Tool, Leather
- Object Name:
- Tool, Leather
- Object ID:
- 1980.017.004 a-b
- Date:
- 1850-1870
- Description:
- Leather-cutting tool. Brass, iron, and steel. Horizontally mounted, semi-circular, cast-iron trough-like portion. It is 9.9" wide, 3.9" in diameter. Rotates around axis near slightly curved open edge. Support rod for axis sits into adjustable brass nuts that have circular thumb screws for vertical adjustment. Threaded posts that support the brass nuts have spiral springs that are concentric with the post and offer upward pressure on brass nut assembly. Sleeves that hold horizontal shaft slide over the vertical threaded shaft. On bottom edge of rotating iron assembly is a steel shaft 0.8" in diameter. It rotates in brackets that are screwed to the ends of cast assembly. Oil holes in the brackets for lubrication of shaft ends. Bracket is held to ends of cast assembly by two round head machine screws. Bracket is curved to go around cast stub on each end of semi-circular assembly. Oil holes in the cast stubs for pivot shaft. Rotating cast assembly by weight of rotating cylinder tends to hang down. Rotating assembly probably meant to operate in a completely down location. Support base of cast iron which has threaded holes in which two vertical shafts are threaded. Two stubs near support shafts that have horizontal holes. These holes are threaded and are round head machine screws that fit through these holes. They are used to adjust the travel limit of rotating iron assembly. They do this by being in direct contact with backside of cylinder support bracket at both ends. On cast iron base are two empty holes at front, right, and left corners that are probably for mounting device on work surface. At front of base is a recessed area 10" wide. Rectangular cast base. In recess on front edge is 10" wide sheet-metal plate that extends backwards between left and right side arms. Held in place by four round head machine screws that pass through short slots in edge of sheet metal piece. At back of sheet-metal piece is thicker strip of metal that is 0.5" wide and same widths as sheet metal. Strip approximately 0.2" thick. Behind this strip a steel blade is mounted that is held in place with four flathead machine screws. Top surface of blade is flat. Bottom surface angled back to create wide cutting surface. Beveled surface is about 0.6" wide. Blade is 0.18" thick. Spare blade with is designated ".4b". Appears that product being cut is fed into device from front and the rotating assembly helps to feed product into blade. Semi-circular rotating assembly is slightly eccentric so that as it rotates downward, the space between its surface and blade becomes less. At its bottom rotation the separate rotating shaft allows product to be pulled or pushed through device. Sheet metal portion provides some upward pressure from bottom to prevent product from being cut more thickly than desired.
- Material:
- Metal
Brass
Iron
Steel - Dimensions:
- H-4.3 W-13.1 D-6 inches
- Provenance:
- From the estate of Charles Symonds, Loudon, NH, purchased at T.R. Langdell auction, June 28, 1980. The Symonds family included leatherworkers David H. Symonds (1804-1877) and his son George Symonds (1838-1930) of Concord, NH. The family also lived in Hopkinton, NH.
- Credit Line:
- New Hampshire Historical Society Purchase
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