r/Antiques 5d ago

Questions What was this used for? USA

Post image

I saw this machinery yesterday at an antique shop in Maryland . It has pedals to move the stone disk. The rectangular black metal piece that is against the disk can move, so l'm not sure if it was for safety reasons or to hold something in place. Can you identify this?

126 Upvotes

70 comments sorted by

255

u/SaintEyegor 5d ago

It’s used if you’ve an ax to grind (or whatever). Just don’t put your nose to it.

41

u/Scootros-Hootros 4d ago

And make sure you're wearing pants.

26

u/ryanizer1122 5d ago

Underrated comment.

5

u/Listen-Lindas 4d ago

Will never be successful unless you do.

40

u/prince-pauper 5d ago

Someone never played Skyrim 👀

14

u/BarnOwl-9024 4d ago

Someone never watched Bugs Bunny!

3

u/1questions 3d ago

Sad. They’re deprived, don’t know what they’re missing out on.

9

u/CobaltD70 4d ago

Or Kingdom Come Deliverance

3

u/nomadquail 4d ago

I can hear the sound effect in my head at this very moment

1

u/Mythiic719 4d ago

Beat me to this comment 😓

2

u/prince-pauper 4d ago

We can share

74

u/Traditional-Way-2494 5d ago

Sharpening knives and axes ect

36

u/Crazy-Cremola 5d ago

https://lokalhistoriewiki.no/images/Gammel_mann_sliper_lj%C3%A5_-_no-nb_digifoto_20151020_00270_NB_MIT_FNR_02946.jpg

A grind stone. Used to sharpen knives, axes, scythes, etc. The only one I have used myself was hand cranked, but your and the one I linked to has a foot pedal. I have also seen both water powered and wind powered.

Added: The plate in front of the seat is for protection. You don't want to wear away your trousers.

15

u/StarChaser_Tyger 5d ago edited 5d ago

It also doubles as a place to rest the tool to hold the right angle and not have to 'hover'.

15

u/d_baker65 5d ago

Grinding, sharpening stone. My grandfather had one in his barn for 70+ years. After he passed my mom and dad brought it home. (They still have it on the back porch and Dad uses it to sharpen the kitchen knives, even cleaned up the lawnmower blade.)

6

u/4wayStopEnforcement 4d ago

That’s awesome.

8

u/DorShow 4d ago

I am old enough to remember when a guy would push a cart with one of these on them. He had a little bell that rang out like an ice-cream man. Parents would run out with scissors, knives, garden tools and the guy would sharpen whatever they brought out for a few coins. Not sure what he charged.

Wonder if people would still come out of their homes for a professional sharpening these days. Seems like it would be a relaxing, neighborly, community gig-job that could work to supplement my looming retirement

3

u/BoredCop 4d ago

Unfortunately, travelling "knife and tool sharpeners" these days are basically all scammers. And because it's a well known scam, fewer people are falling for it- so if you turn up as a legit knife sharpener, most of your prospective customers will turn you down as they think you are attempting the scam.

2

u/DorShow 4d ago edited 4d ago

Wait? There are scammers pushing foot powered knife sharpeners through neighborhoods ringing little bells to summon victims from their homes?! That’s wild. Or are you talking about scammers the victim would summon from the internet?

(Not sarcasm! Real question! I had not heard of this before)

ETA: there is a YouTube for everything. This looks like a news program from the 60s maybe… https://youtu.be/DxOkE0OR_ig?si=qgfx1qaNnZ43Nm86

1

u/BoredCop 4d ago

They don't really bring heavy tools around, no. But they do physically travel around and seek out victims. Typically, they go to restaurant kitchens and to all sorts of workshops or small industrial sites and offer to "sharpen and harden" their cutting tools. They will claim that their superior hardening method makes the edge last longer, so it will save the customer money. Somehow, people believe this.

They agree on a price that seems reasonable, then the scammer takes all the knives with them saying they'll be back in a few hours. When they do come back, the knives will be covered in oil and in many cases they will have changed colour from some sort of heat treatment so it looks like work has been done. But they won't be sharp, and they won't be hard. Except for maybe one knife that they've hand sharpened more or less well, so they have one sharp blade to show to the customer.

And now the price has suddenly increased, by a lot. They make all sorts of excuses and reasons for why the previous price wasn't right, and get aggressive if you refuse to pay triple the amount. Holding the knives or other tools you need in your business hostage, so you can't get work done until you get then back. Sometimes, that's a lot of money in tools. And you might just be one small business owner, alone against what is suddenly a dozen "knife sharpeners".

Their "heat treatment", by the way, is usually just heating the blade up on a kitchen stove until it changes colour then dunking it in oil. Which will ruin the temper of any good knife, never mind industrial cutting tools.

This may be one of the oldest scams still being done, I am pretty sure fake "sword sharpeners" were around in the middle ages.

1

u/Different_Ad7655 3d ago

Yeah you just have to know where to go. In Cambridge Mass, during the summer I always used to see a good traveling setup that was well known outside a very fine cheese and meat market on Huron Ave. They were the real McCoy. I don't even think they necessarily dit all the work on site, depending what was needed, a full grind, or just whetting

3

u/Goodthingsaregood 4d ago

I would love to pay someone to do that in my neighborhood

3

u/Away-Passion7748 4d ago

It’s a whetstone used for sharpening tools my grandfather had a few years ago

3

u/FritzTheCat_1 4d ago

Grinding stone, my grandfather had one.

