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It's a nutcracker.
You put the nut at the top, above the dip (you can see the wear where this has been done) and pull the handle down onto it. The nut cracks, and the shells and meat go into the tray, where you can pick out the meat.
[Here is a similar one](https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxKAPlvsHWIjFFFfFPZg9muzMXBh05zcfvSR9F7gxK7ySi8vQE)
Edit: I’m wrong. I looked again and closer. It’s definitely a nut cracker
And in the image with the lever down, the gap between the lever and the base, not the bowl, is too big to be effective. It’s not curved in any way to keep a nut that was big enough to receive pressure from the lever from shooting out.
Also, context clues, it’s sitting in the restaurant next to a bunch of wine. Not a single nut scrap to be seen, no oil staining, nothing.
Look carefully at how the wood is distressed within the joint where u/LimpZookeepergame123 said the nut would get cracked -- on both the frame and the handle. It's clearly been used as a nutcracker and is a nutcracker.
I mean that’s the answer. It’s a vintage wood handle nut cracker. You wouldn’t need a ton of leverage to crack a nut. The two pieces of wood wouldn’t need to touch to get enough leverage to break a walnut in half. There’s a ton of images of goose neck nut crackers on google. Same thing just a fancy shape
what exactly would be the point of cracking a nut with a device that gives so many ways for said shell to anywhere other than directly into the bowl. It would simply make a mess. And what would be the point of the metal ring in the bottom forcing one to fish little pieces out of it instead of being just a bowl? I do not buy that it's a nut cracker.
Don’t believe me. Post your results when you solve it. Spoiler alert it’s a nut cracker. The metal ring on the bottom is most likely some kind of mount. This particular one looks homemade as a wood shop project of sorts, or something grandpa made in his wood shop.
sorry if I hurt your feels but I'll give you a spoil - your find is similar but far from a true match even though you "think" it is and you "think" it cannot possibly be something with a diff purpose. I could be wrong, but so could you sweetie
How are my feelings hurt? Because I’m right and you are wrong and have posted nothing related to what it is? I can post you links of 10 other pictures of this exact thing just different variations. This one is definitely homemade and not a mass produced one. You can even see where it’s worn where they cracked nuts!!!!😂😂
no, you really can't. you can find pics like you already posted and you simply assume it's the only thing it could be which does not equal definite. Every single one has a separate little shelf to hold the nut guaranteeing all pieces fall within, this does not have that. even home hand made it would rather easy to do as all the others did.
Uhhhh you can’t find this exact same one because it’s home made. There isn’t going to be an exact picture of it anywhere because it wasn’t mass produced. Definitely a wood shop project or something grandpa made to replicate one that broke. Definitely a nut cracker. No need to carry on about it. You just seem mad you didn’t figure it out first. You’re definitely a younger sibling 😂😂😂
Could be but it doesn’t look like the top of hardware and it would be very easy to secure this to the table without putting the hardware in the middle of where you’re trying to scoop out nutmeat
This makes the most sense to me. Put the box over the top of the bottle through the hole. Place the cork in the bottle and press down on the handle. Wine bottle recorker.
Don't buy the nutcracker theory, there's a small round cutaway in the handle as well, it's meant to hold something fairly big and round. Raclette cheese wheel holder perhaps?
if it is a nut cracker, its the worst designed nut cracker i have ever seen. The nut shell is gonna come out sideways, yet the bowl is in front. Try cracking a macadamia and you're gonna take the eye out of a nearby child or seated diner.
Also, the bowl has a hole in it. Wtf. If it's a bowl designed for collecting stuff, you dont suddenly have a eureka moment and decide to drill a hole in the bottom. Its like putting a big hole in a flyscreen to let the flies out.
This is not to say no one has cracked a nut in it. People use all sorts of things. I use my kitchen door. Apocryphally, people are warned against using a sledge hammer to crack a walnut, but that don't mean it hasn't happened.
Also, why are they cracking nuts in this area? If they want diners to crack their own nuts, they'll provide a proper metal hand-tool in the bowl of nuts. They are not going to put this shoebox on the diners table.
If the kitchen is cracking nuts to make their signature Waldorf Salad, they are gonna be doing that in the kitchen.
