Woodwork Post

[Steve W.]

Rob H. wrote:
> We need help from a Civil War expert for the first piece in this week's
> set:
>
> http://55tools.blogspot.com/
>
>
> Rob

1465 - Looks like a portable wind vane. May have been used for launching
balloons or for weather monitoring.

1466 - Wire former

1467 - Slide tray. Used for film slides, the side notches are for use
when they are stacked.

1468 - Ice order card. You hung it in the window to tell the ice monger
how much you needed.

1469 - Japanese utensil kit. Used by a traveler when eating at the
common tables in the Inn.

1470 - House jack. Used to jack up your house or barn to enable you to
work on the stone foundations.



--
Steve W.
Near Cooperstown, New York

Life is not like a box of chocolates
it's more like a jar of jalapenos-
what you do today could burn your * tomorrow!


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[DoN. Nichols]

On 2008-11-20, Rob H. wrote:
> We need help from a Civil War expert for the first piece in this week's set:
>
> http://55tools.blogspot.com/

O.K. Posting from rec.crafts.metalworking as always.

1465) The device is obviously designed to show the wind direction.
You set it down with the North-pointing needle pointing to the
'N' on the compass rose, and then the arrow will point into the
wind.

It is obvious that there are provisions for adjusting the
balance of the arrow -- to minimize lateral forces on the
bearing, and to prevent a slight tilt of the base from affecting
the reading.

I find myself wondering what might be revealed if the two thumb
nuts on either side of the compass were removed. Is there
something stored in the base?

For initial thoughts (ignoring the two pistols which might or
might not not have been intended to be part of the setup) it
might have been for determining wind direction prior to taking a
long range target shot with a rifle. It would be more
beneficial if it included a way of measuring the strength of the
wind as well as the direction. Hmm ... part of a sniper's
equipment -- used with a good quality rifle?

The pistol shown is a single-shot one, cap-and-ball style, and
it appears to be missing the hammer, which should have been on
the square shaft end visible in the side plate.

It is also missing the ramrod, which would normally have been
stored under the barrel. However, the * at the end of the
barrel looks more like something to allow a support to be
attached for target shooting.

Pity that a friend has such a slow net connection. She spent
several years in civil war re-enacting, and studied things very
deeply. Well ... next time she is up visiting. :-)

If the two pistols are identical (within the manufacturing
capabilities of the period, and given the changes which come
with age), then I might consider them to be a set of dueling
pistols, and the wind direction gauge to be used to select an
orientation which does not favor either duelist.

Is there a way to attach the cover to the base, so the handle on
the top will carry both?

1466) Looks like a tool for bending wire as part of jewelry.

1467) Very obvious -- a slide tray for a pre-carousel 35mm
slide projector, -- and obviously a Revere slide projector.

1468) From the days when ice was delivered (and milk, and other
needs of the time). You hung it on the outside insulated ice
box with the selected number up to tell the delivery man how
much you needed this delivery, 20 pounds being a single large
cube of ice, and the others being longer pieces than plain cubes
-- or multiples of the cubes.

1469) This looks like a cook's set for oriental cooking with a wok.
The two small containers would contain ingredients prepared to
go into the wok at the proper moment. The chopsticks for
serving, or perhaps controlling certain thing. The long-handled
spoon for keeping the parts of the meal moving so nothing is
burned and stuck to the wok. I'm not sure about the needle or
the strange fork, however.

1470) A house jack. In some (warmer) parts of the country houses are
mounted on wooden posts clear of the ground to allow airflow
under the house. Occasionally, one of these will rot, and need
replacing, so a pair of these jacks go on ether side while the
post is dug out and replaced. The rotting is more likely to
happen along the outer row of posts, where the access is
greater, but it is possible to climb under the house and exit
the other side -- based on the house which I lived in in as a
kid in South Texas

We had one of these stored under the sink in one of the
bathrooms.

Now to see what others have said.

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

[DoN. Nichols]

On 2008-11-20, Steve W. wrote:

[ ... ]

> 1467 - Slide tray. Used for film slides, the side notches are for use
> when they are stacked.

Actually -- the notches (rack gear along the bottom of the ridge
on the near side) engages a gear in the slide projector and was used to
advance the tray precisely one slide position at a time.

[ ... ]

> 1470 - House jack. Used to jack up your house or barn to enable you to
> work on the stone foundations.

Stone -- and wood posts in warmer climates.

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

[Steve W.]

DoN. Nichols wrote:
> On 2008-11-20, Steve W. wrote:
>
> [ ... ]
>
>> 1467 - Slide tray. Used for film slides, the side notches are for use
>> when they are stacked.
>
> Actually -- the notches (rack gear along the bottom of the ridge
> on the near side) engages a gear in the slide projector and was used to
> advance the tray precisely one slide position at a time.
>

Yep. they are also numbered so that you can read the slide numbers when
stacked.

>
>> 1470 - House jack. Used to jack up your house or barn to enable you to
>> work on the stone foundations.
>
> Stone -- and wood posts in warmer climates.

Warm climate? What's that? We have 12 degrees here.....

