Posted 12 years ago
Stevo1099
(1 item)
found this in a box at a yard sale. It appears very old, Length is about 17" and widest point is 3 1'2. the blade sticks below the wood 5/8" at the edges and 1 1/4 in the middle. The blade is 7 1/2" and dull. It does not appear to have ever been sharp.There is a mark of some animal in the 3rd picture.
Thanks for your help
When you said it was never sharpened, that blew my theories! So, I figure it must be for pressing something into seams such as caulking on boat hulls.
My guess is kitchen instrument. I just saw stuff like this in an issue of Antiques Magazine. I don't think its for caulking something, you wouldn't need force from both hands, would you?
Possibly for skinning animals....separating the fur from the flesh. I'm from Up North and natives used these and similar tools for hundreds of years. RER (LOUMANAL)
Stillwater, I can't see kitchen. With a dull blade, what could it be used for? Not mashed potatoes. For pressing tarred cord into boat seams, it would be ideal & it is obviously made for heavy use, not veggies. Boat caulking cord is started with a dull screwdriver (or such) but that can't give the smooth even pressure this would. I don't know, but can't see something that strongly made being used in the kitchen so I'm looking to other practical used.
Loumanal, I have also heard it could have been used for cleaning hides. Maybe that's a wolf in picture 3.
Thanks everyone
Ah-ha, I was right, this is an early fleshing tool for animal hides
http://dakotalinesnares.com/store/images/wiebe%20fleshers.JPG
Ah-ha Stillwater, Loumanal was right, probably. I trapped as a teen & this would be good on tacked-out pelts. PS: The wolf was the common marking on Solingen knives, swords etc..
Kitchen is closer than ship-caulker
:P *thbbb*
Neither is close.
I knew it was related to food/kitchen/meat
Scraping hides is not meat. Why don't you simply give LOUMANAL the credit due to him?
Looks Native American to me
Not unless from the country of India is it made by "Indians".