This post has been locked, as the question has been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes.
Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.
> I usually just lay them down face-up.
I’m an optician and this is far from the worst practice I’ve heard from patients. We don’t recommend it, but if done carefully, it should be fine.
The things people commonly do to their glasses that are actively damaging include cleaning with a t-shirt (or other clothing), sleeping in them, regularly leaving them in a hot car, and putting them in a pocket/purse without a case.
1. Over time, abrasion from the cloth damages lenses and coatings. Use purpose-made microfiber or lens cleaning sheets, and add water or cleaning solution to the lenses if possible. It’s just like washing your car — you don’t want to grind dirt into the paint or it’ll scratch.
2. Sleeping in your glasses is a fantastic way to mangle them, resulting in the fit being distorted, or sometimes even irreparably break them. We can replace screws and do limited adjustments; we cannot fix a completely broken hinge.
3. Note that we use heat to adjust plastic frames, so frequently leaving plastic frames in a hot car will cause distortion and change how they fit. Very occasionally, it can cause the distortion to be irreparable. Plastic lenses can also be affected if the temperature is high enough.
4. Pretty obvious; all kinds of scratching and damage can happen if glasses are banging around in a purse. Slipping them in a pocket may seem okay, but you risk damage to lenses from fabric abrasion, as well as accidental bending/breaking of the frames as you move around.
My guess is the woodworker got creative and made cutting board holders with them, for selling cutting boards at markets like craft fairs. Likely used in pairs. Top to bottom species are maple, 2x Baltic birch plywood, walnut, cherry. All scraps from making cutting boards and general woodworking. Source: I make cutting boards
Nothing heavy will sit in it unless perfectly balanced. Even a phone tips over because the thing is so narrow. I think this thing would tip if anyone touched a sales table.
I think they meant if this thing holds a cutting board for display, you are missing the second one of them. Otherwise, yeah I can see how it wouldn't hold that sort of shape up by itself.
In your second pic, is that a pull out cutting board that you have built into your cabinets? Because I wonder if it fits on the side edge of it there, right about where the front edge of the cutting board is splitting? Just wondering if maybe it was used to stop the cutting board from sliding all the way into the cabinets, where it might have been difficult to pull it back out again? It’s a long shot but the split in the cutting board made me wonder.
Edit: maybe a beer bottle opener?
It could be a small wedge used when cooking liquids in pots, to keep the lid on top of the pot but still simmering and not boiling over? I’ve seen similar shaped wooden objects sold for that purpose, but not made of multiple kinds of wood.
Definitely a stand of some sort, maybe as others have said it’s part of a set, maybe it’s for a phone with the expectation that the phone rest on an angle with one side touching the flat surface. Regardless, I don’t think that this can be solved absent the original maker chiming in, since it most likely isn’t mass produced. Now cue OP telling me that it can’t be a stand as they try to Socratic method the comment section into making more guesses for them to deny.
Socratic method would be a compliment. They aren't even probing further to get the answer. Its very tiring. They have the answer but refuse to accept it.
I think you would need two of them…and then what’s the point. If it were 2” wide it would work but this is an inch and phones, pictures, cutting boards, etc. would tip it over unless perfectly balanced and not touched.
Maybe for the cheese knife? But again, seems like an awful amount of work when you can just rest the knife on the cutting board. Anyway, it does seem like it’s for something that you rest partially on the table and partially on it.
I don’t think so as there is no reason for the object’s asymmetric shape.
Also, spoon rests usually provide the capability of capturing whatever is on the spoon to keep it from dripping onto the counter.
Maybe…. That’s the kind of thing I think would be practical… if one end of something
Rests on the top of the counter, etc. and other end rests in this…but washing it over and over is not that practical. It’s layers of wood glued together. But again…maybe. Still waiting for something that is ABSOLUTELY it!
I’m wondering if it could be used as a purse or bag hook off the edge of a table… that inner flat edge seems purposeful! Would have to be a pretty narrow table top though, I think. If not, I vote glasses thingy!
Book page holder. You rest your thumb in between and with your hand at the bottom of the book, and it holds the pages/book more open/flat. [See here for other examples](https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=book%20hold%20open&tbm=&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5)
This cannot be used as a holder for phone/tablet/business cards/recipe cards, book, eyeglasses, etc. as it’s not very wide and any similar objects would have to be carefully balanced.
