Croze

Object Name:

Croze

Object ID:

1953.001.04

Date:

1875-1900

Description:

Croze (for plowing out the channel/groove for barrel heads) / howel, combination tool. Medium-brown, hardwood. Large oval-shaped tool with truncated ends and division slit connecting the two truncated ends through center. The two pieces are fastened together with metal plates on bottom surface which show at the left and right edges. Plates screwed down with flathead, slotted wood screws each. On bottom is larger, rectangular piece of sheet iron that overlaps attachment plates. Sheet-iron plate approximately 11.8" long, roughly 7.5" wide and is not perfectly rectangular. Sheet held in place by three flathead wood screws in three corners. This sheet acts as reference surface for the two cutting functions of tool. On one side of tool is shallow-angled iron with slightly curved cutting edge. Iron is approximately 1.5" wide. Two slots in surface sheet that are parallel to cutting edge. These have threaded rough bolts in them with washers and nuts on them. On bottom surface they connect through and hold a curved fence made of wood. Wooden fence appears to be bent as the wood grain is parallel to curvature of fence. Two irregular bolt heads on bottom of fence. Some small cracks in wood adjacent to bolt heads. Bolts can be loosened and tightened to adjust width of cutting blade exposed. On top surface iron rests in a slot with shallow incline bed. Wedge holds iron in place. Iron rod approximately 3.5" long that sits in small slots on either end of iron mouth and chip area. Iron bolt held down by two iron straps that have two flathead slotted woodscrews in each strap. Wood wedge is pushed between iron bar and top of cutting iron. Several pieces of leather that are over front adjusting bolt, nut, and washer assembly. Nut and washer are slightly below top surface of plane. Two oval handles on top surface that are approximately 1.25" high. They are handles for pushing device and one is top end of a threaded iron rod that holds croze-cutting blade. Leather pieces may be there to keep workers' hands from being hurt by the adjusting bolthead for the howel portion. Howel blade stuck in place. It has flat end with slightly turned-over corners. Corners clipped with long, low-angle sides. Round keyway in a portion of a slot exposed beyond end of iron wedge. On bottom, the croze side of tool, is oval fence section that is 1.6" long, 2.9" wide. Ends of oval slightly sharp. Croze fence piece has slightly roughened bottom surface. Diagonal rough slot cut into it. Additional small wedge of wood nailed in place at edge of slot. Cutting iron almost square with V-groove cut in it. Square at one end and cutting end have beveled cheeks on it to create sharp, V-shaped cutting edge. Iron about 0.38" square, 4.6" long. U-shaped, slightly-rounded steel rod that holds croze iron in place. Both ends of rod extend upward into fence body. One end of steel strap extends all the way up through body and through handle where it terminates with an iron washer, square, iron nut, and a short section of threads. The other shorter, slightly-flattened handle has short, threaded section and hexagonal nut on top of it. Its body extends down to an irregular bolt head that is recessed in oval fence body. Several leather pieces are nailed to body and cover area about 4.5" x 3". Leather well-soaked with oils. Some leather edges turned up slightly. Small paper label on end adjacent to accession number which fell off. "2/11/53".

Material:

Wood
Metal

Dimensions:

H-4.6 L-13.5 D-10.7 inches

Provenance:

Found by the donor in the attic of the Stratton Company flour mill, Penacook, NH, in 1953, when the mill closed. The mill, eventually owned by the Stratton Company, was built in 1857. They also had a large barrel factory. By 1900, it was the largest flour mill in New England. The donor was vice-president of the company.

Credit Line:

Gift of Donald J. McFarland