Pootatuck 'Lion Miter Trimmer', $5.

This unusual looking critter is called a 'Lion Miter Trimmer,' is made by the Pootatuck Corp., and is in its 75th year of production. It sells for around $250 new, and generally brings around $100 to $175 or so used on eBay. When I found this trimmer, it had a paper taped onto it saying, 'do you know what this is?'

When I walked over to it, the lady having the sale asked me if I knew what it was, and I assured her that I did not. There was no price on this trimmer, and when I asked her what she wanted for it, she gave me the same answer I seem to get a lot: 'Gosh, I really don't know. Make me an offer.' So, I did mu usual 'Okay, how about a dollar!' 'No way! It's worth way more than a dollar!' she told me. 'How about five dollars?' You see, she really did know, just as they all do, how much she wanted for her goods. She was just hoping that I was going to offer her more than she was willing to take for it.

The Lion Trimmer is used in carpentry work for very fine finishing work on things like picture frames and furniture molding, where you need a perfect, razor-sharp 45-degree cut. In normal situations, like the trim on a house, a saw is fine for making the 45-degree cuts required where the two pieces of wood come together. But what about fine furniture or picture frames, where the ragged edges of a saw cut would render the work a mess? That's where this little device comes in so handy. It cleans up the cut left by a saw to a mirror smooth edge, so that the two pieces of wood fit together perfectly.

So, that's the story on this tool. But when I first saw it, I couldn't tell you anything about it, except that it's a manual tool used for woodworking, which was enough for me to buy it. I pay special attention whenever I see old or specialty woodworking equipment of any kind, because there are likely plenty of carpenters out there who will want it.

This Pootatuck Lion Miter Trimmer sold for $123 on eBay.