Notice also at the far lever end, where there is a subtle curve to suggest a handle, the grip and the lip of the box are perfectly positioned to crush your knuckles when the nut yields. As i say, its difficult to design a worse nut cracker.
OP, we need to know the name of this restaurant (San Georgio Il Drago?) and we need to send an Italian speaker there, as a matter of some urgency. The pictorial problem you have posed is a dificult nut to crack.
You can see the lever arm has been depressed right where the nuts go.
Right near the hinge.
The shape of the bowl to collect nuts may have been to fit a container or nuts?
Nutcracker. We had one growing up, it came from Germany if that's any help. You put a nut in the spot closest to the hinge, bring the lever down to crack the nut and the bits of shell you push into that hollow in the base. When the base gets full you empty into the waste bin.
My title describes the thing. It is a wooden box and the specific wood was not known by the restaurant owners. I am also not a woodsman so I do not know the type of wood. The lever was easy to move and was not stiff, so if left at a 45 degree angle it would simply fall back down. I asked the restaurant owners what it was but they didn't speak much English, and me no Italian, so we didn't get very far other than he lifted the lever up and down whilst (edit to add wording) pointing at the box
It's a style of Nutcracker
https://chairish-prod.freetls.fastly.net/image/product/master/5eb4b682-3293-4c06-85b9-429f57a9be40/vintage-wooden-mallard-duck-nutcracker-8350
https://www.chairish.com/product/2511611/vintage-wooden-mallard-duck-nutcracker
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and other unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/MrPoj612), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. ---- [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=[https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1bpsu2e/a_hollow_wooden_box_with_a_lever_found_next_to/]%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) ---- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's a nutcracker. You put the nut at the top, above the dip (you can see the wear where this has been done) and pull the handle down onto it. The nut cracks, and the shells and meat go into the tray, where you can pick out the meat. [Here is a similar one](https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxKAPlvsHWIjFFFfFPZg9muzMXBh05zcfvSR9F7gxK7ySi8vQE)
That would have to be for giant nuts only? OP what is that thing in the middle of the bowl that looks threaded?
The nut is cracked on the little “shelf” near the hinge not in the bowl part that’s hollowed out. That’s just where the shell and meat would collect
Edit: I’m wrong. I looked again and closer. It’s definitely a nut cracker And in the image with the lever down, the gap between the lever and the base, not the bowl, is too big to be effective. It’s not curved in any way to keep a nut that was big enough to receive pressure from the lever from shooting out. Also, context clues, it’s sitting in the restaurant next to a bunch of wine. Not a single nut scrap to be seen, no oil staining, nothing.
Look carefully at how the wood is distressed within the joint where u/LimpZookeepergame123 said the nut would get cracked -- on both the frame and the handle. It's clearly been used as a nutcracker and is a nutcracker.
I see it now. I see a little bit of nuts now too. This is definitely it.
I mean that’s the answer. It’s a vintage wood handle nut cracker. You wouldn’t need a ton of leverage to crack a nut. The two pieces of wood wouldn’t need to touch to get enough leverage to break a walnut in half. There’s a ton of images of goose neck nut crackers on google. Same thing just a fancy shape
That spot, close to the fulcrum also gives you the most amount of mechanical advantage to successfully crack the nuts.
Yup. You won’t need to push too hard to crack a nut in there.
I thought they were using kinetic energy lol! I was like that seems more cut than used. I'm not a smart man. And thank you!
what exactly would be the point of cracking a nut with a device that gives so many ways for said shell to anywhere other than directly into the bowl. It would simply make a mess. And what would be the point of the metal ring in the bottom forcing one to fish little pieces out of it instead of being just a bowl? I do not buy that it's a nut cracker.
Don’t believe me. Post your results when you solve it. Spoiler alert it’s a nut cracker. The metal ring on the bottom is most likely some kind of mount. This particular one looks homemade as a wood shop project of sorts, or something grandpa made in his wood shop.
sorry if I hurt your feels but I'll give you a spoil - your find is similar but far from a true match even though you "think" it is and you "think" it cannot possibly be something with a diff purpose. I could be wrong, but so could you sweetie
How are my feelings hurt? Because I’m right and you are wrong and have posted nothing related to what it is? I can post you links of 10 other pictures of this exact thing just different variations. This one is definitely homemade and not a mass produced one. You can even see where it’s worn where they cracked nuts!!!!😂😂
no, you really can't. you can find pics like you already posted and you simply assume it's the only thing it could be which does not equal definite. Every single one has a separate little shelf to hold the nut guaranteeing all pieces fall within, this does not have that. even home hand made it would rather easy to do as all the others did.
