It’s Just Cool: Old School Corn Shellers
By Sean O'Hara
This morning I ran into a great article over on American Artifacts about old hand-style corn shellers. The disk sheller pictured above, for instance, represents 19th and early 20th century machine power before the addition of modern mechanized corn separation. Someone (or a group of someones) would run each ear of corn through the hole at the top and crank it through the gears to separate the kernels from the cob.
It’s often difficult to remember that this rig was considered high tech at the time. It replaced tools like these:
Admittedly, I much prefer the large all-in-one combines that roam the bread-basket fields of America today to the old push-and-crank approach of days past, but those old tools are still facinating reminders of early-American mechanical genius and innovation.
Hand Held Corn Shellers [American Aritifacts]
March 28th, 2007 at 11:58 am
I wish I had something along these lines to grind up pinecones. I pick up literally hundreds a year around my house (it’s hard on the mower to mow them up). They make a very nice mulch when chopped up, but it is just too much effort to do it with a pair of garden shears.
May 1st, 2007 at 8:46 pm
If you are interested in buying one (or several), my sister has several that she’s wanting to sell. She does not have an e-mail address, but I’ll be glad to provide the info. Just let me know.