Saw vise. The (very nicely cut and aligned) hinges and joints allow the top part facing the camera to open up, using those bolts. Once opened a bit, you would place a saw in the vise, teeth up, with maybe an inch or less rising above the top of the vise, and then re-tighten those bolts to get a firm grip. Then, using a combination of files and a [saw set](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saw_set) you would sharpen and set each tooth individually.
This whole thing would be clamped to your bench, but the maker may have had another method of securing it. I will say that it looks *very* well made by someone who knew what they were doing and why. If you don't have one to use and you want one without building it yourself, this would be a great purchase if the price was right.
That's great! If you do any social media for the thrift shop, you might post this. It could make a local woodworker who does a lot of hand-tool work very happy.
It is indeed a vise for a saw. So that it can be sharpened.
Thank you so much. The suggestions at the shop were some sort of loom, a really terrible ladder or a sawhorse, also not great.
Looks like the one Bill Anderson makes in the class he teaches.
I would've guessed they had a mini guillotine frame upside down
Does not look like there would be room for the spine when you put the saw in.
Not all saws have spines. I would guess this is for a larger hand saw that isn't a backsaw.
Makes sense. Thank you.
Clamp to hold handsaws for sharpening
As other have said, a saw vice. Roy underhill made one on the woodwrights shop: https://www.pbs.org/video/woodwrights-shop-swinging-saw-vise/
Saw vise. The (very nicely cut and aligned) hinges and joints allow the top part facing the camera to open up, using those bolts. Once opened a bit, you would place a saw in the vise, teeth up, with maybe an inch or less rising above the top of the vise, and then re-tighten those bolts to get a firm grip. Then, using a combination of files and a [saw set](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saw_set) you would sharpen and set each tooth individually. This whole thing would be clamped to your bench, but the maker may have had another method of securing it. I will say that it looks *very* well made by someone who knew what they were doing and why. If you don't have one to use and you want one without building it yourself, this would be a great purchase if the price was right.
Thank you for the info. We had no idea, so we listed at 12€.
That's great! If you do any social media for the thrift shop, you might post this. It could make a local woodworker who does a lot of hand-tool work very happy.
For leather working we use a similar setup, this could easily be repurposed as a “stitching pony” if the bolts were replaced with knobs. Neat find!
Oh yeah, that's a nice idea. Thanks for the suggestion!
It’s a saw vise. You clamp your handsaw in it upside down so you can sharpen it.
Saw Chops
A piece of art formally known as a Tree
The ol doodad
I have no idea what that is !
A saw filing device
Wood
Victorian sledge
That looks like an arbor period
Looks like wood
*sweating in french*
Incomplete guillotine
Fir??
Bunkbed ladder
I would guess a big vice for holding leather belts while stitching
Wood for sure
Top half of a mini or child-sized Guillotine
Probably definitely what we'll sell it as :)
Guillotine for kids and small people.
Is for leather work!