What is it? XCVII

I've got two in my hand that I just grabbed out of our camping gear. One's single blade, with the blade forming one single full twist; the other is a double blade, with each blade forming about a 4/7th twist.

Barb

The shaft doesn't appear robust enough to transmit the torque required for an ice auger. I'm inclined to agree with the earth auger hypothesis.

Art

According to Wood Butcher :

And the ring at the top does not look either strong enough, or shaped properly to allow use as an anchor. It is too sharp-edged to not cut through the rope attached to it.

I believe that shape is correct for a wooden T-handle fitted through it to allow two people to march around the hole which is being drilled.

Enjoy, DoN.

It's an earth auger ANCHOR...

Joe Barta

Look at the eyes on the ones which your link leads to, and compare it to the one on the puzzle photo. That puzzle photo one is

I still say post-hole digger.

Enjoy, DoN.

Yeah, that's what I meant to type.

Art

No question.

Or a mobile home..often used in earthquake country

Gunner

The aim of untold millions is to be free to do exactly as they choose and for someone else to pay when things go wrong.

In the past few decades, a peculiar and distinctive psychology has emerged in England. Gone are the civility, sturdy independence, and admirable stoicism that carried the English through the war years . It has been replaced by a constant whine of excuses, complaints, and special pleading. The collapse of the British character has been as swift and complete as the collapse of British power.

Theodore Dalrymple,

I thought that there still might be a chance of it being an ice auger since that's what it was marked and the seller ususally has all of his tool tagged correctly, but after checking with some ice fishermen who all agreed that it was not one, I've changed the answer on my page to either an earth anchor or a post hole digger.

Since no one is guessing on number 558 I'll go ahead and give the answer, it's a broom hammer. The use of one is briefly mentioned on this page:

I've got about 15 different types of sand casting patterns, and only a couple of them are yellow on the inside, I guess different companies had different color standards. Also, some of them are red and black, and others are brown and black.

I couldn't find any photos on the web of any of these that look like mine, I was thinking that the red colored area was removed in the finished piece, leaving the middle hollow.

Rob

Don't know about earthquake country, but in our area of Western NY, if you live in a mobile home, it MUST be anchored. Law came out back in '70s, I think. That's when trailer parks started putting tie-downs cast right in the parking pads.

I see what you mean, but I disagree.

I think if it were a post hole digger it would likely NOT have a removable handle and the handle-neck juncture would probably be a little beefier to hold up to years of use.

Our mystery auger seems to be made somewhat cheaply... which is exactly what you'd expect with something that will see limited use and will need to be bought in quantity.

I still think it's an earth auger anchor... we'll have to agree to disagree.

Joe Barta

The R.H. entity posted thusly:

All the post hole augers I have seen (I have one, but they are very common around here), have flutes that come up all the way, and for the same reason as an ice auger... to carry the waste out of the hole.

I'm changing my mind. The thing that bothered me was the length...

My final answer is one that was given by others... an ice auger for ice fishing. It's the right length, has a removable handle for easy carrying and drills a hole just big enough to set a line into (although if you catch a huge fish you might have a problem ;-)

Seems to me that the cutter should pretty easily carve a nice hole into ice without much torque required.

Is that your FINAL answer?

Yes... ice auger.

Joe Barta

I have a post hole digger of this type, not having any fluting to bring out the soil but a heavier shaft and fixed wooden handle. Since the shaft and eye seem so light, I wonder if it might be an anchor for use in some kind of loose material? I can't really imagine what material. Don Young

You sure?

--humunculus

Here's another shot. I think its a type of 'canopy anchor'.

--humunculus

Yeah, I'm sticking with ice auger. They are all similar, but you'll note that one of those someone else pointed to is 30"... closer to what I'd expect for an anchor. And as someone else pointed out, the eye is different... more for turning and less for anchoring.

The digger part is also different. In your picture the digger is more of a screw than a scraper. In the mystery auger the digger part is shallower... more for burrowing a hole than driving into the ground.

Some say burrowing a hole into the ground... but I don't think it's strong enough for that. Plus, if you were to bore a hole 30" into the ground, the handle would be about 20" off the ground. Doesn't seem like a good design.

Anyhow, to me, it seems too big to be an anchor and too flimsy to be an earth auger. I'm still left with ice auger. I don't think it actually "digs" the ice. More like scrapes a hole though it. Looking at pictures of modern ice augers you'll see a shallower angle for the cutter head... just like our mystery auger.

Joe Barta

Yeah, but there's that problem with the tip. Modern ice augers don't have a little guiding drill tip, they start augering right at the start. I can't imagine that getting through ice that will 2-inches later be scraped. Somehow there must be a guiding hole to steer the auger. However, it could more easily push thorough sand or loose soil.

I also wondered if it was for reaming out pipes...

--humunculus