I found this at a yard sale but had no idea what it was

It’s fascinating how quickly confidence dissolves when faced with something outside modern experience.

The Research Begins
So I did what anyone would do.

I started researching.

First step: Google image search.

That helped a little—but not much. There were similar shapes, but nothing identical.

Then I searched using descriptive terms:

“Vintage hand crank metal wooden device”
“Old farm tool with crank”
“Antique manual press small size”
“Hand crank grinder 1900s”
Hours passed.

And then I found something that looked almost identical.

It turned out to be an antique hand-crank food mill.

What Is a Food Mill?