What is this tool?
 

I have a tool that I have no idea what it is or what it's for.

Looks like an old variety of adjustable wrench to me.

Nut splitter.

Nah. Adjustable wrench.

Adjustable wrench. My father-in-law does all his Xmas shopping for us 6 guys by buying 6 of a particular item, 20+ years ago it was one of these knuckle removers....

A friend of mine dad passed away and he had a lot of tools, he was a DIYer and tinkerer like me. Anyway he gave me a lot of tool oods and ends and in the batch was several of these things in their own little pouches. I wasn't sure if they we're some kind of holders or wrenches.

Thanks for the input.

My first instinct was nut splitter as I have one similar. The jaws are the giveaway and even though the pic doesn't highlight the area, it looks like there are 2 jaws with flats for the nut. My nut splitter has only one fixed jaw for the nut and the adjustable portion has the chisel point for splitting.

That's what it's supposed to be. What it actually is, is a combination door stop and paper weight.

Bingo. I used to work in a lumber yard when I was in high school, and the store sold all kinds of tools, including these. In a nutshell, good idea, bad execution. The thread count on the adjuster was the same that was used on the company's pipe wrenches that they also made. Those worked well for pipe, but the thread count was too low for the hex application. If they'd used FINE threads and a close-clearance adjuster nut, it would have been much better since the wrench would have stayed at the size it was set for. As it was, it was so loose that it had to be readjusted every time the wrench was rotated on the nut. And if you didn't reset it every time, it'd slip and knuckle skin would transfer itself as if by magic from one's hand to some random location on the machinery upon which one was working.

In effect, these were really miserable attempts at making useful tools. As you said, door stops and paper weights.


Lynn B.

That tool is an adjustable wrench to remove nuts with rounded off corners. After place the wrench around the nut with one of the sides in the upper 'V', you would tighten the pointed end into the nut so the tip would grab the other corner and allow you to remove the rounded nut. It is very old school, and not that effective most times, but it was useful many other times. I found one many years ago in my grandfathers tool collection and had to ask him what it was used for.

As it was, it was so loose that it had to be readjusted every time the wrench was rotated on the nut. And if you didn't reset it every time c arm tables, it'd slip and knuckle skin would transfer itself as if by magic from one's hand to some random location on the machinery upon which one was working.