I know what it is. What can I do with it.

[N80]

A friend of mine bought out a shop full of vintage vehicles and tools and apparently this was among some of the stuff. I have no idea why but he left it by my door. It is an asbestos shingle cutter. Says so right on the front.

I actually have a small pile of asbestos shingles that were left over from an addition that was added to my house back in the 1950s. The shingles on the addition have been covered over with Hardi-Plank. And I have no need to cut the leftover ones.

So what else could this be useful for other than a curiosity? What else could it cut? It is a fairly intricate device if you look at it closely.

 

[Jstpssng]

If you have somebody who you really, REALLY don't like you could sharpen it and use it as a guillotine.

 

[grsthegreat]

make a nice boat anchor.

i really have no idea. i know id hate to lug that around to different jobsites.

 

[MossRoad]

A friend of mine bought out a shop full of vintage vehicles and tools and apparently this was among some of the stuff. I have no idea why but he left it by my door. It is an asbestos shingle cutter. Says so right on the front.

I actually have a small pile of asbestos shingles that were left over from an addition that was added to my house back in the 1950s. The shingles on the addition have been covered over with Hardi-Plank. And I have no need to cut the leftover ones.

So what else could this be useful for other than a curiosity? What else could it cut? It is a fairly intricate device if you look at it closely.

View attachment 745251

It says it's the 'IMPROVED' model. I wonder what was wrong with the one before it?

I'd clean it up and put it on a shelf in my garage.

They're going for $75-$200 on e-bay.

 

[otlski]

Looks like a metal sculpture of a cricket!

 

[bullbreaker]

Shingle Cutter Cast Metal Roofing Tool large-model F - Etsy

Rustic turn of the century shingle cutter. This vintage roofing tool was used to shape and cut roll alsphalt shingles; imagine the fun of a roofing job when it included making the shingles! About 40 lbs pounds of solid cast iron with working leaver, just lift the leaver, insert the material and keep

www.etsy.com

Heres a smaller looking one for sale . I think its pretty cool . I don't know either what you can do with it . Maybe cut watermelons in half also with it . I would do some research on it , it might be worth more than what you think . Also if you have curious youngsters around and its not rusted down but functioning , I think I would chain lock that sucker down .

 

[N80]

@MossRoad , I saw that restoration video. And I am glad there are people out there doing that sort of things with old tools. He does nice work. More than I'd be willing to do to fix up a tool that apparently has no application in the modern world.

It does not open wide enough to be much of a danger but I suppose a small child might be able to get a finger in it.

I think my friend might find it sitting by his back door soon. Or maybe on of the neighbors.

 

[Doughknob]

Linoleum or vinyl tile cutter?

 

[David Wayne]

That is the sort of thing we decorate our house with, I would set that up on a beam.

 

[2manyrocks]

If you compare your vintage tool with any of the ordinary, dull, unimaginative, lacking in any style crapola flooring cutters they are churning out today, you have one very cool piece of history. It's also extremely unlikely that anyone will be making new asbestos shingle cutters in the future. I'd put it in my shop as an example of when tools were real tools.