May 2, 20178 yr Ok ladies and gentlemen, we now have our May "What's it" live and ready! The image(s) below is a MWTCA "What's It" image for you to research, and tell us all here in this topic post, just what the heck is it! Remember, the first accurate answer wins a one year membership to the awesome organization MWTCA! If an accurate answer cannot be arrived at by the end of the current calendar month this project is posted, a random drawing will be held to include anyone who participated in this months What's It. One winner will be chosen to receive a calendar year membership to MWTCA and all of it's wonderful benefits of membership. Compliments of The Patriot Woodworker Community. For a run down on this project and the rules, please see this page at "The Patriot Woodworker and MWTCA "What's It" project" Now this is very interesting! It appears to be woodworking related? But may not be either. The details included with this item is all we have folks, have fun and good luck!! 5-1/2" long: There is a 1/2" diameter hole that goes all the way through the handle to the open area at the screws seen in the above photo. One of the two metal pieces removed:
May 2, 20178 yr My first thought was a wire stripper of some sort, but it looks more like a some sort of wire tester or maybe a hand held telegragh key of some sorts
May 2, 20178 yr First guess it appears to be some very early form of a male electrical plug designed to "plug-in" to a receptacle; as noted maybe for a telegraph key, early telephone switch board, maybe even an electrical appliance of some sort or machine switch disconnect point. The large hole in the end would allow for a cord/cable entry with the threaded screw openings serving as termination points for stripped back wiring. Kinda' /sorta' like these...may not even be U.S. originated, but European or Australian? Edited May 2, 20178 yr by Grandpadave52
May 2, 20178 yr this kinda rules out American electrical equipment... it must be from another country...
May 2, 20178 yr I remember everything electrical appliance we had in our house had connections like what Stick come up with. Waffle iron, electric iron for clothes, electric mixer , so I would guess maybe an end of an electric cord from across the water.? Edited May 2, 20178 yr by Smallpatch
May 2, 20178 yr I think Dave might have hit it on the head. I'm thinking it is a male electrical plug but surely must have been used for industrial purposes because of the 1/2 " diam. hole for the wire and the heave duty steel plates on the plug. Probably a main plug where factory machinery was all driven by belts.
May 4, 20178 yr I went to an old boat building museum today , built in 1793, in hopes they might be able to link the photo to when the belt driven machinery was being used. Though the workers there agreed it could be an electrical plug, they couldn't verify it. Actually, they never saw the shop with all the belts driving the tools as I did about 75-80 years ago.
June 1, 20178 yr Author Your suggestions have been submitted this morning. We wait. Thanks all for your participation!
June 5, 20178 yr Author Per MWTCA insufficient evidence to determine this What's It. A random draw will be held tonight!
June 15, 20178 yr Author I am completely sorry gents, and ladies, I completely flaked on this!!!!! We'll have a winner shortly! Jeez, buy me books and send me to school, and I still came back all jacked up!
June 16, 20178 yr Author We'd like to announce our random winner for the month of May What's It as @Grandpadave52. Gramps name was drawn from our official TPW ball cap of the contributors who participated in MWTCA's What's It for the month of May! Congrats Gramps!! Please PM me with your shipping address and we'll get an MWTCA membership out to you asap, along with all the benefits of being a member of this great organization. Thank you all for your participation!
June 16, 20178 yr Congrats Dave. Here's another random drawing for you. No implications intended re: the subject matter. Edited June 16, 20178 yr by Gene Howe
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