Mystery tool ID?

[AndyT]

Not one of mine, but something listed in with the woodworking tools on eBay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320919501639

I've got a guess up my sleeve but it's no fun to start a thread like this with an answer even if it's wrong, so does anyone know?
It sold for the opening price of £29.99 whatever it is.

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Is it a router plane with guides?

 

[dunbarhamlin]

Hmmm. The wear looks like the variable pitch "frog" is the material path, not the "sole".
Ooh.
Wonder if it goes in a roll of tape-shaped-stuff and cuts it - like a sellotape dispenser for a heavy (cloth?) tape.

 

[toolsntat]

Couple of guesses
Circular mount cutter for picture frames.
Some sort of trimmer for the brim of hats

Andy

 

[AndyT]

My theory is that it could be for cutting mounting board for pictures. The adjustable angle of the cutter would give you a bevel edge or a straight edge or anything in between. The adjustment along the long rods would give you a cut referenced from the edge of the mopunt board, at whatever inset you want. So the bit on the end of the rods would work as a fence - it's hard to tell from the photo, but it could be a couple of mm lower than the main base.

 

[xy mosian]

My first thoughts were mount board cutter too. But......

If the adjustable fence is used as a reference then surely it refers to the far side of the mountboard if used from the front surface, not the near edge. If used from the rear surface the cut may well spelch on the presentation side. If the guide is used from the other end of the device then the size of mount board is severely limited. The 'sharpened' end of the blade does not look as if it is to be used knife fashion. I could be wrong but I think the intended use may not be mount board cutting.

xy

 

[xy mosian]

Just had another look at the 'photo. Does the fence lie lower than the main sole of the thing? If not then its use would be limited.
xy

 

[AndyT]

Good point Xy - but possibly it's assembled the wrong way round - if you slide the cutter off the rods and then put it back the other way round, the reference edge will be in a reachable place and the bevel will be towards the picture. You'd still have the problem of rubbing along the edge of the board and spoiling it.

But this is only a guess!

 

[xy mosian]

Good point Andy. A fascinating tool. One day someone will need ..... exactly what this is.

xy

 

[dickm]

Just a thought (assuming that blade is sharpened like a knife, and designed to cut "sideways" so it is indeed a matt cutter). Might the scheme be to use a template that sits within the window area of the matt? That curved edge on what is currently the outer side of the fence looks as if it might be designed to follow a curved template (an ellipse, perhaps) or, if reversed, then the straight edge would do the same. Then the template could be of a harder material, the fence would not need to project below the base and any damage would be in the discarded piece of matt?

 

[AndyT]

Just a thought (assuming that blade is sharpened like a knife, and designed to cut "sideways" so it is indeed a matt cutter). Might the scheme be to use a template that sits within the window area of the matt? That curved edge on what is currently the outer side of the fence looks as if it might be designed to follow a curved template (an ellipse, perhaps) or, if reversed, then the straight edge would do the same. Then the template could be of a harder material, the fence would not need to project below the base and any damage would be in the discarded piece of matt?

If that's not the right answer, I think we have collectively designed a new tool and we should patent it now! :lol:

 

[TobyC]

"THE VICTOR JOHNSONS PATENT" Anyone have any resource for this? Are we talking about this guy? http://www.thetalkingmachine.com/innovator.htm

Toby