Not sure what this tool was designed for?

[Mike Holbrook]

Bought this at auction. I think it may be an old turning tool? I bought it to use as a semi froe/pry bar for sticking between log splits, to seperate pieces. It may save a finger or two one of these days. It is 25 1/2” long. The metal portion is about 1.5” wide, 2” at the hook. It is around 1/2” thick in places.

376006

[Pete Taran]

Looks like a bark spud to me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdBdSlwMtUk&feature=share

[Brent Cutshall]

Yup, that's a bark spud.

[Mike Holbrook]

Thanks for the video and help identifying this tool Pete & Brent. Who knows I may spud some bark with it too, now that I know what it is deesigned for.

[ernest dubois]

Thanks for the video and help identifying this tool Pete & Brent. Who knows I may spud some bark with it too, now that I know what it is deesigned for.
Calling it a bark spud says much and maybe it says even enough, probably, but there are bark spuds and there are bark spuds. One such as this is used for harvesting bark, ( from oak trees? ) to be used in the tanning industry. It facilitated removing the bark, (under the right conditions and with a particular technique) in a way that it could be further processed without to much monkey business, bundeling, transported, stored-up ect... with some efficiency and consistency. After all, like I said, bark spudding was a business.

[Mike Holbrook]

Wondering if one might harvest bark for chair seats, basket making with a tool like this? Always wondered how the bark for these tasks was harvested.

[ernest dubois]

Wondering if one might harvest bark for chair seats, basket making with a tool like this? Always wondered how the bark for these tasks was harvested.
In that particular I'm not sure, only vaguely recalling the possibility that the bark, (Hickory?) gets taken later from staves, with a drawknife. But that is most likely just one of possibly many techniques. Another instance of using the bark of the tree as the primary product is cork-making where a particular axe is used for scoring the bark and then turned around and the purpose shaped but end of the handle used to pry the bark away, similar to how birch bark is harvested. But, ok, you can see that I drift from the topic of the spud already.

[phil harold]

How about Harvesting your own bark, cut into squares and shingle your house with it!

https://barkhouse.com/whole-system-architectural-bark-wall-coverings-wood-wall-treatments/poplar-bark-shingles/

[Karl Andersson]

Look at Peter Follansbee's blog to see how he harvests bark and makes ash splints for basket-making. He slices a young tree's bark with a knife and peels it off in long pieces: https://pfollansbee.wordpress.com/ the posts are searchable by topic, so "bark" may work.
I believe he learned from Drew Langsner but I could be wrong