Artifact, Unidentified

Description

Curious but interesting tool that appears to be shop-made [tentatively identified as a hand router]. Tool has a heavy, thick (7/32") forged steel cutter with a tapered, rectangular shank that fits into a similarly tapered rectangular hole through the end of a forged iron or steel fitting. Above the cutter hole, the fitting transitions to a tapered cylinder, the last 1 1/8" of which is threaded. One turned maple handle slides over this shaft and, being relieved at the bottom, fits tightly over the longer turned maple handle. A slot in the underside of the longer handle houses both the cutter and the holder so that when the thumb-nut at the top is tightened, the cutter and the shorter handle are locked to the longer handle. If actually a router, it would have been used to cut 7/32" grooves in wood.