[Five Points]

Not trying to make this a mystery but does anyone know the primary use for this tool?
It has "Grabbler" on the side of it, it's adjustable like a clamp/vise and looks like it could be mounted on a bench.
Here it is,

Any thoughts?

And no MarkO, its not an alligator skull clamp for extracting teeth...:bag:
:sidelaugh

 

[bwdbrn1]

Yeah, that's one of them thar whacha ma call its, or is it a thinga ma jig?

Can't help ya'. Never seen one of those before.

 

[Mark / Ohio]

...
Any thoughts?

And no MarkO, its not an alligator skull clamp for extracting teeth...:bag:
:sidelaugh

Fine! Since you already choose not to believe my first guess I'll try again! :sidelaugh

The Grabler name seems to come back to an old plumbing company. I'll go off the wall here and say it looks like part of a bracket that could have been used to hang steam or sprinkler pipe to a steel beams in a building.

 

[bwdbrn1]

By golly, I think Mark has got it!
The Grabler Manufacturing Co. | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
The Grabler Manufacturing Co. 2 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[rhenning]

I believe Mark is correct. It isn't a vise. Roger

 

[Five Points]

I think you guys are on to something! Found some patents on some elaborate pipe hangers and clamps on google from grabler (Not the one pictured of coarse) but it makes sense. I like the "I Beam Idea", I always looked at the bottom as a mounting point but after looking at the mouth portion it looks like it would clamp right to an I beam.
Its always amazing the quality of older things, they were built to last. Nowadays, it would be a cheap piece of c channel and a metal band. Could you imagine the cost though to plumb and hang pipes in a building with those big forged clamps today?

Thanks for the input, I think I'll make it a wall hanger. :ThumbUp:

 

[bwdbrn1]

What would we do without Google? This came out of "The Metal Worker, Plumber and Pipe Fitter" , dated 1905.

Heating and Plumbing Notes A useful catalogue to steam fitters and contractors is issued by the Grabler Mfg Company Ohio It contains 96 pages with cuts showing an variety of Pipe Hangers adapted for use on girders or in buildings of wooden construction and for both horizontal mains and risers Some are made rollers allowing a considerable movement of the piping derangement of the system The catalogue Pipe Hangers of an ornamental character adapted for use of plumbers Floor and Ceiling Plates Floor and Floor Flanges Sink Bolts Lag Screws and a of Bolts useful alike to the plumber and steam fitter catalogue closes with the Grabler Self Filling Wonder designed to facilitate drilling holes in pipe of large size permit a connection of smaller branches

 

[Mark777]

Good explanations...certainly better than mine

I thought it might be a 'Pet Carrier' :

Funny pet picture, cat carrier joke

 

[Five Points]

Wow, I can hear PETA now! Too funny. :sidelaugh

FYI: PETA = People Eating Tasty Animals. :bag:

What? I read it on the internet, it has to be true! :dunno:

:sorry:

 

[Five Points]

Mystery solved!

Thanks to some fine detective work by Bruce1 and the assistance and guidance of all others!
:bravo:

 

[Mark / Ohio]

Good job finding those patents! :ThumbUp:

I tried searching for a patents for Grabler and could not find anything to support my theory. I've been in a lot of basements and boilers rooms of the old houses and buildings around town over the years. Always have my nose in the air looking around at all the mechanicals trying to figure out what makes the place tick. Heating and cooling is another interest of mine especially the old hot water and steam systems of yesteryear. Maybe I saw those clamps in use someplace in the past. :dunno:

It is sad how the fit and finish of the old things were so heavy duty compared to now. One thing I suppose was rust and corrosion of the old stuff was a larger concern compared to the alloys now but still. My grandparents had an old originally coal fired gravity furnace that had been retro fitted to a NG burner. Power would go out and the rest of us were cold we would go to my grandparents and even with the natural gas burner update it would still be keeping the house toasty thanks to a standing pilot and the high tech of the time period thermocouple that generated it's own electric to operate the gas valve. No it was far from efficient. Probably been lucky to get more then 30-40% from it even with the flame baffles on the new gas burner that directed the flame toward the old cast iron walls of the fire box. But the thing was bolted and riveted together like an army tank with the manufacture name, city, and state proudly cast into the loading and ash doors, (now we get a sticky label) sheet steel wrapped around that to form an air cavity to feed the massive 12"+ pipes up into the house with neatly wrapped insulation (probably asbestos) around each pipe. You could melt your shoe soles and darn near set your socks on fire standing in front of the wall vents upstairs on the coldest winter day. One of those fond memories of the past I think about while standing in front of the vent from my heatpump / electric furnace with the 90°F air sifting out.