Early 20th Century Bi-treadle Grindstone

 Farmers often had a wide variety of tools with sharp edges to perform several tasks around the farm. These tools might have included (but were not limited to) knives, hoes, sickle bars, sickles, scythes, grain cradle blades, discs, and hatchets. Using these tools inevitably meant needing to sharpen them. That is where grindstones like this one came in handy. By pushing down on the treadles (or pedals), a person could cause the grindstone to spin around. By pressing a dull blade against the stone, that person could remove nicks and smooth and sharpen a blade’s surface for future use. A good, ready-to-use grindstone cost about $3.50 in 1909.