What is this?

[awomanwithahammer]

Anybody know what this tool is? It was in my late father-in-law's collection.

[awomanwithahammer]

Here's a closer view of it:

[Gothichome]

Bonnie, it’s obviously a specialized meter stick. Looking at the marking one scale was for measuring against something and another for measuring from the hooked end. The handle on the other end indicates it was used often, maybe in a redundant production type operation. For what I have no idea.

[heartwood]

I wonder if it's for taking quick measurements of something like firewood or
some product that should be within a certain measurement give or take and
inch or so...

question: how do you keep that rug so clean????

....jade

[awomanwithahammer]

question: how do you keep that rug so clean????

....jade

Ha ha ha! This is my mother-in-law's house, and her whole house has white carpet and it's all that clean. When my FIL was alive, you weren't allowed to wear shoes on the carpet. I've seen him on his hands and knees getting mud out of the carpet that my nephew thoughtlessly tracked in. This is actually the new carpet--that is, it's only about 8 or 9 years old, as opposed to the old carpet that was about 17 or 18 years old, and still looked like this.

[phil]

I think it's a measuring tool , it might be made from a yardstick. I have the other half of it which is like a metal point. its got a square hole the size of the stick and a knurled knob so you can move it and lock it.

If you google the word "trammel" you'll see images of what I mean.

commonly the points come separately and lock to a stick, optionally one may hold a pencil. that will work like a compass for drawing big circles. in this case it is for marking the distance to the edge of a piece of wood repetitively.

the purpose of one with two points was to measure between two points. for example a boatbuilder may use something like that rather than taking a measurement. taking into account that nothing in boat building is square, using patterns and tools like this may take the place of actual dimensions.

yours has a square plate. for example if you had a holder that will hold a pencil you can drag it along the edge of a piece of wood to mark a distance from the edge.

in a case where the board was not meant to be straight but rather if it had to be shaped like that of a board on the side of a clinker boat you can mark out the board an even width quite easily. You might also use it for example if you had to repetitively mark a distance from an edge of a piece of plywood. once set the thing will repeat the distance very accurately. this removes the inaccuracy of making repeat measurements as they depend upon eyesight and accurate marking.

You could make a pointer or a holder to hold a pencil and then it would be more useful.

I think that's what it is. you might also clamp sometime like that to a circular saw to cut a specific with, in that case it might be a saw guide. It could be a one off that someone made for a specific job.

Kind of unrelated but did you know that some old cars cam with a yardstick to stick in the fuel tank to measure how much gas you had? Ive seen ones made by Atwater Kent, 1920's era gas gauge. I don't think that's what it is though. some yardsticks were handed out by businesses as advertising gimmicks and some people collect them.

[Casey]

Board-foot measuring stick for a hardwood lumber merchant

[awomanwithahammer]

Board-foot measuring stick for a hardwood lumber merchant

That's it! I just looked one up and that's exactly what it is. This makes sense, because my husband's grandfather ran a saw mill for a while. Thanks, Casey!

[Gothichome]

http://education.mnhs.org/video/lumberj ... board-feet
Thanks for clearing this up Casey. It was keeping me up at night.

[awomanwithahammer]

You and me both, Ron! I knew someone on here would have an answer. Casey, did you just recognize it from experience, or did you do research?