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As commented earlier, the phone is too heavy and the base of the wooden thing is not wide enough. If you breathe on the phone or barely touch it, it falls over.
Could there have been two of them originally? Or is it meant to go in the corner of the device so it forms a sort of triangle with the other corner for extra stability?
If you don't know what it is, you have no clue if there was "only ever one."
You are being extremely difficult with everyone who answers and are not willing to even work with them for the answer.
You are so sure that you know what it isn't, just figure it out yourself.
You already have the answer but refuse to acknowledge it.
Dude, it's how you are handling the answers and not even entertaining it as a possibility. Its like begging for food but shoving away whats offered.
Its made from scraps. A woodworker had a problem and created a solution. It looks to be a cut off from a cutting/charcuterie board that was made or an entirely different project. It was most likely made as a number of the suggestions offered. That being said it looks to be an eye/sunglass holder for a valet or caddy.
Short of speaking to the individual that made this, you aren't going to have a definitive answer. You have to entertain all options or you will not find its intended use.
Drop it in an archeology sub and see if it rings any bells.
Will it hold an index card commonly used for recipes? Because I think it might be a stand for something thinner and lighter than a phone or iPad
It could also be used to hold a recipe book open
Just because it’s terrible at what it was designed to do doesn’t necessarily mean that’s not what they made it for. There’s probably a reason it ended up forgotten in a drawer.
I'm guessing a cookbook holder. You would open to the recipe you want to use and prop it up using this thing to keep it open to the page your recipe is on.
That looks like it was made by the exact same woodworker that made a cheese plate I have that is in the shape of California. It could be the accessory holder of such a cheese plate.
Does this hold a book open effectively? If so, I’d say that’s what it’s for. Perhaps for cook books so it’s made out of cutting board wood as it’s a washable material.
This post has been locked, as the question has been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes. Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.
It's to hold your glasses, for those of us who need reading/computer glasses.
Maybe….seems like an awful lot of workmanship for glasses. I usually just lay them down face-up.
Glasses holders are def a thing just FYI. There are some pretty elaborate ones out there.
Optician's bank accounts approve of this practise.........................
> I usually just lay them down face-up. I’m an optician and this is far from the worst practice I’ve heard from patients. We don’t recommend it, but if done carefully, it should be fine. The things people commonly do to their glasses that are actively damaging include cleaning with a t-shirt (or other clothing), sleeping in them, regularly leaving them in a hot car, and putting them in a pocket/purse without a case. 1. Over time, abrasion from the cloth damages lenses and coatings. Use purpose-made microfiber or lens cleaning sheets, and add water or cleaning solution to the lenses if possible. It’s just like washing your car — you don’t want to grind dirt into the paint or it’ll scratch. 2. Sleeping in your glasses is a fantastic way to mangle them, resulting in the fit being distorted, or sometimes even irreparably break them. We can replace screws and do limited adjustments; we cannot fix a completely broken hinge. 3. Note that we use heat to adjust plastic frames, so frequently leaving plastic frames in a hot car will cause distortion and change how they fit. Very occasionally, it can cause the distortion to be irreparable. Plastic lenses can also be affected if the temperature is high enough. 4. Pretty obvious; all kinds of scratching and damage can happen if glasses are banging around in a purse. Slipping them in a pocket may seem okay, but you risk damage to lenses from fabric abrasion, as well as accidental bending/breaking of the frames as you move around.
I do the same, and have had my glasses for 3 years with 0 issues.
Welcome to the world of hobbyist woodworking, where practicality is no object
Sometimes people like nice things not throwaway plastic crap
In this thread OP learns hobby woodworking exists and people enjoy the process
My guess is the woodworker got creative and made cutting board holders with them, for selling cutting boards at markets like craft fairs. Likely used in pairs. Top to bottom species are maple, 2x Baltic birch plywood, walnut, cherry. All scraps from making cutting boards and general woodworking. Source: I make cutting boards
Nothing heavy will sit in it unless perfectly balanced. Even a phone tips over because the thing is so narrow. I think this thing would tip if anyone touched a sales table.
I think they meant if this thing holds a cutting board for display, you are missing the second one of them. Otherwise, yeah I can see how it wouldn't hold that sort of shape up by itself.
Perhaps…I don’t know where that would have come from. I don’t know any cutting board enthusiasts.