>
> Enjoy,
> DoN.
>


--
Steve W.

[Andrew Erickson]

In article , "Rob H."
wrote:

> http://55tools.blogspot.com/

1465 - Looks to me as though it would be a fairly precise wind direction
indicator, possibly so you can figure out how to tweak in your aim?
Probably not for use with pistols of the era, which I'd assume would
lack the accuracy to make this a worthwhile exercise, but maybe for
field artillery and such like.

1466 - Yet another fence tightener, perhaps? Tightening fences seems to
be somewhere around trapping mice as fertile grounds for inventors.

1467 - Box to hold...ummm...maybe tape cartridges with commercials or
announcements for a radio station? Maybe IC wafers during processing,
in the days of yore when such wafers measured 3" or 4" (a few
generations of technology ago)?

1468 - The center text rather gives this away, in my opinion. In the
days of iceboxes (with actual ice), you'd hang this outside your house
so that when the iceman cometh he knows how big a block to deliver.
Calibrated in pounds, presumably, and color coded so as to be read at a
distance.

1469 - Possibly an oriental mess kit, to carry your favored utensils to
your friends house when dining there. The bottommost implements look
like chopsticks.

1470 - * jack, used for jacking up axles or houses or whatever
needed to be lifted. Operated by inserting a bar in one of the holes on
the top part and screwing or unscrewing it from the base. Note the
convenient carry handle, although I suspect it's still rather on the
heavy side.

Now to read the other guesses...

--
Andrew Erickson

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot
lose." -- Jim Elliot

[humunculus]

> 1468:

From http://www.heritagepursuit.com/Pickaway/PickawayChapIII.htm

"Circleville Ice Company .--In 1862 J. H. Bennett established an ice
business, of which his son, H. J. Bennett, took charge in 1870. The
latter conducted it until three years ago, when the plant was
purchased by a company and incorporated with a capital stock of
$10,000. The first officers were : John L. Krimmel, president ; George
Bennett, vice-president; Irvin F. Snyder, secretary; and W. C. Morris,
treasurer. The present officers are: George Bennett, president; Milton
Morris, vice-president; Irvin F. Snyder, secretary, and W. C. Morris,
treasurer. The board of directors includes the four officers just
named and Emanuel S. Neuding. In 1895 Mr. Bennett built new ice houses
on the west side of the river, which were destroyed by fire the
following year. He then purchased a tract of land on the Island road,
where the present company's plant is now located. The buildings were
again destroyed by fire in the summer of 1906. The company is now
erecting large and better structures on the same site."


What I find really interesting is that they were bottling and selling
mineral water in 1882! I thought that was a recent fad!

--riverman

[Rob H.]

>> http://55tools.blogspot.com/


> I find myself wondering what might be revealed if the two thumb
> nuts on either side of the compass were removed. Is there
> something stored in the base?


Below is a link to a photo of one of the thumb screws when removed:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/harnett65/Album%209/pic1465td.jpg

I've been trying to figure out what they're for, best thing I've come up
with so far is they are for mounting the device on something, maybe some
leather straps with holes go over the screws, they you could tie the other
ends around whatever it was sitting on. Makes sense if it was used with one
of those spy balloons that someone mentioned. Although my first thought
was that the device was used with artillery, as several others have posted.
Anyone else have a theory on these thumb screws?

I think to remove the compass, you would have to take out all of the small
screws, which would be interesting but seems like this piece is too valuable
to risk marring it with a screwdriver.

> The pistol shown is a single-shot one, cap-and-ball style, and
> it appears to be missing the hammer, which should have been on
> the square shaft end visible in the side plate.

The hammers on both guns were totally rusted away when found and were just
powder in the newspaper.

> If the two pistols are identical (within the manufacturing
> capabilities of the period, and given the changes which come
> with age), then I might consider them to be a set of dueling
> pistols, and the wind direction gauge to be used to select an
> orientation which does not favor either duelist.

One was a flintlock, and the other a percussion cap, which is shown on the
site.

> Is there a way to attach the cover to the base, so the handle on
> the top will carry both?

Yes, the case has two pivoting tabs that fit into slots under the brass
plate. I'll post a couple more photos on the answer page that show this.

This is a great piece, a friend who is a collector and goes to a lot of
auctions estimated that if it could be documented to the Civil War, it would
probably be valued at $20,000-$30,000. But unless it could be found in an
old photo or described in detail in some papers, I don't know how you could
prove its provenance.



Rob

[DoN. Nichols]

On 2008-11-21, Rob H. wrote:
>
>>> http://55tools.blogspot.com/
>
>
>> I find myself wondering what might be revealed if the two thumb
>> nuts on either side of the compass were removed. Is there
>> something stored in the base?
>
>
> Below is a link to a photo of one of the thumb screws when removed:
>
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/harnett65/Album%209/pic1465td.jpg

O.K. A thumb nut for for sure, not a thumbscrew. And it looks
as though the threads which go into the brass frame are intentionally
deformed, to cause the * to jam in place. But it may be that the
brass frame is not threaded, but instead simply drilled to clear, so
with both of them loosened the brass frame (with the compass) could be
lifted clear of the base.

