And this is ...

[Shakethetrees]

Originally Posted by fernando

I bow to your knowledge. This is what the seller told me when i fell in love with this apparatus... and acquired it. The romantic text goes well with it. I still don't know if there is a an actual name for this tool ... in either language. The seller is a carpenter by profession; i will ask him if he can identify the wood. Its age is not modern at all: 19th century ... if not prior.

I thank you, Fernando.

Your "gizmo" is similar to a spring hammer used in silversmithing to stretch and thin silver sheet. When you're faced with hours of hammering to achieve a mundane but necessary task, the spring allows you to develop a rhythm and concentrate on nuancing the blows rather than wearing yourself out.

A nice find!