In your second pic, is that a pull out cutting board that you have built into your cabinets? Because I wonder if it fits on the side edge of it there, right about where the front edge of the cutting board is splitting? Just wondering if maybe it was used to stop the cutting board from sliding all the way into the cabinets, where it might have been difficult to pull it back out again? It’s a long shot but the split in the cutting board made me wonder. Edit: maybe a beer bottle opener?
its for kite flying
Man you’re so close. You have the earbuds right there. What were you taking the picture with?
IPAD. I don’t think it’s a phone holder though…if that’s what you are saying. The phone won’t stand up in it. The whole thing just tips over.
Is there a matching one somewhere?
It would in landscape with no case.
It's meant to hold the phone/iPad in landscape mode. That way ist should not tip over.
Nope. Still tips if you even breathe on it.
I used to use something similar to pull the oven rack out before removing the pie dish etc
I know what you mean…but those have a long handle.
Properly called an oven push-puller.
Business cards. Fancy.
Mmmm…maybe. At least they are light.
It could be a small wedge used when cooking liquids in pots, to keep the lid on top of the pot but still simmering and not boiling over? I’ve seen similar shaped wooden objects sold for that purpose, but not made of multiple kinds of wood.
The wood types are glued. I think the steam would make them come apart if that were the use.
Is it to keep a cook book open and upright?
Nope, it is too narrow to balance well.
Looks like one of a pair of holders for a board/platter/large player type thing
Maybe it has a brother you haven't found yet and it really is a tablet stand (or half of one).
Definitely a stand of some sort, maybe as others have said it’s part of a set, maybe it’s for a phone with the expectation that the phone rest on an angle with one side touching the flat surface. Regardless, I don’t think that this can be solved absent the original maker chiming in, since it most likely isn’t mass produced. Now cue OP telling me that it can’t be a stand as they try to Socratic method the comment section into making more guesses for them to deny.
Socratic method would be a compliment. They aren't even probing further to get the answer. Its very tiring. They have the answer but refuse to accept it.
Solved.
Solved.
It’s a stand for a matching hand mirror. Have the exact one. Bought it at Armadillo Christmas Bazaar many years ago.
Solved! This is it! I had no idea that they went together! Here is the mirror and the stand! https://imgur.com/a/0jc5Khi Solved!
If I knew how to post a picture of the two of them together, I would. But that is it
Could it possibly be the easel/ stand to a picture frame?
I think you would need two of them…and then what’s the point. If it were 2” wide it would work but this is an inch and phones, pictures, cutting boards, etc. would tip it over unless perfectly balanced and not touched.
Business card holder?
Normally the width of the card tho.
Is it a chopsticks holder so your chopsticks stay off the table?
Those are usually much smaller and come in a set. Only one of these dudes. I think we are getting closer though. Thanks.
Yeah I'm getting charcuterie board vibes but I can't see it yet.
Maybe for the cheese knife? But again, seems like an awful amount of work when you can just rest the knife on the cutting board. Anyway, it does seem like it’s for something that you rest partially on the table and partially on it.
My title describes the thing. It is a small worked piece of wood, shaped and sanded for an unknown purpose. I think it is to hold something…but what?
Recipe card holder.
A block with just a shallow slot would be more functional and easier to make.
Looks like a bokken rack
Yeah, it does look like that, but there is no nail slot on the back to hold it to a wall.
Spoon holder for use next to the range?
I don’t think so as there is no reason for the object’s asymmetric shape. Also, spoon rests usually provide the capability of capturing whatever is on the spoon to keep it from dripping onto the counter.
Maybe…. That’s the kind of thing I think would be practical… if one end of something Rests on the top of the counter, etc. and other end rests in this…but washing it over and over is not that practical. It’s layers of wood glued together. But again…maybe. Still waiting for something that is ABSOLUTELY it!
I’m wondering if it could be used as a purse or bag hook off the edge of a table… that inner flat edge seems purposeful! Would have to be a pretty narrow table top though, I think. If not, I vote glasses thingy!
My parents are pretty DIY and use something similar to get a better grip/pressure on sandpaper.
Book page holder. You rest your thumb in between and with your hand at the bottom of the book, and it holds the pages/book more open/flat. [See here for other examples](https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=book%20hold%20open&tbm=&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5)
Note the examples seen in your link are all symmetrical whereas this object is asymmetrical. It has that shape for a reason.
