A bunch more puzzling tools

While explaining the contents of a socket set to my little grand daughter, after she'd tipped them all over the floor, I remembered I still have some tools that I haven't identified yet. Can anyone help me out?

My first one is obviously a hammer but I don't know what job it was intended for. I discovered it 30-odd years ago when I was replacing my lead pipes with copper. Two of them refused to come out so I wrapped one around each arm, put a foot against the wall and pulled hard. Part of the ceiling came down (I intended to dry-line it anyway) and this hammer bounced off my head. I reckon it had been there since about 1935 but what was it for?

My second one is, I'm told, often seen at car boot sales but I still don't know what it is. One slot is worn and the tip is shaped like a screwdriver bit.

My third one is a 1/8" drill that was in the remains of a jobber's set. The flutes all appear quite coarsley ground and this one the flutes even reverse direction. On one of the others the flutes go straight before continuing in the usual way. But why?

Finally, another drill. This is a short #15 with a flat on the shank and tapered flutes. What sort of material would require this one?

As usual, thanks in advance

According to Salaman's dictionary of woodworking tools the hammer is a shackle pin maul used in dockyards and on ships for knocking the pin out of a shackle. Do you live anywhere near a port ?

The second item is a hand saw set from the same reference. The tip is a screwdriver blade for tightening screws holding the blade in position.

Salaman's dictionary of woodworking tools, published in 1975, is a godsend for identifying tools of all sorts. I have had my copy for many years. One dealing with metal work tools would be considerably larger, but nothing exists.

Regards. Mike Potts.

No1, I wonder if it's either a pointed pein hammer for knocking nails just below the surface of plasterboard, or is actually a handled punch for a similar job. The latter would explain the damage to the "Striking face", presumably left soft, so as not to damage the hammer used against it.

No 2 is a Saw Set, sometimes known as a Saw Wrest

See Google Images

I reckon No3 might just be a cheap drill that "bit" as it broke through, thus corkscrewing (or in this case, un-corkscrewing)

No4 may well have been used for drilling tapered clearance holed for woodscrews.

Bill

I had never seen a drill like No. 4 until a few months ago when I bought a set of drills with countersink collars from Lidl (I thought I could reverse the collars to use them as depth stops, if nothing else.. They all have the same taper and are clearly meant for woodscrews as Bill describes.

Neil

I didn't know about this book. Thanks for posting !

I just ordered a copy from Amazon.

I think I bought the same set not so long ago, very strange looking drills, I don't think I've seen them before, like a single point drill.

I think it was worth it just for the stop collars and countersinks, I think I only paid about £6 for it.

Michael W

Hi All, Salaman is THE bible for woodworking tools but he also did one solely for tools of the leatherworking trades which is superb. I pick up one or the other nearly everyday to get a tool description right in my listings.

The other 'go to' reference I use is the Edward Preston 1909 catalogue reprint fron Astragal Press; the bible for anything EP but also logs most vintage and antique tools of all sorts.

I have a huge selection of tool catalogues from various makers and merchants so can usually find info on most oddities when they turn up.

Cheers, Martin

My saw set is parallel sided and no screwdriver end. The above design must have encountered a cost cutting accountant and marketer.

If that hammer has a taper spike it may have been used on the lead pipe, belling out the end to connect to copper pipe. I used a podger for that job.

Snap for the drill in #3, about 40 years ago Dad bought a set of drills that were on offer by a well known English wood working magazine, they were described as best quality British made drills, I still have the 1/8" one, it looked normal when it came out of the box, and after the first hole in a bit of wood it looked like the photo above. I think the rest of the drills were OK, perhaps the 1/8" ones missed heat treatment, or were made from low carbon steel.

Ian S C

That may be it. The hammer was hidden under the floor near the old lead-work. It was certainly hard enough when it hit me on the head! I'd have been very tempted by the shackle mawl if I'd inherited the thing - one grandfather designed battleships.

Interesting - I didn't think of that option. The set is conveniently labelled "foreign", as we did in those days. So no clues about material or maker! I think it'll stay in the curiosity box.

The suggestions for the tapered drill make sense but it seems odd to use a number (#15) drill for this.

And I wouldn't have thought of a saw-set for the other one. Maybe I'll try it on my 5-foot tree saw sometime.

Many thanks all - sorry I can't seem to quote everyone properly