Tool for finishing mill stones

[coolford]

I have been told that this tool is called a "Cudgel", but then, I'm open to other input.  In garage gazette there is a post on Germans making mill stones and several of this tool are shown in the video. In the video it is shown doing finishing work.  I picked this up at a farm auction near Herman, Missouri some years ago.  Herman is on the Missouri River and an old German town that is in many ways similar to the Rhine Valley in Germany.  The tool is blacksmith made and designed so the teeth are replaceable when broken or worn.  I guess its possible it was used to make mill stones in the Herman area years ago.

[Bill Houghton]

I don't know what the term is, but that's an interesting acquisition.

[lptools]

Hello, Coolford. "Hammer , Crandall, Also called Crandal, and Crandle. A stone Dressing Tool made up of several sharpened spikes held together with a frame and wedge." Description and photo from the Dictionary of American Hand Tools. I believe a cudgel is a weapon, but I wouldn't want to tangle with a guy carrying the tool you posted!! Regards, Lou

[wvtools]

Around WV, you often see old sandstone foundation stones with marks from crandalls on them.

[Northwoods]

I saw that video just this morning.  Two horses and about 6 men got some work done.
And did you notice the rather large ratchets they used?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkvmnp8ca6Y

[Papaw]

Wow ! That video shows a lot about large grindstones !

[Bill Houghton]

Years back, in some of the nostalgic-about-how-things-were-done books, I read about millstone maintenance.  I guess renewing the stone faces, required periodically, was still another art form, with tools of its own.

[JoeCB]

That was a very interesting video. The manual labor involved was amazing. You could tell that those guys had done that a "few" times before. I do not think that that stone was for a grist mill. I think that it was industrial for metal finishing. A grist mill stone works on the flat surface, the radial surface it not critical and would not have required the care and facing that was done here to ensure a square and true running radius.

Joe B

PS, Here in Michigan there is the village of "Grindstone City" here there was found a source of high grade stone. Grind and mill stones were produced back in the last century. Here is a link with some historic pix
 https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=grindstone+city+michigan+history&id=0093CD6C17EB0F3C8EBE20DA7428FCE416EB4D63&FORM=IQFRBA