“I just came across this in the back of my wrench drawer, and have no idea why it is set up this way.”
Cederq: I have no idea why it is set up. I looked up in my tool catalogs and tried googlefuing the name on the handle and by the opening and had no luck finding any information.
Should be teeth on the adjustable jaw. This is an early pipe wrench for tight spaces.
Your Google Fu is weak, young padawan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhyhkJWBY_o The AI assistant informs us of this: The Westcott adjustable wrench is a vintage tool, commonly produced by the Keystone Manufacturing Company in Buffalo, NY, starting in the late 19th century. Often featuring an “S” curve design, these wrenches were popular adjustable tools before the widespread adoption of the Crescent brand. They are sought after today as collectibles, frequently found in 6-inch to 10-inch sizes, according to Alloy Artifacts and eBay listings.
It is weak because I refuse to use friggen’ AI or it’s ASSistant.
An adjustable hammer that’s guaranteed to strip a bolt head?
The non parallel jaws remind me of the five sided bolt heads on fire hydrants. Looks about the right angle and the little teeth would help to keep it from slipping. It looks a little short to use on a hydrant but maybe there’s (or was) another common application for a five sided bolt head.
I inherited a 10 inch version of one of these. I have never found a use for it. The non parallel jaws make it useless for the nuts and bolt heads I have run across.
It’s a pipe wrench. It isn’t intended for hex head bolts.