Wood and leather object left in our house when we bought it. What is it?

A questioner said:

Wood and leather object left in our house when we bought it. What is it?

We’re in the Philadelphia area. My initial thoughts were that it was boat related. Maybe even an oar lock from an old rowing skull, but it seems like it would be too heavy for that. I couldn’t find any markings to give a clue either. The band towards the bottom is leather, with possibly brass rivers.

The object was just sitting on a shelf in the house. Not near anything that seemed related. It’s about 10″ tall and weighs about a pound.

r/whatisthisthing - Wood and leather object left in our house when we bought it.

As new homeowners, there’s always an air of excitement and curiosity when discovering unique items left behind by previous occupants. This wooden and leather object, found tucked away in the house, presents an intriguing puzzle to solve.

The distinctive shape, with its tapered profile and the leather strap or casing, immediately piques one’s interest. Is this perhaps some form of vintage tool or implement, engineered for a specific purpose? Or could it be a unique personal item, imbued with the stories of those who walked these halls before us?

Uncovering the story behind this antique wooden and leather object is akin to peeling back the layers of the home’s own history. It’s a chance to connect with the previous inhabitants, to understand their lives and the artifacts they deemed worthy of preserving.

Some of the people opinions on it:

1. It is a piece of a hand pump. This is the part that moves up and down in the shaft to create the siphon

2. Water pump, the leather swells and seals to provide the vacuum to pump the water up.