> I've been trying to figure out what they're for, best thing I've come up
> with so far is they are for mounting the device on something, maybe some
> leather straps with holes go over the screws, they you could tie the other
> ends around whatever it was sitting on. Makes sense if it was used with one
> of those spy balloons that someone mentioned. Although my first thought
> was that the device was used with artillery, as several others have posted.
> Anyone else have a theory on these thumb screws?

No more on them as this one appears.

> I think to remove the compass, you would have to take out all of the small
> screws, which would be interesting but seems like this piece is too valuable
> to risk marring it with a screwdriver.

Understood.

>> The pistol shown is a single-shot one, cap-and-ball style, and
>> it appears to be missing the hammer, which should have been on
>> the square shaft end visible in the side plate.
>
> The hammers on both guns were totally rusted away when found and were just
> powder in the newspaper.

O.K. That suggests that the metal of the sideplate and works
was a different alloy than the hammers. Or perhaps the contact of the
newspaper with the hammers wicked moisture to the hammers, but not the
rest.

>> If the two pistols are identical (within the manufacturing
>> capabilities of the period, and given the changes which come
>> with age), then I might consider them to be a set of dueling
>> pistols, and the wind direction gauge to be used to select an
>> orientation which does not favor either duelist.
>
> One was a flintlock, and the other a percussion cap, which is shown on the
> site.

O.K. Then simply a private collection.

>> Is there a way to attach the cover to the base, so the handle on
>> the top will carry both?
>
> Yes, the case has two pivoting tabs that fit into slots under the brass
> plate. I'll post a couple more photos on the answer page that show this.

O.K. Thanks.

> This is a great piece, a friend who is a collector and goes to a lot of
> auctions estimated that if it could be documented to the Civil War, it would
> probably be valued at $20,000-$30,000. But unless it could be found in an
> old photo or described in detail in some papers, I don't know how you could
> prove its provenance.

Indeed. And I somehow find it offensive that something
utilitarian (at least at the time) rather than designed as a work of art
would have so high a value. Something like that should be still used,
not set on a shelf behind glass.

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

[DoN. Nichols]

On 2008-11-20, Steve W. wrote:
> DoN. Nichols wrote:
>> On 2008-11-20, Steve W. wrote:
>>
>> [ ... ]
>>
>>> 1467 - Slide tray. Used for film slides, the side notches are for use
>>> when they are stacked.
>>
>> Actually -- the notches (rack gear along the bottom of the ridge
>> on the near side) engages a gear in the slide projector and was used to
>> advance the tray precisely one slide position at a time.
>>
>
> Yep. they are also numbered so that you can read the slide numbers when
> stacked.

Actually -- those numbers on the top angle of the rack were
either indicated by a pointer in the projector, or viewed through a
window in the projector -- so you could slide the carrier along until a
specific slide was in position to be loaded and projected. Stacked had
nothing to do with it, since you don't care what number is where when
there are multiple carriers stacked up -- only when there is a carrier
in the projector, or when you have a carrier in your hand and wish to
pull out a specific slide. There is typically a clear plastic dust cover
which snaps over the carrier when it is not in the projector, and there
is a label on which you can write a very short description of each slide
by number to help you find the one you want.

In later carousel trays there are similar index numbers around
the skirt for quickly rotating the carousel to position a specific slide
for projection.

>>
>>> 1470 - House jack. Used to jack up your house or barn to enable you to
>>> work on the stone foundations.
>>
>> Stone -- and wood posts in warmer climates.
>
> Warm climate? What's that? We have 12 degrees here.....

Where is "here"? And which temperature scale? C or F? I'm
currently in Northern Virginia, and it is sort of hovering a bit over
the freezing point.

But the place which I was describing was deep South Texas.
Close enough to the border so you start to experience the exponential
spice rise as you approach the border (from either side). :-)

There, the ability of a breeze to flow under the floor is
beneficial most of the year. Up in North Dakota, it is something which
you certainly don't want to happen. :-)

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

[Steve W.]

DoN. Nichols wrote:
>>>> 1470 - House jack. Used to jack up your house or barn to enable you to
>>>> work on the stone foundations.
>>> Stone -- and wood posts in warmer climates.
>> Warm climate? What's that? We have 12 degrees here.....
>
> Where is "here"? And which temperature scale? C or F? I'm
> currently in Northern Virginia, and it is sort of hovering a bit over
> the freezing point.
>
> But the place which I was describing was deep South Texas.
> Close enough to the border so you start to experience the exponential
> spice rise as you approach the border (from either side). :-)
>
> There, the ability of a breeze to flow under the floor is
> beneficial most of the year. Up in North Dakota, it is something which
> you certainly don't want to happen. :-)
>
> Enjoy,
> DoN.
>

REAL Upstate NY (as opposed to the folks who think that 10 miles north
of NYC is upstate)
Fahrenheit scale, Oh and it has dropped just a bit, it's about 6 outside
at this time.

--
Steve W.
Near Cooperstown, New York