Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What is this contraption?

This was my first thought too, the original TENS units. My brother has one he bought at auction. The quality of welding on the aluminum spool isn’t contemporary with the rest of the device. I’m guessing it was originally a hand-cranked generator of some sort that was repurposed, the magneto replaced with a spool to wind something up.

Just a crazy shot in the dark.
Partly based on your location.

Could it have been used for shot wire.

Was he a miner?

It looks like an old hand cranked telegraph register.

They came with a spool, and some were hand cranked.

I don’t have a clue. I prefer say-ko

I'd have put the hole on the other side. Meaning, it may have already been there before the Al spool was added.

Not sure what the entire mechanism is supposed to accomplish other than spool something up.....wire, string? The gear box with the crank is off an old Victrola-type phonograph, the springs are contained in the metal cups under the large gear. The crank winds up the springs which will power the spool.
Being you're in the U.P., my WAG is it might have been built as a reel for deep water ice fishing, I've seen some unique set ups in Munising Bay ice shanties!

Now we're getting somewhere.

I thought it looked like something re-purposed. The spool is clearly not up to the grade of the works. Appears to be a keyhole slot in the spool for connecting whatever is being wound up. Don't see a free-spool dingus or ratchet; maybe under the spool?

Clothesline reel.

What Idaho_ Shooter said--- The first glance at the photo of the box reminded me of the old wooded boxes surveyors instruments were stored in. There is a special way one hand throws ( rolls up a steel tape ) by hand in a figure 8 shape then snaps it into a circular shape. This would just roll the tape up. The eye in the drum looks like it was made to accept the leather thong at the end of the tape.

It's sah-ko, but in this age of "common usage", anything goes, so say say-ko if it makes you happy. I doubt that hordes of disgruntled Finns will descend on your house demanding you repent.

So, what was it originally AND what was the repurposed purpose?

Seiko, like a watch?

Fish line winder.

I suspect steel line for deep water fishing.

Is there a hole in the bottom of the box?

I've seen one of those at some time in the past. I didn't know what it was then, either.

Yup, you tend to see a lot of things in a 500 year span...........

And if you do it up right handed, you better let it down right handed. Seems it would be more trouble than it would be worth for a measuring tape. Easy to put up and throw, by hand. miles

what do you want for it?

It ain't a surveying tool.

Not stout enough.

Surveyors would tear it up, strip the gears, and spill beer all inside...

Pretty complicated looking to just wind a tape or cord of some kind-- neat tho