<html> <body> At 09:41 AM 3/5/2006, pianotech-request@ptg.org wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Puzzler?   Hello list,   I found this tool in a box of tools given to me.  I'd like to know what it is.  A hammer shank fits all the way through each of the holes longitudinally, and the screws are perpendicular to those holes, as if the screws are meant to hold the hammer shanks in place.  (to what purpose?)  And why is there a diagonal slot sawn into the side, intersecting each of the "shaft tunnels"?   Is this a useful tool?   Thanks, John Dorr</blockquote> John, That's a hammershank repair jig. Sort of a mini miter box to make a "prosthetic" for a broken hammer shank from a new hammershank. You put your broken shank through the hole, tighten it down with the screw and saw it off through the diagonal slot  with a thin saw of some sort. You then do the same thing with a new shank - and you have a piece of shank with the same angle on one end as the one you created on the broken shank. Fit them together, glue, wind lots of thread around the joint while the glue dries, trim to size and rehang the hammer. Useful field repair when you have enough of the broken shank left to work with and shank replacement - for some reason - is not an option. The two different size holes are for different diameter shanks. The tighter the shank fits in the hole - the more precise angle of a cut you will end up with... You might want to make sure that the joint and the woodgrain of the "prosthetic" are both at a right angle to the direction of the hammer blow - to minimize stress on the joint and the shank... Israel Stein</body> </html>