Posted 10 years ago
GVOldSalt
(1 item)
A friend's family were boat builders in Portland Oregon in the early to mid 1900's. They built and repaired boats as well as building trolley cars. The letters say H.B. & Co. with the letters S (and what looks to be an) R underneath the company name. The family also tabled in the timber industry as the collection of saws is extensive. Any ideas?
This is a real stumper for me ! I've covered everything you mentioned except "building trolley cars" & can't imagine what it is used for. Like you, I'm waiting for one of our members to identify. Welcome to CW, aka CyberAsylum !
I believe its for caulking timberships, between the boards you would get a gap and you have to fill those gaps with a fibrious material.
Caulking ships is done with an odd-looking hammer (the wooden, mallet-like head is longer than the handle) and short, wide chisels. It takes considerable force to pound the caulking material well into the gaps.
It's a carpet stretcher, see the patent and description under the photo on this page:
http://www.columbiatribune.com/arts_life/community/appraisals-can-be-invaluable/article_dfc31530-8dea-5bd5-843b-9ece1916bf90.html