Old Barn Box...it spins ?

[mojjax]

I was thinking it might be a butter churn , but the lid doesn't seem like it would seal good enough for liquids . It's very well made of pine . All held together by old style screws . any ideas ?

mojjax

 

[PBK]

Nitroglycerine storage cabinet.

 

[VERMONTPACKRAT]

Nitroglycerine storage cabinet.

I think it is safe to say " Unused "

VPR

 

[wesfrye53]

Gypsy and PBK usually are quick with the answers. I almost bought Gypsy's until it hit me this was a box with square cornered sides. Wouldn't a barrel shape be more acceptable for spinning things?

My guess is an "inventive" farmer needed something to spin something (Clothes, beans, corn, etc), found a box in the corner of the barn and made this...and it probably worked well. Seems like something my grandfather would have done on his farm if he didn't have what he really needed...he improvised!

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Nitroglycerine storage cabinet.

I think it is safe to say " Unused "

VPR

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Gypsy and PBK usually are quick with the answers. I almost bought Gypsy's until it hit me this was a box with square cornered sides. Wouldn't a barrel shape be more acceptable for spinning things?

My guess is an "inventive" farmer needed something to spin something (Clothes, beans, corn, etc), found a box in the corner of the barn and made this...and it probably worked well. Seems like something my grandfather would have done on his farm if he didn't have what he really needed...he improvised!

Thats the same thought I had....My grandpa was always making things that he alone knew the use for ...we still find things he made out of need and resourcefullness and say 'What the Heck'

 

[wesfrye53]

I'm tempted to say great minds think alike Gypsy, but I don't think I hardly fit into your category!

After I posted that, my mind wandered back to all the things my grandfather would do around his farm (We lived next door). He had leased his land to a gas company and when the gas ran out for commercial uses, he tapped the well head, ran about a mile of piping into his house and ours, and we had free gas for heating and cooking! I spent many Saturdays when I got old enough hiking across the farm and blowing off water that had settled in the low spots. If you didn't, it would freeze in the winter and you'd wake up shivering. Then it was off to find the frozen spot, build a fire over it, and thaw out the line!

I think the depression helped advance the "inventiveness" of those farmers.

 

[Ryan1979]

Small scale composter

 

[savant365]

Only thing that comes to mind is a box for making quail dizzy. I live near a game reserve and there are a few hunting lodges around. They offer bird hunting to city guys with more money then brains. They put the birds in the box and turn it and release them. They are disoriented and fly in circles while the paying customers stand there and shoot them. What great sportsmen they are...

They do this to pen-raised birds for early release, kinda like "stocking" the land. They will put 'em in a bag, spin 'em around a dozen times and place them in a nest that's been made for them in the "field". This is more or less to keep them from straying off too far from their release spot. Of course you have to put out feed for them for a couple weeks too, until they get used to being in the wild. Releasing pen raised coveys is more common than you'd think when it comes to areas that don't have many wild quail. I don't know about spinning them then releasing them to be shot at that immediate time though, that's a little ridiculous. They are usually released early, well in advance before hunting season begins. The pen raised quail don't compare to wild quail when it comes to the challenge of shooting one but they taste just as good.

As for the box I don't know. I wouldn't think you would need a pulley system to spin a few birds. I was actually thinking it's for the mixing of grain for feed or maybe wild bird seed even.

Okay maybe they didn't shoot the birds as soon as they let them out but I have seen this done first hand. A friend of mine worked at one of these hunting lodges and showed me how they did this. The one I saw was round (barrell shaped) and made with chicken wire and probably a little bigger.

Another possibility is they got the birds dizzy and then released them to train puppies for bird hunting. Maybe the guy (or gal) that built this raised and trained bird dogs. They could get the birds dizzy and let the puppies chase them around.

 

[wesfrye53]

Super...don't know what a "puke tank" is and almost afraid to ask. Only thing I know is if someone went once a month to blow off the water, we'd have no problems.

 

[jeff of pa]

Babies fair ground ride

That'll work

 

[Angelo]

While searching for something else, I ran into this Butter Churn.

Looks somewhat similar.

Since yours is automated, it probably is a Margarine Churner.

Tony

Update: Found another one that swings.

 

[ModernMiner]

Engine block for a Woodie?

 

[QUICKSILVER (appletree)]

Had to have been used for something dry, because it is so clean inside. Ed

 

[Batch]

Hello all,

mojjax, I think the bean flail idea is the closest so far except for corn. Somewhere in the dim recesses of my mind (and believe me they are dim!) it seems I remember something like this for separating corn kernels from the cob for making chicken feed. You put in several ears of dried corn, set it to spinning with a small motor (hence the pulley) and come back a while later to get the feed. I may be way off but maybe I'll get lucky this time!

Happy hunting to all!

Batch

 

[2country]

Looks like some sort of a pea or bean sheller . I would think the peas would have to be dry before it would shell them though .

 

[stefen]

While searching for something else, I ran into this Butter Churn.

Looks somewhat similar.

Since yours is automated, it probably is a Margarine Churner.

Tony

Update: Found another one that swings.

Margarine come from marginal cows?

 

[cheese]

I know where there are 2 almost exactly like it. They are at the local taxidermists shop. He fills it partway with sawdust, and then puts his furs in it to tumble them, get them soft, and fluff the hair. He also uses a smaller one one for bird skins. The tumbler will gently dry and fluff the feathers and give them a sheen. One is dedicated to mammal furs, the other is dedicated to birds. They are driven by a small motor and spin slow...maybe 100 rpm. I think his smaller one is 6 sided instead of 4. I know this because I used to work for him.

 

[julesjunk]

They are at the local taxidermists shop. He fills it partway with sawdust, and then puts his furs in it to tumble them, get them soft, and fluff the hair.

I like this answer! Well this, and the cat washing machine

 

[Batch]

I do think "cheese" nailed it!

Batch

 

[cheese]

I just noticed that this one has a piece of wood running through the center inside. The ones I know of don't have this. I'm not sure that negates my guess, but it is a difference I wanted to point out.