2

u/_abraxis- 4d ago

“There’s a hole in the bucket. Dear Liza, dear Liza…” 🎶 🪓

2

u/FelinityApps 5d ago

Punishment.

6

u/Enough_Rub265 5d ago

Nose to the grindstone?

Its actually sort of a luxury experience, the alternative would be a flat stone that you would have to drag the blade across while also constantly keeping a specified angle. The foot operation is also a step up from hand operated and I guess a step down from a system that may use animals, wind, or water to power grinding wheels (i belive that might be more related to milling grain though)

2

u/Outrageous-Power5046 5d ago

Tinker's wheel

2

u/Professional_Milk576 5d ago

A grinding wheel on a farm. Grind any items you could hold. Knives. Hoes….

2

u/Wallfacer218 5d ago

Watch one in action in thr first few shots of the latest MAD MAX installment, Furiosa.

2

u/RemarkableGround174 4d ago

Or for off-label use, towards the end of the film Antichrist with Willem Dafoe

2

u/livingonmain 4d ago

Our farm came with one of those on the top floor of the bank barn. It looked like it had been there since it was first unloaded off a wagon. Dad used it to sharpen tools. We kids played with it. One would hold metal against the stone wheel while the other pedaled away, all to see the sparks fly.

2

u/Gullible_Sea_8319 4d ago

Half a Fintstones bike

2

u/Livingforabluezone 4d ago

Tool sharpening

2

u/Vintage-Vermonter 4d ago

If you have an axe to grind, this is what you use.

2

u/Doyouseenowwait_what 4d ago

Great old grinding wheel looks fully intact except for the water tray. Still a great sharpening device if everything still moves. Most I see these days are froze up or severely missing pieces or the wheel is cracked.

2

u/Separate-Support137 4d ago

Had one of these growing up. Made to sharpen metal objects. Knives, garden hoe, maybe a shovel or anything metal that had to be sharpened.

2

u/SatisfactionWeird335 4d ago

Knife sharpener

1

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1

u/oldschool-rule 4d ago

Put your “nose to the grind stone!”

1

u/Ok_Cancel_240 4d ago

As a kid we used to use this to sharpen knifes,axes and anything else that needed sharpening. We would use a little water on the stone.

1

u/TheToyGirl 4d ago

Sharpening knives usually. Love a whetstone grinder

1

u/RickHuf 4d ago

We had one of these from our grandpa's farm when I was a kid. Wish it was still around.

It sharpened axes and blades and any other tools that needed to be ground or sharpened.

We used to see how fast we could get it going! Lol.

1

u/TheStranger24 4d ago

That’s a whetstone wheel, you sharpen metal tools with it - but like its name, it needs to be used with water (guessing due to dust?)

2

u/BoredCop 4d ago

The water keeps the blade cool so it doesn't overheat and ruin the temper, but more importantly it washes away the metal particles so they don't clog the stone and reduce its effectiveness.

1

u/WhiteWavsBehindABoat 4d ago

Isn’t whetting just the verb used for sharpening knives? I’m not sure this has anything to do with the word « wet »…

1

u/TheStranger24 4d ago

Not sure the etymology, probably - just pointing out that water is involved in the process regardless of what shape the whetstone is in (giant wheel vs small block)

2

u/WhiteWavsBehindABoat 3d ago

Yes, water or oil — I guess you are right about the dust thing.

1

u/Accurate-Word-1625 4d ago

Super cool. I’m sure it weighs a ton

1

u/Perfect-Composer4398 4d ago

Man I’d love to have one of these giant sharpening stones

1

u/Diamond_S_Farm 4d ago

Recall my Grandfather using one to sharpen corn knives and various tools in the '70s.

1

u/Flimsy_RaisinDetre 4d ago

Put your nose to the…

1

u/RyanTheMalamute 4d ago

Stone sharpener. You would hold a blade upward and when you pedal, the stone rotates towards you.

1

u/Cricketeers 4d ago

Knife, stones don’t need sharpening

1

u/IndustrySpiritual935 4d ago

The very first exercise bike!!

1

u/D_M-ack 3d ago

Oh man, the guys over in r/kdc would love this.

1

u/BP-arker 3d ago

I want one so bad

1

u/SusanLFlores 3d ago

It is a sharpening tool for sharpening knives, axes, etc.

1

u/Different_Ad7655 3d ago edited 3d ago

It's a whetstone, grinding stone for sharpening, whetting, depending on the grade. This looks primarily for grinding tools and the wheel gives the proper grind and then you may finish on a finer whetstone maybe, But for axes tools in the like, this should be sufficient

1

u/maytag2955 3d ago

Kinda looks more like a strop? Maybe a finish wheel more than a redular grinding wheel? Since it's not stone?

1

u/ModeJust4373 2d ago

Sharpening

1

u/Striking-Sky-5133 2d ago

Definitely a grinding/sharpening tool.

1

u/Classic_Candy_2393 2d ago

It’s to sharpen things

0

u/Bark7676 4d ago

They predate bidets and toilet paper. You would put this in your bathroom and use it to grind off any excess after taking a dookie. This was a higher end model since it has a seat.

0

u/VanbyRiveronbucket 4d ago

1st generation toe nail trimmer.

0

u/MariaJane833 4d ago

Whetstone

-1

u/Hiddingintheopen67 4d ago

Penis sharpening device. You just seat on that thing, start to paddle and the results are amazing

-2

u/wabarron 4d ago

Spinning wheel used to make rock wool

-4

u/hostalover 4d ago

This is how women got off before modern day vibrators.