Artifact, Unidentified

Description

An oddly shaped piece of white pine (Pinus strobus), 1" x 7 3/4" x 7 7/8". Has a 9/16" thick x 9/32" tongue cut across its bottom. Affixed to the bottom of this tongue is a 5/16" x 1 1/64" 1 5/16" piece of steel which would allow the tongue to ride in a 9/16" T-slot without falling out. On one side of the pine piece is mounted a piece of spring steel shaped as a stylized question mark, a lever arm pivoting on a steel wood screw of birch (Betula spp.) whose movement is limited to its rear by the spring and to its front by a forged nail that strikes the diagonal edge of the piece of pine. Near the other edge of this side a piece of 3/32" x 3/32" x 4" spring steel is recessed into the pine and is secured at its bottom by clinching. The other end is free. A horizontal scribe parallel to the tongue crosses the recess near the top of the 3/32" square spring. Along this scribe, a further recess is cut into the bottom of the spring recess and some sort of circular attachment was screwed over the top end of the spring. On the curved front edge of the object, a piece of sheet steel is affixed via two flat-head wood screws. This plate follows the curvature of the edge and its bottom is bent is form a flat in plane with the shoulders of the tongue. This plate is cut out over the tongue.