Tool id

[nightowl]

This has been hanging in my barn since I bought the place. It is 44" long, the hook is flat with a bevel on the inside of the curve for cutting something. Any idea what it was used for? There are no markings on it.
Thanks

[cogar]

That's a new one for me.

Might be for pruning fruit trees, harvesting cabbages, tobacco,

Where you live might give a clue what it was used for cutting.

[Rauville]

Looks similar to a “roguing hook”, used when walking corn rows to remove volunteer and off-type (rouge) plants.

There's a photo of a worker holding a tool used for roguing on the following site. A lot of young people in the corn belt earn some extra money at "detasseling and roguing" every year.
http://daredetasselingandroguing.yolasite.com/

[mart]

I don`t know Rauville,, taking suckers off with that would be a trick !!

[nightowl]

Where you live might give a clue what it was used for cutting.

I live in NW Ohio. A friend thought it might be used for corn, but that was a guess.

[mart]

Is the cutting edge on the inside of the curve or outside ??

[nightowl]

Is the cutting edge on the inside of the curve or outside ??

Inside of the curve.

[cogar]

Could very well be for making corn shocks.

Could hold the corn stocks in the left arm, cut it off at the ground and stack it in the shock without bending over.

To wit:

[mart]

Now that's a possibility Cogar !!

[KC]

Try searching "corn knife" or "grass hook"!  

[fancypants]

Coming in way late on this one & casting a guess that it was used for harvesting fruit(s) from trees/bushes/arbors  (sans or with a ladder) , rather than 'huskier' work ...
just seems like a light-duty handle on such a hevi-duty blade to me.

Cool old tool , nightowl .

[cogar]

I'm pretty sure it was made by a blacksmith ...... thus it's a "specialty" item that someone wanted made and thus one may never know what its intended purpose was for.

[nightowl]

I was looking at it and noticed barely visible writing on the handle. The words were stamped but it is worn so bad I can't read it. So I did the paper and pencil trick and came up with "LITTLE PLANT" under that it is unreadable then "TOOL ED" then something "USA", probably the city.  I googled but came up empty. I'll get some thin paper from work and try again too see if I can get more.

[cogar]

I was looking at it and noticed barely visible writing on the handle.

Then that negates my "blacksmith made" claim.

[nightowl]

 I figured out what is on the handle,

Little Giant
North Wayne Tool Co
Oakland ME  USA

Still don't know what it is for. I found the Davistown Museum which have a lot of Little Giant tools and knowledge. I emailed them with a pic. Hope they reply.