# Mystery Tool Challenge!



## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

This is a tool I happened upon a while back when I was studying a particularly narrow subject / topic of interest on Louisiana Furnishings. It is not isolated to that though! It was used long before North America was being settled by Europeans. 

I'm not giving any hints on this one - I'm just going to let y'all struggle through it for a few days - ya'll discuss via posts until Sun evening.

If you do not know what it is but research it and find it please wait a while prior to posting the answer so that other may ponder it a while.

If you do know what it is, sit back and enjoy the guessing :laughing:

So here is the tool - what is it and what is it used for? 
GOOD LUCK!:detective:


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

My guess would be a stone carving chisel.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Ice-carving comb chisel is my best guess.


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## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

Poseidon's toy trident that he got on his first birthday!

Did mythical gods actually grow up or just happen into being??


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## TobyC (Apr 30, 2013)

Demonic eyeball poker, everyone knows that! :furious:

Toby


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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

It is a trident, used for ruling the seven seas


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

:laughing:


Y'all are all doing great! I was waiting for the Trident one, lol. But, alas, no one has been in the ball-park yet.

Y'all are going to be very surprised by this one. I am trying to either get my hands on one or make one soon as it would be very useful for me! I did find a little on-line honey hole with a dozen or so for sale - and they even know what they are!


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## Oakwerks (Mar 24, 2013)

Definitely a punch......


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## Greg in Maryland (Jan 6, 2011)

Hinge mortice chisel and/or fork for your shrimp.

Greg


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## sharbin (Feb 21, 2013)

Frog gig?


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## mike1950 (Aug 29, 2010)

Looks like something you would prompt lazy woodworkers with. :laughing:


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

It's for the shrimp cocktail after woodworking.


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## Hubbard (Jan 1, 2012)

That is how "three hole" punches were made back in the day


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## EastexToolJunky (Mar 25, 2013)

Looks like a struck object. Some type of splitting tool? Whatever it is, I'm sure somebody used one to pry the lids off paint cans with it.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Your photograph is labeled hinge mortise chisel. So I'll guess a hinge mortise chisel. It has the same shape of some of the old looking hinges. Or maybe a gang brand.....


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## Wrangler02 (Apr 15, 2011)

That's my Mom's old pickle fork! I wondered where that got to!


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## TobyC (Apr 30, 2013)

Something like THIS?

With a different style of hook to remove the "waste".

Toby


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

*We have winners!*



ACP said:


> Your photograph is labeled hinge mortise chisel. So I'll guess a hinge mortise chisel. It has the same shape of some of the old looking hinges. Or maybe a gang brand.....





Greg in Maryland said:


> Hinge mortice chisel and/or fork for your shrimp.
> 
> Greg





TobyC said:


> Something like THIS?
> 
> With a different style of hook to remove the "waste".
> 
> Toby



Apparently we have at least one sneaky, or should I say devious member here! :shuriken:

Toby, yes one and the same but different. :laughing:

Here are some additional pictures-


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

This is the best write-up of technique I have found - 

http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=2739

I'm not sold on the name given, but I can certainly see there being many variations. The Hinge it is designed for is called a Fiche (french origin) Hinge and was typical for Creole Armoires. 

I will be ordering a couple and I will do my best to duplicate St Roy's demo of the mortise chisel with glass with this chisel instead.

Great job guys! :thumbup:


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## Greg in Maryland (Jan 6, 2011)

firemedic said:


> Apparently we have at least one sneaky, or should I say devious member here! :shuriken:



Hey, that is a slanderous statement . I used all the clues available to me to guess that it was a shrimp fork.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Greg in Maryland said:


> Hey, that is a slanderous statement . I used all the clues available to me to guess that it was a shrimp fork.


No, Greg it is not.




It's in print so it's libelous.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Some refer to the designs as "fishtail", or "two/three pointed chisels".









 







.


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## TobyC (Apr 30, 2013)

Stumbled on to this today...










HERE.

Toby


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

TobyC said:


> Stumbled on to this today...
> 
> HERE.
> 
> Toby


Pretty cool! Did ya buy one?


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## TobyC (Apr 30, 2013)

Nope, but I wouldn't have known what they were if it hadn't been for this thread!

Toby


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

TobyC said:


> Nope, but I wouldn't have known what they were if it hadn't been for this thread!
> 
> Toby


Cool, that's the reason behind it!:thumbsup:


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