1453. No answer yet for this device, but posted below is a detailed description of it by someone else who owns a similar tool, I had shot these photos several months ago and hadn't taken the time to examine it closely.
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With reference to your picture when the knob on the right is pulled down it opens a set of jaws on the far left of the tool along with moving the needle. It's spring loaded so when you release it the jaws close and the dial indicator returns toward zero. This leads me to believe it's some sort of thickness gauge. The brass button on the face of the tool is marked 80 Train with either a degree or pound symbol after the 80. The bottom half of the tool is wood with a few hand craved initials on it. Previous owner marking his tool I suppose. The only machine markings I see are the number 45138 near the slot for the right hand knob. The orientation of the dial on my sample is rotated 180 degrees from the one pictured. The graduations on the dial of mine are different as well, yours goes from zero to one hundred with mine going from zero to forty. The lettering on the face of the dial states:
NUMBERED IN .001"
1 DIV. = .0002"
The rounded knob on the left side of the tool appears to be a cover for the pin which the jaws pivot on. The two protrusions just to the left of the dial are a lock screw and knob to finely adjust the zero of the dial.
1454. The purpose of this tool is to put cylindrical tenons on square dowels, but for what exact application, it's hard to say, possibly for making furniture or animal cages.
Update:
I received an email from someone who used this exact tool when putting new tips on pool cues. He stated:
The cue had to be ground down so the ferrule would be flush, the device pictured was what we used for this purpose. The pool cue sans tip and ferrule was placed in the grinder then the handle turned. A new ferrule was selected and glued in place then the tip was glued on. After the glue dried, emery cloth was used to smooth the surface and eliminate any trace of the joint between wood, ferrule and tip.
Patent number 1,501,632 is a close match, so while it could still be used for other jobs, I think cue tenoning was the primary purpose for this device.
The square-jawed chuck measures no more than 1/2":
1455. A nail extractor, patent number 74,401:
The patent drawing for this tool:
1456. A WWII army field sterilizer for needles, with the metal bottle being an alcohol burner and the needles placed in the compartment.
1457. A chicken dispatching device, there is a sharp blade concealed by the large part at the top right, a plunger is inserted into the small hole at the end of the barrel to set the spring which is attached to the blade.
To read more details about how it works, see patent number 507,792.
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It was sold for over $1400 at an auction a few weeks ago.
The patent drawings depict an earlier model:
1458. A Par Aide golf hole cutter:
A Miltona Clean Cut Cup Auger, used after a regular cup cutter to clean the last portion of soil from the bottom of the hole.
To submit photos, send them to the address in my profile.
Last week's set is seen below, click here to view the entire post.
Black Ops Pro Tips
More discussion and comments on these photos can be found at the newsgroup rec.puzzles.