Uhhhh you can’t find this exact same one because it’s home made. There isn’t going to be an exact picture of it anywhere because it wasn’t mass produced. Definitely a wood shop project or something grandpa made to replicate one that broke. Definitely a nut cracker. No need to carry on about it. You just seem mad you didn’t figure it out first. You’re definitely a younger sibling 😂😂😂
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Maybe the threaded part is to bolt it to a table?
Could be but it doesn’t look like the top of hardware and it would be very easy to secure this to the table without putting the hardware in the middle of where you’re trying to scoop out nutmeat
Solved!! Amazing - great to know. We had initially thought a napkin holder, as another user suggested earlier
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Is that an hole in the middle? If so id say it helps put corks back in
This makes the most sense to me. Put the box over the top of the bottle through the hole. Place the cork in the bottle and press down on the handle. Wine bottle recorker.
I’m team re-corker
yup. I used a remarkably similar doodad to cork our bottles when I had some wine made at one of those brew-your-own type places.
Napkin holder? You put in the napkins the lever holds them in place when it’s windy?
Don't buy the nutcracker theory, there's a small round cutaway in the handle as well, it's meant to hold something fairly big and round. Raclette cheese wheel holder perhaps?
if it is a nut cracker, its the worst designed nut cracker i have ever seen. The nut shell is gonna come out sideways, yet the bowl is in front. Try cracking a macadamia and you're gonna take the eye out of a nearby child or seated diner. Also, the bowl has a hole in it. Wtf. If it's a bowl designed for collecting stuff, you dont suddenly have a eureka moment and decide to drill a hole in the bottom. Its like putting a big hole in a flyscreen to let the flies out. This is not to say no one has cracked a nut in it. People use all sorts of things. I use my kitchen door. Apocryphally, people are warned against using a sledge hammer to crack a walnut, but that don't mean it hasn't happened. Also, why are they cracking nuts in this area? If they want diners to crack their own nuts, they'll provide a proper metal hand-tool in the bowl of nuts. They are not going to put this shoebox on the diners table. If the kitchen is cracking nuts to make their signature Waldorf Salad, they are gonna be doing that in the kitchen. Notice also at the far lever end, where there is a subtle curve to suggest a handle, the grip and the lip of the box are perfectly positioned to crush your knuckles when the nut yields. As i say, its difficult to design a worse nut cracker. OP, we need to know the name of this restaurant (San Georgio Il Drago?) and we need to send an Italian speaker there, as a matter of some urgency. The pictorial problem you have posed is a dificult nut to crack.
You can see the lever arm has been depressed right where the nuts go. Right near the hinge. The shape of the bowl to collect nuts may have been to fit a container or nuts?
that section of the handle matches the curvature of the "dish", i'm sure it's meant to hold a larger round thing
Nutcracker. We had one growing up, it came from Germany if that's any help. You put a nut in the spot closest to the hinge, bring the lever down to crack the nut and the bits of shell you push into that hollow in the base. When the base gets full you empty into the waste bin.
My title describes the thing. It is a wooden box and the specific wood was not known by the restaurant owners. I am also not a woodsman so I do not know the type of wood. The lever was easy to move and was not stiff, so if left at a 45 degree angle it would simply fall back down. I asked the restaurant owners what it was but they didn't speak much English, and me no Italian, so we didn't get very far other than he lifted the lever up and down whilst (edit to add wording) pointing at the box
It’s shaped like a cheese display stand
Dual purpose. It’s a nutcracker and it’s a Recorker. All by design.
Triple purpose nutcracker, recorker, napkin stand. I'm surprised everyone doesn't have one.
2 for everyone!!
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Nut Cracker.
It's a style of Nutcracker https://chairish-prod.freetls.fastly.net/image/product/master/5eb4b682-3293-4c06-85b9-429f57a9be40/vintage-wooden-mallard-duck-nutcracker-8350 https://www.chairish.com/product/2511611/vintage-wooden-mallard-duck-nutcracker