51/709

An auger is a boring tool used in a variety of woodworking trades, such as carpentry, wheelwrighting and ship-building, to bore long deep holes. Shell augers have been used since Roman times and remained in common use until the development of the spiral auger. Part of the auger bores the bottom of the hole as the tool goes round and another part holds the shavings and discharges them when the tool is pulled out. Nothing is known of the origin of this small shell auger, which bores cylindrical holes and has 'H.J.S.' stamped on the handle.

1 shell auger; wood and metal [iron]; poor condition wooden handle wormeatern and rotten

MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'This is a small shell auger which bores cylindrical holes .5 inches in diameter. The flattened T. shaped handle is 8.7 inches long, and its centre, at both the front and back end is stamped ‘H.J.S.’. The thin square metal stem is 6.2 inches long and it widens into a spoon 4.6 inches long and .5 inches in diameter. The total length of the tool is 12.3 inches. See also 51/55M.', No Lavinia Smith No. recorded., A detailed hand sketch of the auger is included in the accession file. [Added by Tim Jerrome for the Barnett project, 2024]

Wood, Metal, iron

Rippon, Miss Dorothy May Lyddon (Agent)