistic to me!

[Rick Spivey]

I've never made a barrel, but those three tools referenced sure look alike to me, and two of them are identified as useful in barrel making. Both references could be wrong about its use. But I believe I would try and follow up on that lead if I wanted to determine what the tool was and how it was used. Surely there's a site somewhere for barrel making?

[Eugene]

Froe. For splitting strips of wood.

[Urbish]

Whatever it is, it might be useful for chasing a daughter's boyfriend out of the house.

[indy61]

This is from the Nov 2018 issue of Farm Collector magazine, don't know if it's a correct identification.