Not sure of the plug cutting, but it has fine right hand threads. the cutting feet are still pretty sharp, and have inner and outer slicing guides.  Jim

I think it is a barrel bung hole cutter.

Wow!  Hadn't though of that, thanks.  Well, to be more accurate, I hadn't thought of that my wife had said that it looked like it was used for cutting holes in barrels or kegs.   

Inner and outer cutters often means gasket cutter. 

Chilly

My father used a similar tool to cut new leather washers for a bicycle pump, and for an old water pump. 

Quote from: Lewill2 on June 11, 2014, 02:48:18 PM
I think it is a barrel bung hole cutter.

Nope.  While there are variations on bung hole augers, none of them look like this.  They look like tap augers, sort of conical. 

This looks like a gasket cutter.  You're never going to get this thing to cut through an inch or more of white oak.

It's a bung puller.

Inner screw runs into the bung, extracts & shatters as the gimbal indexes to the stave of the barrel to provide a force point.

Quote from: Aunt Phil on June 12, 2014, 12:09:26 PM
It's a bung puller.

Inner screw runs into the bung, extracts & shatters as the gimbal indexes to the stave of the barrel to provide a force point.

So the arms stay still as the screw pulls out the bung?

& I am not understanding what shatters - the bung?

Chilly

Quote from: Chillylulu on June 12, 2014, 10:12:26 PM

Quote from: Aunt Phil on June 12, 2014, 12:09:26 PM
It's a bung puller.

Inner screw runs into the bung, extracts & shatters as the gimbal indexes to the stave of the barrel to provide a force point.

So the arms stay still as the screw pulls out the bung?
BINGO

& I am not understanding what shatters - the bung?
Taper shape of the screw works like a wood splitter.
Bungs don't get reused, and shattering the bung saves having to unthread it from the screw.
Chilly
Use the search feature, we did this before.  No point to typing the same thing twice.

Quote from: Aunt Phil on June 13, 2014, 12:47:27 AM

Quote from: Chillylulu on June 12, 2014, 10:12:26 PM

Quote from: Aunt Phil on June 12, 2014, 12:09:26 PM
It's a bung puller.

Inner screw runs into the bung, extracts & shatters as the gimbal indexes to the stave of the barrel to provide a force point.

So the arms stay still as the screw pulls out the bung?
BINGO

& I am not understanding what shatters - the bung?
Taper shape of the screw works like a wood splitter.
Bungs don't get reused, and shattering the bung saves having to unthread it from the screw.
Chilly
Use the search feature, we did this before.  No point to typing the same thing twice.

Search - its kinda like a thermos, Phil. How do I know? When I am researching I do, but when there is an ongoing conversation....

Thanks for the answers, never dealt with any wood barrels and I was trying to understand your (obviously knowledgeable) response. My time we dealt with metal drums, and I've never drank if they use them there.

Chilly

Thanks everyone for your input. No telling what else I'm going to find in the other buildings.  Jim

If the centre portion has a wood screw thread I'd go for a bung puller, but it appears to be a smooth taper.... It also appears that the arms move with the handle - on a bung puller they need to rotate freely....

Un tire bonde français....

Quote from: Billman49 on June 13, 2014, 03:00:23 PM
If the centre portion has a wood screw thread I'd go for a bung puller, but it appears to be a smooth taper.... It also appears that the arms move with the handle - on a bung puller they need to rotate freely...   

Jim said "fine right hand threads" Maybe fine /course for different bung stuff?

I've been wondering about the "cutter feet" that are "still pretty sharp." If it is a puller they must dig in then, right?

The definitive answer for me is whether the screw turns independently from the u shaped legs.  If it does, it is a puller. If it turns all together it is some type of cutter.  My money is on the puller.

Bungs are usually made of a close grained softish hardwood such as poplar cut on the end grain, so it will compress evenly - a coarse wood screw is usually necessary to get enough 'bite' to pull it out of its tapered seat..... In beer barrels they are used once and thrown away when the barrel is re-filled -  the screw goes into the spile hole (the spile is removed to let air into the barrel so the beer will flow out of the tap, other wise a vacuum lock will occur)...

Wooden beer barrels usually (in the UK) have a brass bush into which the bung fits...



In seaching this image, just found this one....

Labelled the Best bung hole keg...... (rest not visible as the posting has ended and eBay had deleted the entry - just the thumbnail image was left on-line)

PS this type of bung remover is most common in France - using the slide hammer principle...