Here a video of one of the tools I have and no idea of what it is or how it is used.   

First guess...armature winding machine...very kewl looking in any case :)

I like it.

Used by the Dallas PD to obtain confessions.

That is funny mrchuck,  My brother in Montana said it was a tool used to extract 20 dollar bills from old geezers  wallets, and it did do that once.
Mel

OK guys I don't want this thing to become a door stop like it was when I found it,  someone please come up with a proper use for it.
Mel

Does it say anything on it at all? It's odd for a complex machine not to have some hint of why made it.

No question it's a winder of some sort, the wire loop that goes over the top is a bail catcher for thread or wire, but it could be a textile winder or such, it is kinda odd looking...

(Ya know, I always wanted a hand cranked door stop...)

Like I said in the video, the only writing on it is APPd FOR which I assume is meant  Patent applied for.  I guess if we knew what the Missing parts looked like it would help.  something must have rode back and forth on the cam that is on the small shaft.  And there is another bracket for something on the right side of the machine,  One thing I didn't mention in the video is: it appears that a wire or cord was fed through the short hollow side shaft and fed up through the two holes in the swinging arm.  I have tried to feed a string through the shaft and arm and all I get is a mess. What ever clamped into the claw like arms could not be sticking out past the reach of the swing arm.  I would guess the shape of what ever clamps in to those clamps would have a great deal on how it works.
Mel

I would guess some kind of coil or armature winder - I saw coils for electric motors being would by hand in Hong Kong in the 1980's..

The swash plate at the handle end moves the chuck arrangement forwards and back each revolution, so spreading the wrapping over about an inch... My guess that the missing piece is the bobbin holder, and it is operated by the cam device to aid the 'bale' arm that revolves as if the object being wound is not circular, the feed speed and thus the tension in the wire would vary... Maybe with a fixed bobbin the wire broke, so it was made to move as the wire was being unwound... I say wire, it could equally be a thread binding of some sort.

The shape of the chuck could be a clue - the object has to fit into the two arms - question: does it also need to project beyond them, or even pass over them???? Try fitting something like a short length of toilet roll tube onto a wooden mandrel to form a cross with arms projecting out of the forks, and putting a thread through the bale arm - it seems to me that it will wrap some sort of figure 8 at right angles to the axis of rotation...

The gearing appears to be about 2:1 - the bale arm revolves once each side of the chuck - as it moves about 1/2" along its axis - this makes me think the object being wrapped must pass over the arms, or the arms would also become wrapped.... It isn't something as simple as a string winder??

Just found this image - labelled fishing reel winder for tangled line machine... has some similarities with the machine... NO. sorry a red herring - I just found a second image  - this part is just the reel holder....

Still thinking on this one - it will not wind in a figure of 8 - will wind in one direction on both sides.... Possibly a field coil winder rather than an armature winder....

Neat find Mel, although I don't have any idea what it is/does.

Hmmm, I wonder if that loop of heavy wire (looks to be about 1/4" dia) could be some sort of clue as well? The way it is bent makes me think it served some purpose, otherwise it would just be in the way.

OK guys, I'm dragging my mystery thing back up, hoping someone new will know what the heck it is.  Maybe I need to make a new, better video?
You have been pretty good at solving some other mysteries, I won't rest until I find out what the heck this thing is.
Mel   

apple peeler or corer

you did not watch the video did you?
Mel