What is this thing?

[runswithhorses]

This was found in my grandfather's shop.  He is no longer here to tell us what this is or where it came from.  Any ideas?

[waywardangler]

Could you furnish a better view of the top piece, especially where it intersects vertically and horizontally?  It resembles a broommaker's vise but it is very hard to tell as the pic is dark and distant.

[talesofthesevenseas]

I just so happen to have seen one of these come up on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago. According to that seller, the chair is designed to hold your coat on the back cross piece. I will see if I can find a similar example.

[runswithhorses]

I will try to get better close ups.  It appears that this thing was used to make something.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Darn... not having any luck finding a similar one and the C-list ad is gone.

[runswithhorses]

More images.


This is on the front above the "seat".


This is on the back.  There is a channel where it appears something is supposed to be.

[talesofthesevenseas]

OK I see it more clearly now. The one I saw had a cross piece going perpendicular to the seat of the stool so that your coat would hang behind the post. Yours is mounted parallel to the seat, so please disregard my earlier posting.

[KC]

talesof, you were trying to remember a man's valet stand/bench combination to hold his jacket/pants and pocket contents.
Here's one similar to what you had previously seen.
http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/fuo/1647962452.html

[Vrillon]

Trying to imagine it, looks like whatever it is you set down on the seat facing the back pieces.

Possible machine of some sort?

[D&b antiques]

it looks to be a cobblers bench. but I'am not familar with this design.

[sapphire]

Puts me in mind of a harness maker's bench, but unless it's a very rudimentary one or something is missing, I'm likely way off.

[runswithhorses]

I will have to look into the possibility of the harness maker's bench.  If you look closely at the seat, there is a painting of a horseshoe on it. 

[waywardangler]

Runswithhorses,well it is no broom maker's vise.  I have no idea but it looks like something is missing.  The groove up the back pole, the hole underneath the angled beam to the groove under the angled beam must have held a rope or a rod?  And it looks like there are two screw holes on the bottom of the angled beam that would have held something.  I do not know what the oblong piece with the round cutout is under the angled beam.  Does that move or something.  And the legs look like they are fastened with leather (rawhide) straps.  Are those leather straps on the part where the two beams meet also?  What type of shop did your grandfather have...a harness shop?  Could this have been used to make bridles, halters, or for plating bullwhips?  Just another wild guess.

[runswithhorses]

By shop I just mean his own personal shop.  He had all kinds of things in there.  He came from a family of farmers, metal workers, gun smiths, etc.  It is possible that someone in the family made saddlery.  He had pack horses/mules and some very old saddlery. 

There are no moving parts, and I suspect something is missing.  The legs are strapped together with leather strips, as well as the beams on top.  If you look at the front view of the angled beam and notice the hole where it meets the vertical piece, that hole goes all the way through and comes out under the smaller beam that points down.  There is a channel under the beam on the back side of this thing that goes all the way to the ground.  It looks like some type of string, cord, yarn is supposed to be pulled through from the back.  My guess is that large quantities of string or whatever is supposed to come through the hole.  I wish I had what is missing from under the longer beam.  There are no holes under the seat itself indicating that anything goes there.

[waywardangler]

I am guessing that a pulley in a frame was screwed to the underside of the top beam.  A rope ran from the pulley in the groove, through the hole, down the back groove, under the seat and was attached to a weight.  The person sat facing the beam and had whatever (that is the big question) attached to the weighted rope probably by a hook.  The weight maintained tension on whatever the person was working on.  I have looked at rope-making, harness-making, saddle-making, whip-plaiting to no avail.  I even thought of weaving but there is not much room for any type of that.  Is this from the Southwest?