Found in a barn cleanup

You found a heavy iron tool with a hinge and jagged teeth inside — it opens and closes, but what is it for? Most likely, this is an antique handheld corn sheller.

It was used on farms to strip kernels off dried corn cobs. The jagged teeth grip the cob, and as you squeeze and move it along, the kernels come off easily. This simple tool was common before machine threshers and helped farmers remove corn quickly by hand.

Instead of a clamp or trap, it’s really a manual corn sheller, a clever old farm tool for making harvest work easier.