We decided to do something a little different this month. February's mystery item is a manual grinder/sharpener. That's clear to anyone. The mystery is its purpose. Do you know what it was used to sharpen? The metal arm extended downward in the right bottom corner is a hand crank.
A different view shows that the tool was clamped in place when in use.
It's important to note that there is an arm missing on the right side.
It would have matched the arm shown on the left side. The round
stone in the front measures 4.5" across and 1/25" in thickness. The
conical stone in the middle measures 4.5" across and 3.5" thick at its
peak. Both stones are of the same grade.
We'd like to thank Josh P., of Nashville, who provided
this month's item. (Josh was also our June 2010 winner.) He acquired it from his grandfather, who earned a
living as a butcher. Is it butcher-related? You tell us!
Congratulations to Jerald S. of Nashville, TN, who correctly identified this month's item! Answer
We decided to do something a little different this month. February's mystery item is a manual grinder/sharpener. That's clear to anyone. The mystery is its purpose. Do you know what it was used to sharpen? The metal arm extended downward in the right bottom corner is a hand crank. 
A different view shows that the tool was clamped in place when in use.
It's important to note that there is an arm missing on the right side.
It would have matched the arm shown on the left side. The round
stone in the front measures 4.5" across and 1/25" in thickness. The
conical stone in the middle measures 4.5" across and 3.5" thick at its
peak. Both stones are of the same grade.