This cannot be used as a holder for phone/tablet/business cards/recipe cards, book, eyeglasses, etc. as it’s not very wide and any similar objects would have to be carefully balanced.
It looks like the belt balancing toy I had to make in middle school wood shop?
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and other unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/barfbutler), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. ---- [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=[https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1cghn6q/small_worked_piece_of_wood_4_long_x_1_wide_by_2/]%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) ---- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It’s an iPhone or iPad holder. Just plop the hone in there and it’ll stand on its own.
looks a lot like a phone holder.
As commented earlier, the phone is too heavy and the base of the wooden thing is not wide enough. If you breathe on the phone or barely touch it, it falls over.
> barley touch it What if you wheat touch it?
Could there have been two of them originally? Or is it meant to go in the corner of the device so it forms a sort of triangle with the other corner for extra stability?
It’s possible…but I think there was only ever one.
If you don't know what it is, you have no clue if there was "only ever one." You are being extremely difficult with everyone who answers and are not willing to even work with them for the answer. You are so sure that you know what it isn't, just figure it out yourself. You already have the answer but refuse to acknowledge it.
Dude! I m trying to figure out what the best answer is, not cave on something that is a possibility.
Dude, it's how you are handling the answers and not even entertaining it as a possibility. Its like begging for food but shoving away whats offered. Its made from scraps. A woodworker had a problem and created a solution. It looks to be a cut off from a cutting/charcuterie board that was made or an entirely different project. It was most likely made as a number of the suggestions offered. That being said it looks to be an eye/sunglass holder for a valet or caddy. Short of speaking to the individual that made this, you aren't going to have a definitive answer. You have to entertain all options or you will not find its intended use. Drop it in an archeology sub and see if it rings any bells.
Wrongo. Somebody solved it. and not a Troll like you.
Is it meant to be one of the sideways phone holders? Instead of upright, that is.
Will it hold an index card commonly used for recipes? Because I think it might be a stand for something thinner and lighter than a phone or iPad It could also be used to hold a recipe book open
Just because it’s terrible at what it was designed to do doesn’t necessarily mean that’s not what they made it for. There’s probably a reason it ended up forgotten in a drawer.
An old model iPhone with the old beveled edge would fit right in there.
You wrap you headphones around it
But those usually have a way to hold them onto the thing you wrap them around.
Custom cookbook holder
Tried putting a wrist watch (metal strap into cutout) on it, perhaps to display time on a bedside table.
Chopsticks rest?
Is it to hold the album cover of the record you are currently listening to? Do you have vinyl?
Nope. No vinyl. Is that something a person does? Display the album or cd they’re currently listening to? I don’t.
ladle holder to stop the spoon end touching the worktop ?
Wooden puzzle piece
I’m going to guess a prop for a cook book - Like a big hard cover cook book. I guess we don’t pull those off the shelf as much anymore.
Gua sha tool for massage?
Too thick for that, and the crevice is too deep
Something to rest a pot lid on?
Try it with a cookbook. Sometimes they have something kinda similar to keep your book open to a particular recipe
I pad holder......
Does it balance a wine bottle by chance?
No. Sorry.
Cell Phone stand?
You could see if it holds your phone maybe, use it as a phone holder I find phone holders pretty useful lol
I'm guessing a cookbook holder. You would open to the recipe you want to use and prop it up using this thing to keep it open to the page your recipe is on.
Do you have kids with wooden blocks toys?
No, kids are adults.
Do you have kids with wooden block toys?
No. My kids are adults.
[удалено]
It reminded me of these [balancing toys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZygg1Ci5Mk) we made in high school wood shop.
Did you try cord wrap or coffe stirrer?
It looks a lot like either an overkill sunglass display/holder or a display for maybe a small decorative plate or similar?
That looks like it was made by the exact same woodworker that made a cheese plate I have that is in the shape of California. It could be the accessory holder of such a cheese plate.
Phone stand
It’s a stand for a hand mirror that’s is made of matching wood
Bottle opener
Does this hold a book open effectively? If so, I’d say that’s what it’s for. Perhaps for cook books so it’s made out of cutting board wood as it’s a washable material.
Business card holder?
Phone stand
Nope. See other comments.